Many believe that without the right connections, scoring a role at a global law firm is next to impossible. But one law student shattered that myth, using a single, laser-focused cold email to crack open a door few ever get through.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Show, Victor Yan, a law student at UNSW and a paralegal at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (HSFK), revealed how one carefully crafted, highly targeted cold email became the unexpected catalyst that helped him land a role at the global firm
Yan admitted his pathway into HSFK was “unconventional” and “definitely a bit of luck”, but emphasised that it was also the result of a deliberate strategy – one that combined initiative, timing and a genuine passion for the work.
He revealed that his first encounter with the firm came through its pre-penultimate program, where sessions featuring junior lawyers sharing their experiences at HSF ignited his interest in one day working alongside them.
“I attended the pre-penultimate program at HSFK then, and then that program just basically told us a bit about HSFK, a bit about the practice areas, and they had a couple of grads sit on a panel and talk to us about their day-to-day,” he said.
A month later, Yan seized the opportunity to demonstrate his interest in the firm when HSFK published a detailed insight on the widely reported CrowdStrike–Microsoft outage, crafting a creative and highly specific cold email to the partners behind the piece.
“Then, around a month later, there was a CrowdStrike–Microsoft outage, and they had published this firm insight on their website,” he said.
“Given that I’m interested in technology law, I actually read the article, and I found it really interesting, and so I decided to send a really specialised, really specific cold email to the partners that drafted that article.”
Yan explained that he believed the message stood out because it was highly specific, spotlighted exactly what he found compelling in the article, tied directly to his career ambitions, and showcased his genuine engagement with the subject.
“In that email, I was just really specific about what I found interesting about that article. Then I linked it back to my specific interest in technology law, and I gave an example of why I was interested,” he said.
“For example, I had just done a mooting competition on technology law, and it was about the Optus data breach. So I linked that in my email, and then I finally just ended about why I think I would be a good fit for HSF and what I like about the culture.”
Although a month had passed with no response, Yan’s luck unexpectedly arrived when HR reached out to inform him of a paralegal opportunity, giving him the chance to work at the global law firm he once thought was out of reach.
“They didn’t reply to me for a month. But I didn’t expect anything when I sent that cold email. I think that’s cold emails, you just do it to, I guess, increase your chances of attracting luck,” he said.
“Then a month later, HR comes back to me and says there’s a paralegal in a different team from the one I applied for. Then I just ended up interviewing and then got the job.”
