New Threads

Hi guys and welcome to the first commercial update of April.

So this week's articles:
@Curtley Bale - Trump compels General Motors to manufacture ventilators
@Jiraiya - Coronavirus: How it affects the UK Housing Market
@Alice Manners - IR35 legislation postponed.
@Rachel S - LVMH produces sanitiser


The Story
President Trump has used Cold War-era measures to compel one of America’s largest car companies to ramp up the production of ventilators. The Defense Production Act was first enacted in 1950 and requires the company in question to prioritise its manufacturing for the government. The President has used this measure to force General Motors (GM) to increase ventilator production, with the fight against Coronavirus being ‘too urgent’ to worry about contractual negotiations.

What it means for Businesses and Law Firms
Trump’s measures come at a time when cases in the USA are soaring. At the time of writing, there are more than 160,000 cases with nearly 3,000 deaths. Enacting the Defense Production Act will help to reduce the number of people having to fight the disease without a ventilator. By targeting GM, Trump is asking the company to move away from its traditional manufacturing of cars to use its expertise for the greater good. Through a series of loans and incentives, the US government is ensuring those that can help the cause are in a position to do so.

In terms of business implications, GM will now have to prioritise its work for the government over its normal manufacturing contracts. GM is responsible for famous brands such as Chevrolet and Cadillac and turned over $137.2bn in 2019. It is likely that imminent deliveries of cars will now be delayed as attention is turned to ventilator manufacturing. As a result, there may be contractual debates among those who are expecting GM’s cars. Normally, GM would be breaching contracts by failing to deliver on time. However, it is likely a force majeure clause would be exercised in this unprecedented time.

Whilst share price has fallen due to the government compulsion of the company, it is unlikely to affect their standing in the market. This is because competitors such as Ford and Fiat Chrysler are also heavily involved in the efforts and have temporarily placed car production on the proverbial backburner.

Anyone else worried about the LPC exams being postponed due to Covid 19?

Hi, I got a general question with regards to how law firms work... Why would a higher ratio of fee earner to partner hours lead to higher profitability? I know that a higher ratio could result in a higher leverage, but why the ratio is important in the first place?
Thanks!!

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

February 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Vacation Scheme

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

Group exercise 20 minutes, presentation 5 minutes,

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

Exercise 1:
We were given instructions which asked us to come up with 3 ideas to [redacted]. The instructions weren't specific, so this could be in terms of improving innovation, training, opening offices or anything that you can think of. We came up with 3 ideas:
[redacted]
We knew we had 20 minutes so we planned and spoke for 15 minutes and took 5 minutes to go over our presentation. We made use of the whiteboard to brainstorm our ideas. I took initiative to write on the board etc and to be a note taker.

Group presentation:
After the 20 minutes, the other group walked in as well as Danielle and 3 more Associates and we had to do a group presentation. We only had 5 minutes to present all 3 ideas so we took around 1 and a half minutes each. I Tip: We took my phone and put it on the table to keep track of time.
The other group went first and they came up with ideas which were: 1. [redacted]
This was followed by a Q&A by the Associates. I was challenged on the AI point. An Associate asked me something on the lines of – client's come to us to provide exceptional advice – don't you think automating work defeats the purpose of this? I basically said automating basic work can allow you to focus on the more complex part of the transaction which is where the true value comes in, this allows us to provide even more value for clients. He then went on and said don't you think automating routine work is bad for trainees as then they don't get to practice drafting? And I said they can still practice drafting as they will have to tailor the documents, so I think this only provides for more interesting drafting opportunities. They also challenged the "Relationships Manager" point saying we currently have something similar at MB. And the girl from my team said, yes but we should get Associates involved, not just Senior Associates and Partners. They also challenged the other group on what the purpose of the language training is etc and why open up another office – this takes a very long time and we were looking at ideas we can implement in the next 2 years.

Exercise 2:
We then had to sit the written exercise. It was difficult! It was a long article which was full of information on how taxi drivers are rated and how it's awful and it included scientific research and all kinds of opinions etc.
We had to summarise the article as well as find spelling mistakes.

Exercise 3:
Following a tour of the office, I had my interview with 2 Senior Associates. They were super nice and welcoming. They had a list of questions which they had to ask. Why law/why MB/time you showed initiative/ time you worked under pressure/which practice area of MB are you interested in/they gave me a statement which was on the lines of "London is the financial hub of the world – discuss". And I had to justify it. Then the next question was "What are the 3 financial centres in the world?" I was also asked if I could change one law what would it be and why. I said the sugar tax law and the right to bear arms in the (UK). I think they were just looking for your personality here, but they also wanted you to justify it. My feedback said that my answer required more justification.

Exercise 4:
I then had to go into another room where I had to do a business exercise in which I was given the opportunity to prepare some questions to secure additional information and then recommend a client a fictitious firm should pursue.
You were basically told your client wants to invest in one of these companies – find out more information. There was only company A and company B. One company produced [redacted] and the other produced [redacted] which was sourced ethically. If I could do this exercise again I would start off by asking questions like:
· What is our client's budget?
· What market does our client currently operate in?
· Does our client have specific instructions?
· [make sure you extrapolate all the client info you can!]
· And then ask questions about the companies like – what market do they operate in/ what year were they established in? / their profits/ customers/where they are based/ where are their factories located – will it result in job losses? / costs to produce the goods – profit from each company /is there any litigation or bad press surrounding the client etc.
· We were told that one of the companies was recently mentioned in a newspaper article which portrayed them in a negative way. So, this put me off the company– and I decided to go for the other company purely based on this fact.
· He will ask you which company you have decided on and you'll have to justify why.
· This is a relatively easy exercise and is quite laid back – just enjoy it! Now that I am writing this in hindsight the main thing is to consider finding out what our client wants and just which business fits him best!

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

See above.

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

Make sure you practice proofreading as everyone finds the written exercise the hardest.

Were you successful?

No

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

February 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

12pm arrival. 12:15 taken into the interview. 1:30 interview finished.

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

There really wasn’t much of a structure per se. It was nearly an hour and a half and the discussion went in various directions. (Will expand on in the interview q’s section)

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Initially the discussion was why law, why X university, why did I not do English at university and do the GDL etc. Also asked about my opinion about the GDL as a law student. I was honest in my answer but controlled. He made it clear that he appreciated the honesty.

We then spoke a lot about social mobility and I was asked moral questions. Should firms intake X amount of people from a particular ethnicity? Asked about my perception of the firms D&I initiatives etc. We then went into a fictional scenario of company X wanting to merge with company Y and what practice areas I would recommend. Then we discussed potential issues of the merger. My CV was then “scrutinised” - what did I learnt or do in my work experience with Firm A. Where else have I applied? You did work experience with Firm B but didn’t apply for a vacation scheme?

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

This was quite a relaxed interview. It was a relatively commercial interview but extremely “moral”. I was asked about various things that would be considered controversial so I would say make sure you familiarise yourself with some of these questions. Also, do not sit on the fence. They like you to have an opinion and be prepared to fight your corner. The partner will always play devils advocate no mater what side you pick. Sitting on the fence makes you look indecisive and doesn’t really leave a lot of leeway for an engaging debate.

Were you successful?

Yes

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

February 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Training Contract 2022

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

First round: 45 minute HR interview. (The second round is an assessment centre which I cannot comment on because I have accepted a TC elsewhere.)

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

Interview with one member of HR. Very tailored to your application and although they have a set list of questions they do tailor them to your previous answer.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

1) Why SH?
2) Why law?
3) Would you be interested in doing an international secondment, if so where?
4) How do you stay up to date with the news?
5) What has taken your interest in the news?
6) How does this impact the firm and its clients?
7) What was your favourite subject at university?
8) What was your least favourite subject at university?
9) Why have you applied for a TC and not a VS?

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

Make sure to know how the firm is different from its competitors (i.e. practice areas), and what will be concerning their clients at the moment. Its a very relaxed interview, just know your application and experiences well, and don't bring something up that you aren't prepared to answer further questions on. For example I mentioned coronavirus during my answer to how do I stay up to date with the news, and the next few questions were based on this answer and I had to provide in-depth comments on the impact of the coronavirus.

Don't be afraid to say you aren't sure about something, just be honest. For example I said I couldn't comment on the long term impact of the coronavirus because it is very uncertain. Again I said I would have to do more research into the firms international offices in order to decide where I would want to go on to secondment - but made it obvious I knew where the offices were by saying - perhaps X or Y.

Were you successful?

Yes

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

October 2019

Please specify what the interview was for.

Winter Vacation Scheme 2019

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

11.50am Arrival, 12pm Competency Interview

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

Competency Interview - The interview lasted one hour and it was with an Associate and a member of Graduate Recruitment. I was informed it would be a competency-based interview, but I was asked a mix of motivational, competency and commercial questions. Even though the firm states it interviews on a fixed basis, I was informed that I was being interviewed before the application deadline as my application form had really impressed them. The interviewers started by asking basic motivational questions surrounding why I had applied to the firm and where I was in my life currently. I was not asked 'why law' or 'why Shearman' directly. Then there was a blend of competency and commercial questions, but I was only asked two of the latter with a follow up question based on what I had said. I found the questions to be fairly straightforward and nothing unexpected. After the interview there was the opportunity to ask questions. I was told I would hear the outcome after the deadline had passed.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

- Tell us about where you are in your life and how you have ended up here today
- Tell us about a time you faced a challenge and how you overcame it
- Tell us about a time you worked in a team
- Tell us about a news story that caught your attention recently. I spoke about Thomas Cook and was then asked how I would have advised Thomas Cook if they had approached the firm 18 months prior to their insolvency
- Tell us about three weaknesses
- Tell us about a time you had to make a difficult decision and would you have done anything differently
- What do you think a trainee solicitor does day to day? I was asked a follow up question based on what I had said
- What skills do you need to be a trainee solicitor?

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

As there is only one element for the vacation scheme assessment, my best advice would be to research the firm thoroughly. A lot of questions seemed to be asking 'Why Shearman' indirectly, so if you can link your knowledge of the firm to specific examples your answers will be stronger. As with every interview it is important to be personable, polite and punctual. Listen clearly to what they are asking and do not feel you need to answer straight away.

Were you successful?

No

Hi all!

I had a decent interview last year then I had to do an aptitude test which I failed miserably and was rejected from the firm.

I am reapplying this year and I am just wondering how much I need to change my application? I have new work experience as a paralegal and some new extra-curricular activities that I will be adding of course. However I don't have anything to add/change for the two questions in the application:
Why are you applying for a training contract here?
What distinguishes you from the other applicants applying for this position?

Is it a big no if I don't change my answers to these two questions?

Thanks!!

Hi,

Posting this here as I would appreciate insight from those who know more about how law firms recruit than I do.

I'm a graduate who's interested in a law conversion, and I've just got off the phone from some of the University of Law's salespeople who have told me that law firms have no preference for either the MA Law (qualifies you to study the LPC or the BPC after) or the more traditional GDL. Is this the case? If so, why does anyone bother with the GDL?

This would be good news to me, as I can apply for a student loan for the MA Law without exhausting my savings. I have the option to study whilst living at home, so other living costs are not a big worry for me.

I'm posting here to confirm this, as the Uni of Law and other providers might have reason to hype up the MA Law course (higher fees).

Hello!

Does anyone have any tips for the Farrer & Co cover letter? Its only 350 words and doesn't give any guidance. Usually I would speak about why law, why firm, why me but in a later question, they ask you to answer 'why do you want to work at Farrer & Co'.

Should I leave the cover letter to why law and why me?

Thank you!

Hello,

I am considering applying for part-time LLM programs in London. I was wondering if anyone has gone through the process and could share recommendations/advice.

Also, any sample LLM Personal Statements that I can review? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi,

Has anyone had experience with Fladgate’s assessment centre or has an idea of the structure of it?

Dex

Hi everyone,

As promised, I am creating this thread so that you can ask me any questions which you may have, whether they are questions about my journey to a TC or more general ones about the process itself, ask away!

By way of background for those of you who are maybe new to the forum, I decided to explore corporate law as a career option in October 2018 and went to every event I possibly could that month. I applied to open days at the firms whose cultures I felt appealed to me and managed to secure a few of those open days. I subsequently applied for around 7/8 vacation schemes at those firms I had engaged with and I interviewed with Hogan Lovells, Shearman & Sterling and Latham, in that order. I managed to secure a spring vacation scheme with Shearman and a summer one with Latham.

Sadly, following both schemes, I was unsuccessful. However, I was really able to take stock and reflect on my journey up until that point and it set me on a slightly different path. I thoroughly enjoyed both schemes (honestly, I had the most incredible time on each of them for which I am so grateful) but I did have slight reservations regarding the training styles and how I am and operate as a person. I am someone who prefers a more hands-on teaching style, which is something I came to appreciate more about myself at university. Therefore, I decided to apply exclusively to UK-origin firms in my second cycle.

**Just to clarify, please note how I discuss the different training styles in the context of myself as an individual. There is nothing inherently 'right' or 'wrong' with US-origin and UK-origin training styles - it is all about what is best for you as a person. I have incredible friends joining US firms and who are applying to them whose personalities and preferences mean that they will thrive more with that style of training.**

In my second cycle, I made 6 applications and interviewed at HSF, A&O, Linklaters and Freshfields. I was unsuccessful with each of those firms except Freshfields, which many of you will know from my pre-interview posts was my first choice firm! I really believe that this process, whilst difficult, truthfully does work in your favour in the end. Recruiters and interviewers know their firm and they are looking for those candidates who they feel will fit in with their firm's culture and working style. Whilst rejection hurts, it really is redirection and you are on the right path for the firm which is right for you - so please keep the faith!

That's it really from me so please ask away!

If any of you have questions which are deeply personal then you can message me instead and I will try to help as best as I can. Otherwise, please do post your questions in here

Thank you for reading and I hope this thread helps!!

Hey everyone,

I have been totally inspired by @S87 today and wanted to create this thread. I thought it would be great (and hopefully a source of positivity) for us all to share the things we are doing during this time to work on our self-development, to learn new skills or re-engage with old hobbies!

I know we have shared podcasts and books in the past throughout the forum but I thought we could share things in here and also any websites, online courses, cookery inspiration, challenges, etc we have discovered or are trying out. These do not have to be law/business-related - just anything that you have enjoyed and found useful that you would like to recommend to others

I also want to say this is not to freak anyone out. If you are choosing to spend this time to chill out and relax because your body and mind are in need of some downtime, then that is a great way to spend this time and do not feel pressured to do what anyone else is doing! We are all on our own paths and do things at our own pace and it's important to remember that as well in these coming weeks

I just thought it might be nice to bring the community together during this time and share the things we are doing in these next few weeks as I would love to have some inspiration myself

Hi everyone,

I've read loads of posts on TCLA, read an article comparing the NY Elite and the Magic Circle, and spoken to a few trainees that I know, and all of it has painted a bleak picture for the Magic Circle over the next decade or so, with US firms seemingly gradually but inevitably 'taking over' top end London legal work. A lot of it has made it seem like the end is coming for all five firms and that they're going to fade away into obscurity.

While recognising that each of the five firms are different, I think my work style and personality is far more suited to the Magic Circle. However, I'm just a little concerned after hearing so many negative things about their future competitiveness (or lack thereof?).

Ultimately, I'm not sure what/who to believe. Are the Magic Circle really on an inevitable decline? Will they continue to be considered part of the world's elite? The problem I have described aside, I would prefer the Magic Circle any day of the week over a top US firm, from a personal fit perspective. Nonetheless, should I be applying to the top US firms, for the detailed reasons?

Any comments or help is appreciated.

Securing a Training Contract - With Harry Clark and Gordon Chung

I hope you're all doing okay. I know this is a very uncertain and scary period.

We've decided to make our latest course free for all aspiring lawyers - you don't have to be a premium member to access it. Simply enrol here: https://classes.thecorporatelawacademy.com/p/securing-a-training-contract.

The advice in this course is honestly incredible. Harry and Gordon are fantastic teachers, and I really hope it helps you in your journey to securing a training contract.

What is this course about?

Since securing their training contracts, Harry Clark and Gordon Chung have helped thousands of aspiring lawyers across the country to pursue a career in commercial law. In this course, the two Baker McKenzie future trainees have come together to share their best advice for every stage of the application process.

In the first section, Harry and Gordon discuss their journey into commercial law, including how they dealt with feelings of imposter syndrome and self-doubt along the way. You’ll learn how they picked themselves back up from rejection by having a long term vision and focusing on achieving small, regular goals to get through the hard times.

In the second section, Harry and Gordon share the biggest lessons they’ve learnt from their application journey. You’ll learn how identifying your unique selling points and seizing seemingly insignificant opportunities can help you to craft your ‘story’ at interview. You’ll also receive practical advice on how to write effective cold emails and use your network to create your own opportunities.

In the third section, Harry and Gordon tackle how to write an application that stands out. They break down their approach to a variety of application questions, from justifying your motivation for commercial law to selling your experiences in a way that distinguishes yourself from other candidates.

The fourth section is all about interviews and assessment centres. You’ll learn techniques for a range of assessments from case study interviews to group and written exercises. Harry and Gordon also explain how to show your passion for a firm in partner interviews and how to draw upon your journey to give a convincing interview.

In the fifth section, you’ll learn about personal branding and networking. This includes how to effectively make the most of LinkedIn and other online and offline sources to interact with firms and boost your applications.

Enjoy!

Hi,

Does anyone have any advice about applying for Brand Ambassador roles, and in particular what they're looking for? I know it varies by firm, but any general advice is appreciated. I applied for one role in first year and I was like a rabbit caught in headlights when it came to the interview stage, so any advice is welcome and appreciated!

Hi there!
I was just wondering if anyone has been to the Pinsent Masons Assessment Centre before and if so, does anyone have any tips they could please share?
Also any idea if the Middle East Assessment Centre is usually the same as the London one?

Thanks a lot!

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

January 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

12pm arrival, taken to sit in the waiting area with other students. After 15 minutes, I was given the news story and then around 12:45 I was taken into the room but two partners. The interview from this point probably lasted just over an hour.

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

News story - I was given a news article from the economist about oil prices. This was very stressful, I felt it was out of my depth. There were 5 pre-set questions that needed to be answered. These weren’t extremely specific.
Interview - roughly an hour. First it was based on my CV and experiences, the last 15 minutes we delved into the article.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Article - give a one sentence summary, what is the writer arguing, do you agree, what is the conclusion, then there were some specific questions about the article. From the article stemmed other conversations and moral dilemmas - we discussed corporate responsibility, and somehow the conversation turned to the miners strikes in the 1980’s.

Interview - this was very personal. We spoke about my own work experience, my first impressions of the firm etc. I was asked about a deal and then I cornered myself at this stage of the interview. The partner worked in the practice area that the deal was focused on. She asked me various questions regarding aspects of the deal, aspects about employment, IP, competition law.

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

I think this is a cognitively challenging interview. The partner has the freedom to take the interview in whatever direction they wish so please be careful when discussing certain things as a “throw-away” comment to make yourself sound knowledgable. Slaughter and May partners are extremely scary (but nice)! Try to incorporate some news from the business or commercial world into the article side of the interview - but you WILL be asked more about this. When discussing a deal please know every aspect of the deal - majority of my interview came from my understanding of the deal.

Lastly, the article discussion is the last part of the interview so please don’t forget about the article. I was caught off guard because I had partly forgotten what the article was about!

Were you successful?

Yes

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

October 2019

Please specify what the interview was for.

Winter Vacation Scheme 2019

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

10.45am- Arrival.
11am- Welcome from Graduate Recruitment.
11.15am- Writing task.
12.15pm -Lunch
1.15pm- Roleplay.
2pm- Case study preparation.
3pm to 4pm- Case study and competency interview with senior associate/partner.

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

There were 5 of us at the assessment centre and once we arrived, we were given a brief walk-through of the structure of the day and were made to feel at ease and relaxed. This lasted about 15 minutes.

Writing task:

After our initial welcome, we then had the hour long writing task which consisted of an inbox exercise. We had to pretend we were trainees who had been given several different tasks to do (I believe there were 7) and we had to summarise each task, give them a priority level (low, medium, high) and explain why they were of that priority, and then had to explain how we would go about completing each task. We had to pretend as if we were explaining all of this to our supervisors who wanted to know our tasks at hand and the way in which we would be completing them. The format was 7 tasks having been set through 7 different emails having been sent to us and this is what we had to summarise. We also at the end had a research task. We had to draft a letter to a concerned client who was worried about whether they were compliant with the GDPR based on information presented to us and wanted to know what the consequences may be if they were not compliant. We were provided with the legislation itself to help us with this task and this was probably the harder part of the writing task!

Roleplay:

The roleplay activity was split in to two parts. 15 minutes preparation time and then about 15 minutes of the roleplay activity itself. The task consisted in preparing for a client meeting last minute as your supervisor has had to leave the office. The client was I believe a gaming company if i'm not mistaken from what I remember, and is stressed out over certain complexities and is interested in international expansion in certain areas like the [redacted]. We are given about 10 different web links to read through in the 15 minute preparation time as well as the briefing paper on the client portfolio, that help prepare for helping the client. This task is therefore testing the ability to pick out key information from a large amount of information- such as Simmons' capability in the [redacted] which is what one of the documents spoke about and how that may help in supporting the client's expansion in this area. We are told that the client also doesn't know that much about Simmons and so it is important to understand how else Simmons may be able to help the client (i.e. in what other areas and capabilities).

As soon as you walk in to the room, the role-play begins- the "client" will pretend to be agitated and uninterested and it is up to you to ask the relevant questions so you know how to help them and really sell Simmons well in terms of how Simmons can be of help. I was told when I got my feedback that it is a good idea to begin the roleplay by speaking about Simmons in a more general manner to begin with- e.g. its sector focuses etc, before asking more particular questions around the particular help that the client was. This is of course to build a rapport first. You really are in control here. So for example, when I began to speak about Simmons' capability in the TMT sector that may be helpful for the client and mentioned other related sectors, the follow up questions were "what are the other sector focuses and how are they relevant to us". So depending on what you speak about, you will be asked certain follow up questions.

Case Study Preparation:

For this you have an hour. You are given a laptop and use the Relativity platform to work through 30 different documents which help with the case study. You are allowed to take this in with you in the interview with the senior associate/partner. The case study scenario was a potential case of [redacted] by a director of the company being suspected and in the 1hr long prep using the 30 documents, consideration had to be given to:

a) What further information is needed to know whether this was a case of [redacted]?
b) What are the wider implications for the company if the director is found guilty of [redacted]?- e.g. effects on company reputation etc.
c) General concerns surrounding other employees' rights and liabilities if the Director was guilty.
d) what should the company do next in relation to this suspected case of [redacted]? -e.g. should it suspend the director whilst investigations are carried out?

Case Study and Interview (1 hour):

This was split into two parts:

Part 1: Talk through of the case study- I had to pretend to be presenting the case to my supervisor for 5 minutes and what i had found. My "supervisor" would then ask me further questions based on what I said. For example when I spoke about the effect on reputation, I was asked how this would be affected. This all lasts between 10 to 15 minutes.

Part 2: Competency based questions- questions asked are listed below. If an answer seems incomplete or they simply want to know more, you will be pushed for further information. This took up the bulk of the time- about 35 minutes. I then had the last 5 to 10 mins to ask questions of my own which was really nice and helpful.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

- Why Simmons and how does it differ itself?
- Why commercial law?
- Tell me about a time you had to really work to gain someone's trust.
- Tell us about a time you showed resilience.
- Tell me about a time you had to work under pressure.

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

Writing task- Timing is key is the man takeaway for this! The research task is much more difficult than the first part of summarising tasks, so I would suggest tackling the harder bit first, then doing the summarising task as if you are pushed for time, this is something a lot easier to do under time pressure rather than the drafting of a letter.

Roleplay- Make sure you listen to the "client". I was told sometimes I was selling Simmons too hard and didn't quite manage to build a rapport first- stay human!

Case study and competency- The more commercially aware you are the better the case study will go- this was a task I was told I performed particularly well because I considered multiple different types of implications if a Director of a company was found guilty of money laundering- i.e. financial implications, impact on repute, effect on other staff- so be open minded and think of the wider picture!

Were you successful?

No

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

February 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

10am - Arrival
10.25 - Group exercise
11.30 - Lunch
12.30pm - Watson Glaser
1.00 - Break
2.00 - Interview

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

Group exercise - given an hour to discuss a case study in a group of 4. a 5 minute presentation and 15 minutes of questions afterwards.

Watson Glaser - standard Pearson WG that was 30 minutes long

Interview - only half an hour, standard interview with a partner and member of grad rec

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Why Osborne Clarke?
Why the London office?
What other firms have you applied to?
What country should we open an office in?
What are the problems with opening an office in [said country]?
What legal and social issues would we have to deal with if we adopted driverless cars in the UK?

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

Group exercise - extremely time pressured, there was no clock in the room so ensure you carry a watch and nominate yourself to be time-keeper. the case study was quite lengthy, and was based on an M&A deal with a tech company looking to acquire 5 other companies. there was also a kind-of irrelevant article which was a red herring. as a group, you are meant to come to a consensus as to which businesses to invest in. the presentation is also straightforward, make sure you also keep to the time as the grad rec will cut you short if you run over.

Watson Glaser - quite straightforward, try and do as much practice as possible

Interview - also straightforward, very short but make sure you give extensive answers but avoid waffling. the partners will push you if you mention something interesting, so stick to your convictions if they ask you to consider an alternative stance (eg in relation to the driverless cars scenario)

Were you successful?

Yes

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

Not Completed

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

10 am – Arrival/Greeted by HR/ Briefing for the day

10. 30 am – Case Study Exercise

11.40 am – Partner Interviews/Negotiation Exercise (candidates are split into two groups by HR with one group doing interviews first while the other group does the negotiation exercise)

1.30pm – Lunch and tour of the firm with trainees

3.00 pm – End

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

Case Study

The case study is a hand written exercise to be completed within 40 minutes. The case study this year was about your client acquiring a fictional company. You are given a list of issues with the acquisition are asked to write a report to the client detailing the consequences of these issues to the client, any further information you would require, and potential resolutions to the issues.

Negotiation Exercise

The negotiation scenario is essentially a follow up from the case study scenario. It was a two party negotiation with two people representing each side. You are given 20 minutes to read through your materials and prepare points with your teammate and then 30 minutes to negotiate. We were only notified 5 minutes before our time was up, so I think we were also assessed on keeping time and how we were using our time. During both the preparation and the actual negotiation an associate was in the room assessing us.

Interview

1-hour interview with two partners. My interview was solely focused on my application with no competency questions.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Some general questions they asked were:

1. Why law?
2. What would we have to consider when opening a new office in a different country?
3. Where do you think we should open our next office?

Scenario based questions
1. I was asked if NRF should decide not take on certain types of clients. They specifically asked if they should agree to do work for North Korea.
2. You put your money in a vending machine and don’t end up getting your item. You are a particularly litigious person and want to sue someone for it. Who would you sue and why?

I had quite a lot of follow up questions to this like “Since your claim is contractual what are the basics of a contract?” “Why sue the manufacturer and not the operator of the machine?”

Commercial Awareness Questions

These were very much based on things I said I had done during different internships. I specifically got asked:

1. What issues do you think are facing the automobile industry?
2. Can you explain what’s happening with LIBOR?

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

Case Study

Practice handwriting the day before so having to use a pen and paper as opposed to typing does not throw you off. I think having a good understanding of how certain contractual provisions like indemnities; warranties etc. will help with trying to suggest resolutions to the client. Highly recommend the M&A Course on TCLA Premium for this. Or you could read Jake Schogger's book.

Negotiation Exercise

For the negotiation exercise, definitely make a list of all your clients’ demands and what you and your partner’s starting points (to offer to the other side) are for negotiating these demands. Also it will really help if during the preparation period you and your partner spend a few minutes deciding who will take the lead on which issues so that both of you have equal opportunity to showcase your skills.

The instructions specifically say make sure you come to an agreement on all terms so be conscious of time, offer to put a timer on the table so everyone knows if negotiating one point is taking too long, and don’t take too much of a hard/non-negotiable stance on certain issues.

Interview

Make sure you really know the ins and outs of anything you mentioned in your cover letter or application form.

Look out for anything they could use to ask you a commercial awareness question and read up on its latest developments in the news. This could be anything you've done during your work experiences or deals you've mentioned.

I would also recommend being prepared for the “where should we open our next office” question because a couple of other people on my AC were asked that and from researching the NRF AC online I know this is a common question that gets asked.

Try and link your answers back to NRF as much as possible because if you don’t get asked why NRF (I wasn’t) then there would be no other way to show them that you really want to be at their firm/have done your research.

You can’t really prepare for the scenario-based questions, especially because they really push you and then give you new information to consider/confuse you with. Just do your best to work through the question logically and really explain your thought process. Don’t be afraid to really defend your answer but at the same time they’re fine with you taking back something you said or admitting maybe you’ve made a mistake with something you said.

Were you successful?

Yes

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

January 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

9 am Arrival and ice breaker
9:45 Partner Q & A
10:45 Break
11:00 Group Interview
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Partner Interview
1:40 Written Exercise
2:30 ish Leave

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

Introduction by Grad Rec, ice breaker (about 30 mins). Nothing much else to note here, if you have been on an open day you’ll recognise the slides.

Partner Q&A (1hr) 9:45
Around 10 people in each group.
They take notes on the questions you ask but it seemed very brief. E.g someone asked a question about AI the partner just wrote AI by his name and photo.
Stephen Lucas (the partner leading) is extremely transparent about what Kirkland does and if it isn’t for you it isn’t for you. I think you’ll be fine if you just stay engaged, it doesn’t feel like much of an assessment at all and I’m not sure how much they collect from it.
Be prepared to state where else you have applied and the status of these applications. I forgot a couple which was a bit annoying so quickly jot your apps down because they go around the group. If you have applied to a mix of firms I wouldn’t lie about it because it is expected that you are looking at different places at the vac scheme level. The people who only applied to ‘American’ firms were questioned a bit further I’d say, probably because Lucas thinks the distinction between British and American firms is a false one because the American firms are all very different. He called Latham a ‘Magic Circle Lite’!
Just justify whatever applications you’ve made – Lucas has been a partner at CC, Links and Weil before Kirkland so he will understand that you want to shop around.

Break 10:45

Group exercise (1 hr) 11:00
Choosing a CEO for Kirkland enterprises. Pick whoever as long as they are well-known, and you can justify it (you present for a minute). Group picks who the CEO will be. In my group John Legend won. Someone picked the chairman or ex-chairman of KE which I thought was a bit weird and I don’t think most people knew who he was so I’d say don’t try and impress with your choice and just focus on presenting it well.

When we had to pick a winner as a group a girl on the end was quick to dominate (she still got offered the scheme). A lot of people get advice for group interviews to be the timekeeper (I had heard that as well) and it was abundantly clear so I’d say you don’t need to be assertive and force the role in the first instance. Just make sure you contribute to the group discussion. There was 10 people in the group and Grad Rec is not going to penalise against not being in that role!

The group all spoke over each other and I thought it wasn’t that great a demonstration of teamwork. There were a few dominant voices and I think if it gets like that make sure you get to contribute but also be respectful about it. Make constructive comments. Recognise that there are about 10 different potential CEOs but you can only present 1! If things are dragging on try and present it as a vote. In my group we picked a winner but then people kept debating so I tried to emphasise that we had already selected a CEO and were running out of time.

Trainee lunch (1hr ish ) 12:00
Pretty sure this wasn’t assessed but it was just networking over lunch.

Partner interview (30 mins roughly) 1:00
Varies greatly on the partner you get. I had Jonathan Tadd, others had Rajinda Bassi, Stephen Lucas etc. My friend’s first question was ‘what makes you stand out’. Make sure you know what private equity is, one of the other candidates mentioned that she got asked about leverage and didn’t know what it was, so don’t let stuff like that trip you up.

You get the opportunity to ask a question at the end – I asked about the non-equity partner status at KE as I had read an article about how it wasn’t a good thing. I didn’t plan the question or anything it just arose out of the discussion and I wanted to know the answer. The partner had also read the article so that was good and I actually got the issue clarified.

The interview was very conversational. I got asked about why I wanted to do law, where I saw my career going, why Kirkland, when I had shown resilience, how I was finding my degree, how I organise myself, how I perform work to a high standard among other things that I don’t remember but were along the same lines. I found it really enjoyable Sometimes I drew on personal experiences instead of my CV as he’d already seen that and that worked really well. The partner had said things like 'that was a great answer' and 'that was the perfect answer' and I still didn't get offered the scheme so I think it's important to do well in all the aspects of the day.

Written exercise 1:40 (1hr ish, depends on how long your partner interview is, I don’t think anyone got equal time)
2 sides of A4
Qualities of a good trainee solicitor at Kirkland. I think most people used a simple structure of skill -- when they showed it.
Not much advice I can give here as you can’t tell if it’s going badly as obviously as in an interview/ exercise.

This was the order of my day, but people had it differently! Some started their written exercise, then had an interview and then came back to finish the written exercise. Some did the group exercise first.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

See Above

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

My key advice is to not be too nervous or rehearse answers and sound robotic. I think this goes for all interviews honestly. Your interviewers are people and I would just try and build a rapport with them by showing them your personality. I don’t think the negative effect of nerves is emphasised enough because the interview partly shows how you can handle high-pressure situations, which aren’t rare as a lawyer. Relax as much as possible and convey genuine motivations – everyone who interviews at Kirkland will say that they like PE so how can you make your answer different?

It’s very hard to prepare, just review your application and know why you want to be a commercial lawyer and why at Kirkland. Stephen Lucas is also a big name in debt finance and is likely to be the dominant partner in the partner Q&A. I think you should really take the opportunity to ask a genuine question, it’s very obvious if you just want to show off and you have the opportunity to learn from one of the best lawyers in the City! Also 2/3 to 3/4 of around 20-25 candidates on the AC were from Oxbridge. Apparently, this is quite typical and I wouldn’t let it put you off. Just thought I would note it here.

Note -- Kirkland do not give feedback.

Were you successful?

No

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

November 2019

Please specify what the interview was for.

Winter Vacation Scheme 2019

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

9am Arrival, 9.30am Sit-down for case-study and online test section, 10.30am Interview with Graduate Recruitment, 11.30am break, 12.00 Interview with a Partner and Senior Associate, 1.30 Lunch/Guided tour of the office

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

The case study involved three sections, one based on critical thinking, which a multiple choice section based on the specific terms of a briefly laid out contract, and a trainee inbox prioritisation task, where you choose to Do, Defer, Delete, or Delegate. The total time for all three parts was merged into one 45 minute slot, but once on section was completed you could not go back. You also received a case study, which you wrote an email on to the partners.
The interview with graduate recruitment was entirely competency based.
The interview with a partner and senior associate involved going through the written exercise that you had completed earlier in the day, based on a standard merger and acquisition scenario.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

How would a company deal with a press scandal?
What do you think the role of a trainee actually entails?
Please give us an example of a time that you have shown resilience/flexibility/leadership/teamwork (all asked).

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

Case study: take your time and read the contract carefully; no prior knowledge required and the same applies to the email prioritisation task - just take care when selecting answers. A general commercial knowledge background could be useful in the M&A case study, but no specifics are required.
Interview with graduate recruitment: have examples for every possible skill they may ask you about, as I had 6 questions on the need to give an example for a different competency, preparing these in advance would make this interview much more relaxed.
Interview with partner and senior associate: try to angle yourself when in the interview so that you are speaking to both interviewers at the same time even if the partner takes the lead with questions, and here it may be useful to bring in commercial knowledge to boost what has been written in your case study exercise.
Lunch with trainees: ask loads of questions! They say it isn't assessed, but being engaged never hurts.

Were you successful?

Yes

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