When was your interview at Weil Gotshal & Manges?
February 2018
What for?
Vacation Scheme
Please describe the interview process at Weil Gotshal & Manges.
The assessment day was structured in a way where half of us did the commercial awareness exercise first, and then the interview, and vice versa for the other half of the group.
The graduate recruitment was very friendly during the introduction and reassured us that they would do their best to take in as many applicants into their vacation scheme from the assessment day as possible.
The commercial awareness exercise required us to write an email to a senior lawyer advising him on the client’s situation, with the relevant statutory provisions being provided to us. The key thing here is to plan and structure your answer efficiently and pen down your answer in the allocated time.
The interview required us to speak to a partner and an associate generally as well as discuss our interest in private equity over a course of an hour. The key thing here is to demonstrate that you have done your homework on the field of private equity, the firm’s expertise in the area, and why private equity is of interest specifically to you.
What advice would you give to future applicants about the Weil Gotshal & Manges interview?
Be very clear of what you want- the people I have met who have succeeded in attaining vacation schemes or training contracts with US law firms know how they distinguish from the UK law firms.
Also, for advice specifically regarding Weil, do your homework into private equity and find out whether it is a field of genuine interest to you. Find out why the firm chooses to engage into this particular field and meet people from the firm to gauge if the firm is a fit for you.
Most importantly, make sure you stand out by being the best you can be at what you are- without compromising on things like your relationships, your academic results and your values. Be humble, be the kind of person that people want and like to work with, and always strive to improve yourself.
When was your interview at Weil Gotshal & Manges?
February 2017
What for?
Summer Vacation Scheme
Please describe the interview process at Weil Gotshal & Manges.
Weil actually interviewed me at my university which was slightly surreal but made me feel more relaxed than going into London- I believe they do this at a few universities. The assessment consisted of a written exercise followed by an interview with two partners (the training partners). The written exercise was a little tight for time and involved the drafting of an email and I think some legal analysis also.
The interview was challenging and unlike most other interviews I have had because of its focus on legal issues. The majority of the interview was based on a discussion of Private Equity, what it is, how it works, and what lawyers do throughout the process. I enjoyed this as it was more like critical thinking and didn’t feel superficial like ‘competency’ interviews can. Other than that they asked me about my experiences on other vac schemes and why I wanted to work for Weil. The interview concluded with me asking them some questions and them asking what I like to do in my free time.
What advice would you give to future applicants about the Weil Gotshal & Manges interview?
For an interview at Weil I would strongly advise getting clued up about Private Equity- it is the firm’s big focus and my having some knowledge of it was absolutely key to my success in the interview. Otherwise I would advise not getting too stressed if they ask you something you don’t know the answer to- they asked me questions about areas of Private Equity I couldn’t be expected to know, and I think they were just testing how I reacted. Also beyond that, be clear about how the London office fits into the firm globally and how their focuses are different and why you want to work for Weil over any other firm- particularly if it isnt for their private equity department.
When was your interview at Weil Gotshal & Manges?
February 2015
What for?
Vacation Scheme
Please describe the interview process at Weil Gotshal & Manges.
Interview and written exercise.
What advice would you give to future applicants about the Weil Gotshal & Manges interview?
For the interview:
- You’ll need to demonstrate a basic understanding of private equity – I imagine you’ve seen the guide, but let me know if you have any questions after that. The common question is ‘what is private equity’ and sometimes you’ll have to run through a private equity-related case study (as below).
- For this reason, you may want to consider how PE feeds into your answer of ‘Why Weil’ (if it does).
- Be honest but play to your strengths. Prepare answers to typical competencies – when you’ve worked as a team/worked under pressure/your strengths and weaknesses and why Weil/why law – but see below.
- They want to get to know you, so it’s not particularly formulaic. Brush over your application form as they often use this as a starting point. It’ll typically be a partner and associate interviewing.
- Have a clear structure to your answers but be careful of over-rehearsing, it might help to think of 2-3 reasons for the questions above.
- Follow 2-3 significant stories that could affect Weil or law firms and be prepared to discuss i.e. Brexit. Have an understanding of two different sides of the debate and form an opinion.
- It’s a very relaxed interview, so if it’s possible, try to enjoy it! Smile, maintain eye contact, envision it as a conversation rather than an interrogation and remember, it’s fine to say you don’t know if you don’t know.
- Be prepared to discuss a current commercial awareness issue or a case study i.e. the PE acquisition of a company. This’ll typically be at the end of an interview and will form the basis of a question, with a few follow-ups.
Written exercise
- You’ll have to read a couple of pages and write recommendations to a client/law firm based on the case study.
- The key is to think about structure, simplicity and relevance.
- Make sure you address the exercise to the right person and use the right salutation.
