Dana Altunisi, Future Trainee Solicitor at Dentons — From Professional Ballet to Securing a Training Contract

In this episode, Dana Altunisi shares her journey securing a training contract at Dentons, explaining how she navigated the solicitor vs barrister decision, leveraged her international background and found ways to stand out in one of the most competitive graduate recruitment markets.

Dana reflects on entering law without always knowing commercial law was the right path. Through university, mini pupillage and vacation schemes, she gradually realised that the intellectually challenging, collaborative and international nature of commercial law was a far better fit for her personality and long-term ambitions.

The conversation explores why she ultimately chose the solicitor route after completing seven mini pupillages. Dana compares life at the Bar with working in commercial law firms, discussing the importance of teamwork, cross-border work and building long-term professional relationships.

Dana also shares practical advice for students deciding between becoming a solicitor or barrister, explaining why speaking to junior lawyers, gaining real work experience and understanding the realities of both application processes is far more valuable than relying on common misconceptions.

The episode dives into the differences between mini pupillage and vacation schemes, highlighting how the two experiences develop different skills and why vacation schemes provide a much broader insight into life inside a commercial law firm.

A major focus of the discussion is standing out as an international candidate. Dana explains how speaking Arabic, English, French and Spanish became much more than a line on her CV by demonstrating cultural awareness, adaptability and her ambition to build a future career working across the Middle East.

The conversation also explores how candidates can differentiate themselves during applications. Rather than focusing solely on legal knowledge, Dana explains why her background as a professional ballet dancer became one of the strongest parts of her interviews, allowing her to demonstrate discipline, resilience and performing under pressure in a memorable way.

Dana also shares detailed insights into Dentons' direct training contract assessment centre, explaining why she preferred the assessment centre format over vacation schemes and offering practical preparation strategies, including building a master document of competency questions, learning commercial terminology and practising interview answers out loud.

Finally, Dana reflects on the inevitable rejection that comes with applying for training contracts. She encourages aspiring lawyers to accept setbacks as part of the process, remain resilient and remember that success often comes after many unsuccessful applications.

00:00 Introduction  
00:20 Meet Dana Altunisi  
01:00 Why Commercial Law?  
02:00 Solicitor vs Barrister  
03:00 Seven Mini Pupillages Later  
04:00 Mini Pupillages vs Vacation Schemes  
05:00 Using Languages to Stand Out  
06:00 Building an International Career  
07:00 Professional Ballet & Transferable Skills  
08:00 Standing Out in Applications  
09:00 Dentons' Direct Assessment Centre  
10:00 Preparing for Assessment Centres  
11:00 Commercial Awareness & Technical Questions  
12:00 Practising Interview Technique  
13:00 Dealing with Rejection  
14:00 Final Advice for Aspiring Lawyers