There are 20 vacation scheme places up for grabs for students who can use their essay-writing skills to convince Clifford Chance of their creativity and innovative thinking before 31 January 2014. And here’s the best bit: your chances of getting a vac scheme this way are significantly higher than applying through the traditional system. Previous winners have even gone on to get a training contract out of it. Read our advice on how best to approach your 500-word answer.

Get into the competition by visiting the Clifford Chance website: http://www.cliffordchance.com/news/news/2013/10/clifford_chance_launchesfourthannualintelligentaidcompetitionfor.html