On making her mind up.

Katja studied Law at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. She went on to complete the bespoke Linklaters LPC at the College of Law, Moorgate. She first experienced Linklaters on the vacation scheme.

A surprisingly good experience.

I applied for the vacation scheme in January 2004 and was asked to come to an interview a few weeks later. I came to the Silk Street offices and was naturally feeling pretty anxious. I was met in reception by a trainee who talked me through what the day would entail - everything was so organised and that made me feel a lot more relaxed. My first task was a critical reasoning questionnaire, which was the same format as the practice test I had been sent beforehand. This was followed by an interview with a member of the human resources team. We then had a tour of the offices and an interview with a partner. I was so surprised at how friendly my interviewers were. Far from being nervous throughout the interview process, I actually enjoyed it. From this moment, I knew Linklaters was for me and was really pleased when I was offered a vacation scheme place.

Not knowing everything.

At the end of the vacation scheme I was offered a training contract interview. I was much more nervous this time around as I had enjoyed my vacation scheme so much I really wanted to join. Needless to say I was immediately put at ease. I distinctly remember being asked what department I might want to qualify into. Panic. I replied that I didn't know at this particular time and wanted to experience different departments before making that decision. The response from the interviewer was that it's okay not to know at this stage – with international offices and a vast range of specialisms, you'll be exposed to many areas of the business. There's no pressure to decide now.

Standing out.

I was offered training contracts at a few other City law firms, but out of all of the firms I'd worked for, Linklaters made me feel the most comfortable. I felt as if there were endless opportunities open to me, both as a trainee and later on in my career, either within the firm or elsewhere in the business world. And if I had a question, I felt I could ask anyone in the firm, which made a real difference when trying to work out where best to do my training.

Outstanding.

Linklaters is a firm that aims high in its work, and so aims high in its selection process. It's not only important to be a strong candidate academically and personally, it is also important to really want the job. And there are so many opportunities for those that do. The number of international offices and client secondments available is one of the widest in any of the top City firms. The work the firm does is top-notch, meaning exposure to top clients and complex issues, which make every deal unique. And the size of the trainee network at Linklaters means there is always someone you can talk to - or go for a drink with.