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Hi all,

First post here. I just had my final interview with Ashurst and have not heard back from them in 3 weeks. Would it be ok if I sent HR an email to ask about the status or would it seem impatient?

Kind of feel like it might be a rejection since I haven't heard back in 3 weeks, but who knows really?

Hi Guys! I am Tushar Kumar, a final year undergraduate law student at National Law University, Lucknow. I have applied for the Training Contract, 2022 at Baker McKenzie, the deadline of which is 1st April. The firm reviews application on a rolling basis, am I already late? Anyone who could provide any insight, thanks!

*Kindly note, we have redacted a fair amount from this interview experience so as to not spoil the exercise.

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.

9:30 - 3pm

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

ice breaker (15 minutes) , group exercise (20 mins reading through information), negotiations exercise (20 minutes) , written exercise (30 minutes), interview (45 minutes).

When you arrive at Macfarlanes they will sit you down and do an ice breaker exercise with the person next to you - you have to think of a famous person you'd like to spend a day with - people said stuff like David Attenborough or Queen Elizabeth!

Then you get split into 3 groups, Group A, B and C. You are taken to a room with an Associate. I was in Group C and I was with 4 others. We had to read a 1 page document where the basic facts were that one company wanted to acquire another (Target) and you were working on the due diligence part of the transaction. Within our group we were given 4 pieces of information and we needed to decide which pieces were the most important and which needed to be included in the executive summary. Roughly the points were something on the lines of:

1. The Target company can't find [redacted] and the [redacted] has resigned;
2. The Target has a loan of 8 million with a bank which becomes [redacted];
3. The Target company has T&C which are not inline with [redacted];
4.The Target company has a "Target Villa" which was bought at a discount but [redacted].

Then you are split into 2's (but as we were 5 we did a 2:3 split) and we had to negotiate. We were acting on behalf of the sellers. You are given another page of instructions to read where you are told 4 main points. From what I can remember they were: 1. The Seller did not want to guarantee that he will pay for [redacted]. He wanted to include terms [redacted] which said that he will only pay if [redacted].
2. The Seller wanted to continue [redacted].
3. Someone from the Target company was supposed to remain employed by [redacted].
4. There was some machinery which cost £1 million and [redacted].

We then had our interviews which were based on reading a set of facts and a loan agreement. In essence there was a company which was trying to expand by offering sporting equipment and it had a loan with a bank. The company that you were representing wanted to know if it can:
[redacted]

You have to read the loan agreement it has different clauses. There is a clause dealing [redacted].

The interview itself was very conversational! Why law, Why them! And time I had to deal with a challenge, time I dealt with a situation which was time pressured, and also a time when I have felt most stressed.

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 prepare and follow STAR for your interview. The feedback I got back as to why I wasn't successful was that I didn't follow STAR in the interview too well.

Were you successful?

No

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

March 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

9.30 Arrival
9.45 - 10.15 Watson Glaser Test
10.15 - 10.30 Case Study Prep
10.45 - 11.30 Situational Judgement Interview
11.45 - 12.45 Partner Interview
12.45 - 1.45 Informal Lunch with Trainees and Tour of Office

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

N/A

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Why Law? Your interest in business could easily be applied to any other career in the city, why not consultancy?
Do you read the economist?
I talked about reading some business stories and they really pushed me on this. E.g. I talked about the Boots advantage card hacking and they asked things such as ‘what would you do if you were a lawyer advising Boots after the hacking?’ ‘what do you think will happen to data privacy law once we leave the EU?’
What other firms did you apply to and what are you looking for in a law firm?
If you were managing partner of London then what practice areas would you increase and which would you decrease?

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 arrived at the firm at 9.30 am and was taken into a meeting room with the other candidates where we watched a short presentation about the firm and was asked to talk about a celebrity, we had met to break the ice.

We were then given a Watson Glaser Test to complete. Please don’t overthink this – you have passed this once and if you did this legitimately you will be absolutely fine. Try and practice a few tests before hand because it was some time since I had done a Watson Glaser Test – I would really recommend the how2become critical thinking test from Amazon which breaks down each individual section. This test seemed to be more heavily weighted on the arguments section so definitely practice that.

After that we were given 15 minutes to prep a case study which is an A4 page with 2 questions at the bottom. I found the easiest way to do this was create a table with the questions as heading and then write relevant facts in these to help refresh my memory in the interview. If I am honest, I was quite worried for this bit but found that it was one of the simpler case studies. Be sure to revise key commercial terms (such as debt, equity, due diligence requirements).

The group then divided in two, with some doing the partner interview first and my group doing the situational judgement interview first with a partner and a member of grad recruitment. I found this interview quite weird, but they were keen to reassure me that there is no correct answer and it seemed to be a lot more about how you were able to articulate your thoughts. Be prepared for them to change the situation, but only adapt your answer if that’s what you genuinely think you would do. Questions here were very similar to the ones on the TCLA interview list so check that out. An example I can think of was about an associate who was abroad for a client meeting whom had asked you to proofread his documents but hadn’t responded to you. The partner in the interview really pushed me on this situation but honestly just remain cool and explain what you would actually do, be sure to think about the firm’s key values (one firm worldwide etc.) so they know you would be a good fit.

I then went back into the waiting room and had 15 minutes to reread the case study before an interview with 2 partners. This interview was unlike anything I had had before. They started off by asking me why law and really pressed me on why not other careers such as consultancy. They didn’t ask me why Hogan Lovells so be sure to try and tell them why in your answers to other questions. It was clear here that they were looking for an interest in business and be able to debate and talk about topics confidently.

We then moved onto the case study, and they did not really stick the script here. I spoke about my answers to the question and they then really pressed me on issues I hadn’t picked up and how I thought they would affect the case study. I tried to include how the firm would react and help the client (drawing on different practice areas). They then changed the case study a little. Then they decided to pluck a new case study out of the air and asked me questions about possible litigation in an acquisition deal etc. This part was very hard, I felt like I was being pushed a lot and had to say I don’t know, or I wasn’t quite sure a lot. I made sure that if I said that I wasn’t sure I then tried to think out loud to show a bit of commercial awareness.

My partner interview lasted an hour and a half in the end, and I felt like it was very hard, and they pushed me BUT they are very encouraging and friendly – as if they wanted you to get the answer and helped you to get there. I remained really enthusiastic the whole time and I think this helped. I actually really enjoyed the process and felt that I really clicked with the firm while I was there which I think was really key to being successful in the process.

Were you successful?

Yes

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

February 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Spring Vacation Scheme

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

Introduction by partner (9:30)
Case study
Competency
Scenario interview

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

Introduction by partner
The partner just introduces you to HSF and asks if you have any questions. Probably not assessed.

Case study
Wasn’t your typical M&A deal which threw me off a bit because I couldn’t use the stuff I had learnt about indemnities warranties etc. I actually had to think! Make sure you leave yourself enough time to read and plan the presentation.

Was about a company who bought a former airport landing space and the old company wanting it back and whether they would be granted permission by the secretary of state to force the new company to sell.

Was quite difficult but my advice is to make sure you read absolutely everything in the booklet and structure your presentation in terms of the questions given. With your answers, cite the exact place in the contract so you’re being clear. It's testing how you comprehend a lot of information so when I didn’t really understand what was going on I made sure that I at least showed that I had read everything and collated the information in a structured manner.

In some areas there will be more discretion given to the secretary of state so you can look to the facts and be more evaluative and think about whether the national government’s focus on housing and the aim of the new company will affect the decision or whether the historical value of the site and the local impetus to sell back to the original owner will make them sway them the other way. This will make sense when it is in front of you (or you will be a bit luckier and get an M&A deal!)

My interview was over quite quickly so I thought I had missed something but it was fine. Just chatted with the partner afterwards.

Competency interview
This wasn’t really a conversation for me like most people say but it was still enjoyable. It was the really classic competency questions, very easy to prepare for. Classic why law/why hsf (focus on the work never the culture in my opinion). When have you worked in a team or made a mistake , what might you struggle with as a trainee etc. There was then a bit about my application in terms of my answer to the question ‘introduce me to a topic you are interested in’ because I had written about a psychological experiment and the 2016 Presidential election and so it had nothing to do with law.

Some people were asked more commercial questions -- it varies with the partner.

Scenario interview
I got a partner in corporate/ asset management so my scenario was on a supplier who had been late over the last couple of years with delivery. The client wanted to terminate the contract with the supplier so we were exploring the different ways this could be done. Hardest interview for me as a law student who isn’t actually that good at law! The expectation if you are a law student is to be able to use and employ different contractual mechanisms so I would brush up to be successful here The scenario depends on what partner you get though so could be absolutely anything. This was the interview I was most scared for because of this. In my situation it was definitely more legal/commercial awareness rather than situational judgement.

Varies though -- I think some people's are more situational judgement like than technical.


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.

Advice to future applicants
- Know why you want to work at HSF in relation to the work specifically
- Brush up on contract law if you are a law student
- Be confident and defend your viewpoint but also listen to the partner in the case study
- Listen to podcasts and keep up with the legal world: in my case study I mentioned a PE deal which had nothing to do with HSF but more to do with foreign buyers in the UK and the government reaction to that – it was very relevant in the case study and probably impressed the partner

Were you successful?

Yes

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

February 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Spring Vacation Scheme

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

12.00 pm - Arrival
12.15 pm - Case Study
1.00 pm - Lunch with trainees
2.00 pm - Application Interview
2.45 pm - Presentation + Interview

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

Case Study

The case study has not changed from previous years. You are asked to advise your client and write a report on whether they should go through with an acquisition. You have four options to choose from. Acquire company A, acquire company B, acquire both or acquire neither. 45 mins to read documents and type up the report.

Application Interview

Interview with two partners on different aspects of your application. My interview was very commercially focused. 45 minutes long.

Presentation + Interview

Again this aspect of the AC has not changed. You are given a topic to present on five days before your AC and you can spend as much time as possible researching your answer. There are no presentation facilities but you are allowed to prepare a handout. This was supposed to last 45 minutes but mine only lasted 30 mins.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Application Interview

As I mentioned, the interview at Latham was one of the most commercially focused ones I have ever done. I basically didn't get asked anything about myself as you would sometimes get at other firms. They used my application as a starting point for all of the commercial questions. So I got asked about issues facing the retail industry, the IPO market, the difference between US and UK firms (because I had done a vac at a UK firm before) and a whole host of other things I honestly can't remember anymore. The only personal question I got asked was why I had failed to convert a previous vacation scheme to a training contract.

Presentation + Interview

The questions I got asked were very much just follow up questions to things I had mentioned in my presentation. I'm not sure there's any generic questions you can expect to get just because it's mostly about pushing you on things you've already said.

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

You are writing the case study as if you are a business analyst. This means that there isn't really much room to be talking about how you would resolve legal issues. As a law student I really struggled with this because I felt like lots of M&A case studies at ACs are usually focused on the legal issues. The thing I found most helpful was getting a good understand of Porter's Five Forces because it really helps you think about purely business issues as opposed to legal ones. Another helpful tip which I would highly recommend doing for any AC is looking up consulting case studies online and practicing them. Again this was especially helpful in increasing my understanding of businesses and helped me learn what kind of business solutions/strategies (as opposed to legal solutions like contracts etc) companies can take when choosing to expand/acquire.

The case study at Latham was extremely time pressured. In fact I didn't finish writing my report. However, in my feedback while they acknowledged this was the reason I didn't score as highly in the case study they also said I had quite a detailed analysis of what I did cover. So I would say if you're running short of time definitely choose to develop the quality of your points rather than trying to race through them all.

Application Interview

Brush up really heavily on commercial awareness. Identify things in your app that can be used to ask your commercial awareness questions and prep based off of that. For more general news I highly recommend the FT News Briefing Podcast on Spotify.

Presentation + Interview

Choose the focus of your presentation wisely. I played this to my strengths and picked a region/area I knew quite a lot about already because I knew this meant that any curve ball questions they threw me I could probably handle. Do a broad PESTLE analysis but then also think about doing a cost-benefit analysis (revenues? deal flows?), and consider more practical issues like recruitment for example. (Don't want to be giving too much away about the presentation topic so I'm sorry if this section is a bit vague)

Were you successful?

Yes

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

February 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Vacation Scheme

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

I arrived at the firm at 2:30pm and was the only candidate being interviewed at this time.

I was then collected by a trainee who took me for a mini-tour of the offices and we had a chat for 20 mins before I was taken to the interview room around 3:00pm.

My partner interview was with two partners and began at 3:05pm and ended around 3:50pm.

There are no other elements to the assessment day so I left straight after the partner interview.

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

Partner interview: 45 minutes interview with two partners. When I entered the room the partners immediately put me at ease saying that unlike other interviews this one is a bit less formal. This was because ultimately they are trying to get a feel of your personality so a lot of the questions asked are about getting to know you, how you think and how well suited the firm is to you.

At the beginning of my interview I was asked a question that was essentially asking me to introduce myself and explain my journey into law, so be prepared to give a short but impactful introduction about yourself. This can direct the rest of the interview, so make sure (if you are asked this) you highlight experiences that you would like to go into more detail in potential follow up questions.

I wasn’t asked many competency questions but I was asked a lot of questions on my legal work experiences. I was further not directly asked 'why Jones Day' so I weaved my passion for the firm wherever I could into my responses to other questions such as 'what are the advantages of the non-rotational training contract'.

At the end of the interview I was given an opportunity to ask the partners questions, which I did. The conversation that followed after these questions was very interesting and I felt that unlike other firms I have interviewed with the partners gave me very detailed and honest responses.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

1. Tell us about yourself.
2. Why the training contract here?
3. Tell me about a recent commercial story that you have been following.
4. Questions about my legal work experience and a case I worked on two summers ago.
5. Why London?
6. Which other firms have you applied to and why?
7. Have you considered/done any work experience at law firms that aren't commercial before?
8. What do you do for fun?
9. What would your friends say are your best and worst qualities.
- Lots of follow up questions

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.

Partner interview: I would advise candidates to have revised their application form and CV and prep for any potential questions based on this. I would also strongly recommend candidates book a mock interview with their careers service in order to practice being in an interview and have someone provide feedback on your answers and body language. If you know anyone who has done an interview/vacation scheme with he firm you are interviewing with speak to them as I found speaking to someone who did the vacation scheme with Jones Day incredibly useful pre-interview, as this gave me a better understanding of the firm. Read through other peoples interview experiences and prep for your potential answers to these questions; however, do not expect to be asked these questions. I was asked very different questions to what I had prepped for so be prepared to be asked questions in a different way to what you expected and to be asked a lot of questions, which you may not have prepared for beforehand. Regardless of whether or not you have prepared for the questions asked, be confident in your responses and take time to think of a response if you need this. This will enable you to produce a more coherent response.

Were you successful?

Yes

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

January 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Spring Vacation Scheme

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

9.15 am- arrival.
9.30am- introduction from Graduate Recruitment and all assessment day attendees introduce themselves.
10.15am- writing task.
11.30am- group task.
12.00pm- 12.45pm- lunch/interviews with HR/meet trainee.

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

Writing task- this was the first task for which we had an hour and consisted in writing an email detailing how a week of work experience at the firm should be structured for students from less privileged backgrounds. We were provided with a few documents that detailed certain commitments that needed to be adhered to and the sort of things the week long experience should include. It was up to us based on this information to write an email detailing how to structure the week.

Group task- This task was related to the task at hand in the case study. We first had five minutes to individually consider some questions including:

- How could partner involvement in the scheme be ensured?
- How would we keep in contact with those involved in the scheme and receive feedback from them?
- What strategies would be implemented to ensure a long term relationship can be sustained with the scheme attendees?

We then spent about 25 minutes discussing our ideas in or group of 4, and coming to final decisions. We were being watched by 2 assessors, who were monitoring our communication and recording their thoughts.

Interviews with HR/meet the trainee- during the last 45 minutes or so, we were all able to sit in a room where we could have an informal chat with a trainee and ask any questions. During this time each of us (there were 7 of us in total) were called out for a 10 minute HR Interview where we were asked 3 different questions. From discussion with other attendees at the end of the day, it seemed like we were all asked different questions.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

- How do you deal with constructive criticism?
- When have you had to manage a large amount of information/data?

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.

The HR interview is very very short- only 3 questions. As long as you have a few examples prepared that demonstrate different competencies, you will be fine. For the writing task, you have plenty of time so I would say focus on structuring your email well- clear division between different points, subheadings etc. The main advice for the group task I would say is to make sure you involve everyone. Naturally, some may be quieter than others, so perhaps without sounding pushy or patronising ask the quieter people about their thoughts. Also never speak over anybody!

Were you successful?

Yes

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

January 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Scheme (Diversity Access Scheme)

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

9:30am Arrival where we were taken to a holding room. There were 8 people in total. We were then escorted to a different room where the graduate recruitment gave us an overview of the day. We were quickly divided into 2 groups. One group had an interview first and the other had the written exercise first. Each lasted an hour and there was a 15 minute break in between. The day finished at 12:45 after the graduate recruitment team answered a few questions from us.

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

I was in the group that had the interview first. Mine was with an associate and it was an hour long interview, mostly based on competencies as well as motivations for the firm. The associate said everybody would be asked the same set of questions for fairness. He, however, did ask me some follow up questions to some of my answers.

Next was the written exercise for an hour. We were given a bundle of documents to read through to advise a client on how best to spend their money. There were multiple options that the client could choose and we were asked to choose two best ones to compare and contrast, keeping in mind the client's objectives and values.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Time worked in a team
Time brought team to success
Time I used initiative
Why commercial law (and not human rights law) - this was a follow up questions because I have a background in this
How is legal tech shaping the industry
Fieldfisher's biggest competitors
Time I changed direction in a team
Do you like working in a team
How do you define taking responsibility
Why this firm/what do you know about this firm
Why do you want to do VC here
What do you hope to gain out of VC here
How do you manage time
Interest in other industries
What other career options have you considered

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.

For the written exercise, I think it's important to keep an eye on the time as an hour is a short time to read through everything, make your decision and start writing to compare and contrast two different options. Aside of being aware of the time limit, I would recommend doing exactly what the prompt tells you to do, which in this case, was comparing and contrasting different options, as opposed to just listing the two options you thought were best and giving reasons for that.

For the interview, I think being familiar with your CV is a must as well as having a bank of experiences to draw from for the competency based questions. Being familiar with key skills that Fieldfisher looks for would also be useful as questions like "how do you define taking responsibility" threw me off a little.

Were you successful?

Yes

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.

9:30am- Arrival and Introduction

Waited in the reception area with 8 applicants in total including myself. Had a welcome from the Graduate Recruitment team of 3, where they explained how the day was going to be conducted. I each received a paper with the schedule and how we would be split up. The detailed paper mentioned who our interviewer would be, assessor for the internal meeting simulation and HR assessor for the reflection after the in-tray exercise. We also introduced ourselves to each other and stated a fun fact about ourselves.

10am- In Tray Exercise

11:45am- Network lunch with Trainees

12:30pm- Reflection with HR assessor for 10 minutes

12:45pm- 4 applicants conducted the internal meeting simulation and 4 others conducted an individual interview

1pm- Internal Meeting simulation and reflection

2:15pm- Interview with 1 Partner and 1 fee earner

3:30pm - Assessment Centre finished

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

All activities are strengths based.

In-tray Exercise - 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete

I was tasked to reply to 7 emails in a simulated inbox, pretending like we were a Trainee at the firm. The first email was about our main task which was to complete a 1 page client briefing document on renewable energy. We were provided with hard-copy articles regarding this topic which we could use to help with the client briefing document. Two emails regarded a charity event that a colleague wanted us to help with, two emails concerned receiving feedback on my work ethic/improving more efficient working, 1 email asked me if I was able to help photocopy a tribunal bundle, and the remaining email was to conduct a phone call with a client regarding renewable energy. Within the last 30 minutes of the exercise, the HR Representative gave us a document that we needed to proof-read and make corrections to.

Reflection - 10 minutes

I had 10 minutes with an HR assessor to reflect on the exercise. I was asked questions about what we enjoyed, what we disliked, how I stayed motivated, what did I learn through this exercise, etc.

Network Lunch- 30 minutes

Trainees at the firm came to talk to us about our experience so far and I had the chance to ask them for suggestions/advice about their journey.

Internal Meeting Simulation- 1 hour

30 minutes were given to review a bundle of documents. We were tasked to pick a position regarding a potential office move. One option was to move to a larger office space in the [redacted] or to move out of the [redacted]. I had to review simulated emails and informational documents regarding the advantages and disadvantages of each location option.

20 minutes to negotiate and discuss with a Partner who was acting as a character for the meeting simulation. There was also a fee earner present taking notes during the entire meeting. The Partner took the opposite side as me arguing for the office move within the [redacted] and our goal was to come to an agreement on how to present our choice to the rest of the firm. I had to discuss different aspects such as technology, flexible working, property value, and the environment.

10 minutes of reflection, where the Partner asked me similar questions to the previous reflection such as what I enjoyed, did not enjoy, learned, how I stayed motivated, what skills I drew upon when engaging in this exercise, etc.

Interview- 1 hour

Strengths-based questions were asked. There was a few situational judgment questions too. Had the opportunity at the end of the interview to ask the Partner and Associate questions as well.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Tell me about yourself

Tell me about a time where you worked in a team

Tell me about a time where you worked with a difficult person

Tell me about a time where you had to work in a team but did not agree with some of your teammates. How did you handle this?

Why law?

Why do you want to stay and practice in the UK instead of returning to your home country?

What is something economic or commercial that will or is affecting the legal market?

Continued below...

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

January 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Vacation Scheme

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

8am Arrival, 8:30 mini get to know everyone over coffee, 9am - 12pm interview, case study and group task, order is different for each person. I started with the group task, then case study and finally the partner interview.

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

Group task:

You're put into a room with about 8 different people and have a packet containing a fictional case study, about 6 different scenarios and you have 15 minutes to read it and then discuss for 40 min. There are about 4 partners situated at each corner of the room taking notes but not engaging with the discussion.

Case study:

You're in a room with about 12 people and you have a 20-page document that you have to create a presentation for. Basically requires you to assess their current situation and how they can improve. 1 hour to prepare and then about 10 minutes to present in front of a partner.

Interview:

Standard competency interview. It was about 45 minutes long with a partner, mine lasted an hour though.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Tell us a time you demonstrated learning and developing yourself.

Tell us a time you worked through a challenge.

Tell us a time you worked in a team?

Tell us a time you were resilient?

Why DLA?

Tell us why you would be a good trainee?

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 task:

I would highly recommend you either keep track of the time or take notes down. It shows initiative and lets you get away from having to discuss everything. Though you should still contribute but just don't dominate the discussion. Try to call people by their names to show empathy, you're being assessed on how you work within a team.

I would also advise you to start reading from the back and read the scenarios that have a sticker that says 'Important' as you will naturally be spending the most time discussing it.

There is nothing you can do to prepare for this section, in my opinion.

Case study:

I found this to be very challenging but that was because I underestimated the task. I would recommend brushing up on your commercial awareness because there is a balance sheet to assess from what I can remember. When presenting to the partner, they don't really care about the content but the manner in which you structured your presentation. The partner will ask about 1-2 questions, I was asked: What are the 3 main issues?

Interview:

A competency interview. I really enjoyed this as you get to control the direction of the interview. It was really informal which made it a really relaxing environment. My biggest advice would be to ask questions about the partner's practice.

Were you successful?

No, but I was told I scored highly in the interview and group task, the case study is what brought me down.

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

February 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Spring/Summer Vacation Scheme

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

10am Arrival, 10-11am Breakfast & Introduction from Training partner, 11am-12:30pm Tour of the office with two NQ Associates & coffee chat with them, 12:30-2pm Lunch, 2-2:45pm Reading and preparation time for commercial article (what some of the interview is based on), 5:20-5:50pm Interview with a Partner & an International Counsel (note that my interview was so late as they randomly allocated time slots, and as they did not have enough people to interview everyone at the same time, the interview sessions ran rather late, and I had a really long gap between preparing the article and the actual interview)

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

The way that the interview goes is really dependent on your interviewers. They did not spend that much time asking me about the commercial article (FT article), I'd say around 10 minutes, without many tough follow up questions but really wanting to know your opinion and then the rest of the time it was a very relaxed chat about why I was interested in the firm, what sort of firms I was looking into. They also asked me personal questions about my mooting competition and whether I'd run another half marathon. It was very much a two-way process for you to see whether you'd be a good fit and whether you'd be a suitable candidate for them.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

What is a stranded asset? Why are share prices of oil and gas companies falling? Follow up question on how consumers could also impact the falling share price of such companies? How can state-owned companies react differently than public companies? Why Debevoise? What other firms are you applying to? Tell me about yourself? Tell me about your master's degree? Given your international upbringing, would you take the opportunities to move abroad with the firm if you could?

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.

Overall, I found this to be the most relaxed and nicest assessment day that I've been to so far. The emphasis is really for you to get to know the firm and that is reflected in the in-depth tour that you get taken on of the office, where you can speak to a wide variety of people in different departments and you also really get given time to talk to the people who are touring about their own experience etc. The lunch was also similarly laid back. For the interview, I'd say to read the article well and have some notes written down that you can refer to during the interview, but in general to have a very broad commercial awareness (no need super detailed stuff) so kind of know how shareholders may impact/influence the decisions that a company can take etc. But really the interview is a chat and a two-way process not only to see whether you'd be a good fit but whether this is the right place for you. Of all my interviews up till that point, I found this one to be the most conversational and actually about them wanting to get to know you!

Were you successful?

Yes

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

February2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Spring/Summer Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

I arrived for a 12:30 start, completed the written exercise, and then had two successive interviews. One interview was with a partner and an associate, the other with an associate and a member of the GR team. There is a trainee tour, too. Food was not provided.

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

Written exercise: There was not an excessive amount of information to read. The exercise is more of a test of your analytical and client-based skills. They are testing how your process information, and how you would then present your thoughts and advice to a client. Based on previous experience, I did not use headings, bolding or italicising (other firms had not allowed it). Dechert actually wanted this, so ask in advance of completing the exercise. You may receive brownie points for making it more accessible to the mock client.

Interview 1: One interview will first test your commercial awareness. Its a quick-fire quiz for which you cannot prepare beyond doing your best to develop a broad base of commercial knowledge. Unfortunately this is not a test of how you think or process information; you either know the answer or you don't. You will then be asked to read a situational judgement scenario and be asked a series of questions about what you would do. Think carefully before you answer and don't be afraid to go back to previous responses to clarify them further if necessary to create more of a narrative of actions you would take. You will be challenged on why you chose to do X action rather than Y. Think honestly about whether X or Y is the option you would pick. There is not a defined right set of choices, but avoid responses that suggest you are not a team player, or that you struggle to deal with pressure and responsibly. Instead, show that you can remain calm under pressure. There will also be competency questions: these were standard and focused on my teamwork and negotiation skills, and my capacity to work to tight deadlines. Have a plethora of examples for different competencies at your finger tips, and be prepared to answer additional questions in more detail about each example.

Interview 2: This centres around a case study which you do not get to read in advance. The partner read it out-loud to me, and I took notes to ensure I understood the scenario. You will then be asked a series of questions about what you would advice the pretend clients in this scenario based on your understanding of business, commercial law and Dechert. You will be expected to understand Dechert as a business and how its practice areas can chip in to help the mock client. My case study centred around a long term business partnership. There was time at the end to ask questions: make sure you are prepared with questions that demonstrate your interest in the firm.

Trainee Tour and Chat: This is assessed. Use this to your advantage by asking perceptive questions about training at Dechert. Use your own knowledge and interest in the firm as a launchpad for questions to signpost further your motivation.


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.

The whole day is assessed, so remain polite, personable and professional throughout the half-day. Your motivation for applying is not directly assessed, so use questions to demonstrate this.

Were you successful?

No

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

December 2019

Please specify what the interview was for.

Easer Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

My interview was at 10am, I was able to choose the time when I was told about the interview. It was a 1 hour interview with an external HR representative.

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

The interview was roughly 1 hour.
Questions were motivational, and competency based.
One question involved a scenario and we had to say what we would do in that situation.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

The questions were all motivational and competency based questions.
Why Dentons?
How would you pitch Dentons to a client?
What area of law are you interested in?
Tell us about a time that you displayed your organisational skills (along those lines)
Tell us about a time when your organisational skills failed and what did you learn from it?
Tell us about a time when you had to deal with a difference of opinion within a team?
When have you had to display commercial awareness in a situation?
Tells us about a new skill that have you recently acquired? What have you learnt?
When have you had to take your own initiative?
Tell us about a business story that you have been reading recently that will affect the firm?
The scenario question: was roughly about being giving various different tasks during the day even though I was already busy doing an important task for my supervisor and they were out so I couldn't contact them and I had to identify how I would handle the situation or something similar.

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 know Dentons back to front. Because you will need to link back every question to the firm.

I would say have various different scenarios prepared that will apply to various competency based questions.
Make sure you have one team example, one commercial awareness example, one taking initiative example, one organisational skill example. If you have those prepared you can find it easier to apply scenarios to different questions that you weren't expecting.

It is okay to ask for a minute during the interview if you need time to think after being asked a question. I found that helped collect my thoughts and think about an answer.

Because the interviewer is an external HR representative the interview can come across quite rigid and structured which makes it difficult to make the interview flow. But don't be thrown off by this. Just make sure you are as enthusiastic as possible. But it is something to be aware of.

In my feedback I was told that I didn't apply my scenarios to being a trainee, or explaining what skills I had learnt and applying it to Dentons.

Were you successful?

No

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

January 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

IGNITE Training Contract 2022

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

Day 1: General Training Contract Round

13:00 - Arrival

13:15 - Presentation by Graduate Recruitment on Structure of the Day

13:30 - Competency Interview with Partner

14:30 - Break

14:45 - Case Study Preparation Time

15:45 - Case Study Interview with Partners

16:45 - End of Day

20:00 - Notification of Progression to IGNITE Round (E-mail/Telephone)

Day 2: IGNITE Round

13:00 - Arrival

13:15 - Presentation by Graduate Recruitment on Structure of Day

13:30 - Case Study Preparation

14:00 - Case Study Interview and Competency Questions from Partners

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

Competency Interview - Interview about your motivations to apply to the firm, knowledge of the firm and the legal sector as a whole, and assessment of your competencies

Case Study - 1 hour preparation time to read through a 40-page case study bundle (in this case insolvency) and drafting an e-mail to a Partner about a potential M&A Acquisition using the case study materials. Following that you have 1 hour interview with the partner on the issues arising from the case study.

IGNITE Case Study - 30 minute preparation time on a LegalTech case study (i.e. identification of a internal/external problem of the firm and having to come up with a proposal as to what LegalTech solutions can be implemented to solve it). Subsequently you will have 10 minutes to present your solution to the Partners and subsequently answer any follow-up questions as well as questions about your CV and motivations to work in LegalTech.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

1) Why do you want to apply for Clifford Chance?

2) Why do you want to be a Trainee Solicitor?

3) Why do you want to work in LegalTech?

4) What threats are being faced by our clients?

5) Tell me about a time when you had to work outside the box?

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 Studies:

1) Quick Surveyal of the Material - there is more information in the booklets than there is time, so you have to know how to skim-read through the material and pick out the biggest issues in the case study.

2) Structure - when there is a presentation, be sure to have a structure of the information and your presentation. Know which issues you are going to prioritize and why you are going to prioritize them in that way.

3) Using the material - During the written exercise, be sure to relate back to the material as much as possible whilst also engaging with the question in a comprehensive and structured way. Tailoring your e-mail to the target audience is essential!

Interviews

1) Revise your application and your motivations - in these interviews, partners will pick up on things you might have stated on your application and also ask questions as to your motivations for applying the firm.

2) Understand the firm's strengths and its services - part of the discussion in these interviews will relate to the firm's services and what it can offer to its clients.


Were you successful?

Yes

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.

1.30pm - arrival
1.45pm - group task
3pm - interview
3.45pm - written task
4.30pm - tour of office with trainees
4.45pm - finish

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

1.30pm - mingle with about 7 other candidates, brought into a room with grad rec and were given an informal welcome to the firm

1.45pm - group task - split into 2 groups, where each group were to discuss a negotiation exercise. the task focused on an M&A deal with an energy company looking to acquire an oil business. each group split into the two different parties, and had to agree on 3 non-negotiables. the case study was fairly short, and both groups were then brought together to negotiate the terms of the agreement. 2 associates were also present, who took notes of what individual said throughout the task.

3pm - interview - mine was with an associate and a member of grad rec, which lasted around 40 minutes. mix of competency + motivation qs, questions as followed below

3.45pm - written task. most straightforward written task i've completed, we had to look through a brochure of charities and select which charity Clyde and Co should sponsor.

4.30 - tour of office

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

• What are your modules for 3rd year?
• Why apply for the vac scheme at Clyde & Co?
• Why commercial law?
• You’re a trainee going into new seat – how do you prepare?
• What other firms are you applying to?
• What seats are you interested in?
• What have you read that’s recently interested you and why?
• How do you manage conflicted deadlines?
• How do prevent falling behind in work?
• Describe a time where you had to do something hadn't done before?
• When have you displayed initiative?

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 task: this task was quite intense, so be sure to make you sure your voice is heard throughout, and also try and bring in some commercial awareness wherever relevant.

Written task: the key point to doing well is to make sure your answer is well structured, and you provide evidence for your statements wherever necessary.

Interview: there was a surprise case study here about a ship of goods that had caught fire, so brush up on tort/contract law and liabilities of parties in a repudiatory breach

Tour of office: this was assessed, make sure you're still pleasant and engaged with the trainees throughout, they know you would be drained after the day but try and keep a positive attitude throughout!

Were you successful?

No

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

January and February 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Training Contract

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

Each interview lasted approximately one hour.

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

The three rounds of interviews are designed to ascertain your motivation for applying to Curtis, as well as your decision to pursue a career in law. You will be interviewed by a range of lawyers, from trainees right up to the London office's managing partner. The interviews are also designed to gain a genuine insight into who you are as a person. In other words, would you be a fit for the firm? This is not to say they have a particular character type. I met a diverse range of people, from a variety of backgrounds with different personalities. Focus on ensuring you come across as motivated, personable and professional.

Make sure you can clearly explain why you like Curtis in particular compared to other US firms with small intakes. Aim to demonstrate why their intake, non-rotational training contract and flair for international arbitration (especially when it comes to representing states and state-owned entities) appeal to you. Bring in specific and detailed case studies to evidence this interest and signpost your commercial awareness. Furthermore, make sure you can explain why you would be able to meet the challenges presented by these factors. I tried to evidence my ability to handle additional responsibly with case studies from my studies, work experience and extra-curricular activities.

The process is somewhat different to other firms. There are no tests, video interviews or assessment days. The firm is genuinely interested in who you are as a person, your character and wider interests, as well as your skills and motivation. Be yourself and do not try to over-prepare when it comes to conveying these qualities.

There will be a lot of time allocated for you to ask questions. This is not only a fantastic opportunity to ask trainees, associates and partners questions you have, but a chance to further impress them with your knowledge of the firm. Use what you know to ask thoughtful questions.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

As 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.

As above

Were you successful?

Yes

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

January 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Spring/Summer Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

12:30pm Arrival, 12:45-1:30pm Firm presentation with a partner & trainee, 1:30-2pm Office tour, 2-3pm Workshop 1 (Commercial Negotiation), 3-3:15pm Coffee break, 3:15-3:45pm Interview with two associates, 3:45-4:15 Coffee break with trainees, 4:15-5:15pm Workshop 2 (Competition case study) 5:15-6:30pm Drinks reception

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

Workshop 1 - Commercial Negotiation, given a short document with information of the deal and the positions/terms that our client wanted. Given 20 minutes to prepare with the 2 other members of your side - figuring out our strategy etc. About 30 minutes of this contract negotiation which was basically to come up with the best deal for everyone whilst ensuring that you made sure the non-negotiables/important things for your client were kept intact. Following this, there was about 10 minutes of reflection where the associates running the exercise asked us questions on what we thought we did well, what we could improve on etc.

Workshop 2 - Competition case study, given a short document about a merger including information about the two merging companies. People were allocated either the side to argue for the merger to the CMA or to block the merger. Given about 20-25 minutes to each prepare our point (there were 3 points that had to be addressed along the lines of: 1) introduction of the proposed merger, 2) what factors do consumers use to determine what products to buy, general information of the company 3) the effects of the proposed merger). Similar structure as to workshop 1, also had about 10 minutes of a reflection after the exercise.

Interview - The interview was split up into a technical and personal/competency side. The technical questions, which lasted about 15 minutes, were quite specific about debt & equity financing, the pros and cons of both as well as any considerations a company should take when merging/acquiring another. The more personal/competency side also lasted about 15 minutes and focused on your CV, your application, the usual questions.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

What is debt? What is equity? What are the advantages/disadvantages of them? What are other forms of financing? If a company was acquiring another foreign company what are some considerations to be thought of/what would they have to instruct local counsel to do? Why commercial law? Asked about my undergraduate dissertation. Tell me about yourself? What are some trainee tasks and how would you be good at these? How do you motivate yourself when doing less exciting tasks?

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 would say that overall my advice for the day is to keep the momentum up - it is a long day and depending on which group you are in the order of things will be different. So I had Workshop 2 last and by the end of it, felt really tired. For the competition workshop, I would say there isn't really any specific way to prepare but know that reducing competition is generally bad for consumers as this means less choice! For the commercial negotiation workshop, make sure that you put your point across, but do not be too dominating either (someone in my group was like this and during feedback, they said that they had noticed this as well and they did not get an offer) but also don't forget to include a fellow team member if they haven't spoken much as this comes across well. For the interview, I would say to know the basics of financing and also to watch the A&O Deal video as that helps to know what sorts of things to consider when acquiring a company.

Were you successful?

No

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

March 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

9:30 am - 4:00 pm

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

Drafting exercise - 45 minutes, speaking task 15 minutes, negotiations task 1 hour, interview 45 minutes

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Drafting exercise task:
This was a case study of a company looking to expand and to give advice about which company to expand with.
Advising an [redacted] company if they should finance an [redacted] purchase of [redacted]. You have an hour for this. Think carefully about structure and timing as it is very time pressured. Also, consider refreshing your memory of SWOT analysis and keep the language you use simple and non-legalistic.
Look up relevant commercial knowledge in relation to:
• Financing;
• acquisition and mergers;
• the potential issues that a company looking to grow inorganically must worry about;
• but also the advantages.
• SWOT analysis.

Speaking task:
You will have 15 mins to prepare. It is basically just speaking to a partner about your conclusions from the above task and why you came to them. It only lasts ten minutes if that.

Negotiation task:
Don’t be too inflexible, but stand your ground and always find out why the other side is asking for what they are asking – if you can understand why they are asking for ‘X’, then you may be able to counter-offer something that is advantageous to you both.
You will have to negotiate a deal between a [redacted] and [redacted]. I was the [redacted], make sure you get a break clause of some sort, the retailer does not have much coverage outside of Europe. They will offer a [redacted] deal, which is at the limits of what they can offer. We got a very good offer of like 150,000 units at £425 over 18 months; but signed over exclusivity for Europe and UK. Also consider differentiating between online and retail sales. You will need to consider closely the financial details of each company. [redacted]

Interview:
A very strange experience. Not very competency-based in a traditional sense. A Very HR interview, aka, difficult to build rapport. The usual questions such as Why law, what distinguishes BCLP from its competitors. Why not the Bar. And then strange ones such as what would you do if a staff member was being rude to you, would your response differ if they were a partner? Think carefully about situations you may find yourself in a law firm.

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.

Know why you want to join BCLP and be yourself. They are looking for people with personality.

Were you successful?

Yes

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

January 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Vacation Scheme

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

10am - arrival
10.15 - interview
11am - presentation
11.45 - written task
12.30 - finish

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

Interview - only half an hour, mix of SJT and strength-based questions, no competency questions at all. interviewers guide you to the right answer if you hadn't quite gotten the correct answer

Presentation - 15 minute presentation with a partner and member of grad rec, with a flipchart aid. 10 minutes of questions after this about the topic, where the interviewers would try and challenge you

Written task - half an hour to read a bundle about 6 pages long, and answer 3 questions. quite time pressured and most intense task of the day

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

What motivates you?
Why BLM?
What do you do in your spare time?
Why law?
What would you do if a client tells you you've performed a piece of work extremely badly?

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.

Interview - this was the easiest part of the day, try and be pragmatic with your answers, especially with the SJT section of the interview. the interviewers will correct you if you're wrong, so try and seem as open minded as possible, even if they tell you you hadn't quite got the right answer

Presentation - try and avoid cue cards and be as confident as possible. the interviewers will ask you some tough questions afterwards, so try and stick to your convictions if they ask you to consider an alternative viewpoint

Written task - extremely time pressured and there was no clock in the room, so make sure you leave enough time for drafting/editing. there's also very specific instructions, so if it asks you to ignore a piece of evidence, make sure you do so!

Were you successful?

Yes

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

September 2019

Please specify what the interview was for.

Training Contract 2021

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

Interview 1
==========
10am Interview with Partner & Associate
11am Tour around the office

Interview 2
==========
10am Written Exercise
11am Interview with 2 training partners

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

Interview with Partner & Associate - very motivation based, not very technical. Some questions designed to make you think. Associate tends to play good cop and partner tends to play bad cop, although this is very mild.

Written Exercise - 1 hour to read through various articles on GDPR and provide a letter of advisement to a fictitious client in a scenario. There is a lot of information so you are required to pick out specifics, and you are given a word limit to get everything in which I recall being quite small (around 700-1000 if I recall correctly).

Interview with 2 grad recruitment partners - much harder interview, one of the hardest interviews I've ever had. Lots of technical questions - they are an IP/Life Science firm, so not necessarily legal questions but not your standard commercial questions. Every single answer I provided would be met with 3-4 followup questions going deeper and deeper into my answer (more than the usual 1 followup you might get elsewhere).

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Why Bristows?

If you were sat on the train and you saw opposing counsel reading a confidential bundle about your case, which you could read, what would you do?

If you finished a meeting and were clearing out papers and you realised that opposing counsel had left a confidential document on the table, what would you do?

Tell us about a recent story in the news and why it relates to Bristows.

If you were leading a research project at your University, where would you look for funding and why?

What kind of issues do you think you would get with regards to getting this funding?

What role do you think Bristows plays in the IP and Life Science sector, and why does that appeal to you?

If you were a doctor who had produced a new program which would help other doctors diagnose disease, what kind of liability do you think you might encounter?

How would you give other people the rights to use your program, and what legal issues might arise?

Also a small exercise where you are given 2 products and you are asked to walk through any potential IP claims that might arise (they are very similar).


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.

Written exercise - plan your answer. You have a very small word limit, and lots to write, so make sure you write a plan for yourself first as there is a lot of information to get through.

Interview - applies for both interviews, and I can't stress this enough - don't be afraid of thinking about your answer for a good 20-30 seconds before replying. They were impressed that I thought through each answer instead of saying the first thing that came to my head, which meant that when I answered follow-up questions (and there were a lot), I was able to come up with reasoned answers.

Were you successful?

Yes

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

March 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

09:30: Arrival for graduate recruitment introductions
10:00: Group split into two to rotate through the day's exercises
Individual motivational/competency-based interview with an associate
11:00: Break
11:15: Group exercise
12:00: Lunch with trainees
13:00: Document checking exercise
13:30: Case study interview with two partners
15:00: Depart

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

Associate interview: This was mainly motivational and competency-based. Lasted for around an hour with 8 questions as well as general conversation.

Group exercise: In groups of 4 or 5, we were given a case study about how a firm was reviewing tenders for a different charity partner. We were given 15 minutes of silent reading time then 30 minutes to discuss. Each candidate had different information to support a different potential charity. We were then asked to come to a unanimous decision, give recommendations on what events they may run, why they're most suitable and how much it may cost, based on a costings sheet provided.

Document checking exercise: You are given 25 minutes to comb through a contract to spot any errors. You must highlight any spelling, punctuation or grammar errors, as well as any illogicalities or inconsistencies throughout.

Partner case study: You are given 30 minutes to go through a case study based on a fictional business. There were terms and conditions of a contract, plus clauses of an employment contract annexed. There were then 5 questions based on the information in the case study and the annexes. The two partners start by introducing themselves, then ask for a succinct summary of the issue at hand. They then ask the set questions in order but also may probe at answers you give. They will also bounce ideas back and play devil's advocate, asking you what would be the case is x was different or y was different.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Why Baker McKenzie?
Why commercial law?
What makes us stand out (against another firm I had on my CV)?
How do you balance your busy life schedule?
Tell me about a time a situation made you feel emotional
Tell me about a time when you've shown leadership skills
Tell me about a time you've dealt with a complex task
Tell me about a time when you've had to handle difficult people
What other careers have you contemplated and why?
How do you balance multiple pieces of work with tight deadlines?

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.

Associate interview: Know your CV and application form inside out. They use this to form the basis of any ad hoc questions they may have, but it also helps them have a genuine conversation with you. It's likely they'll talk about anything interesting or unusual in your application. Have competency examples for typical strengths ready. Try and make it as conversational as possible.

Group exercise: Stick to the brief. Make every contribution valid and related to the task in hand. Don't overpower others - try and invite them to give their ideas if they're quiet. Keep a track of time and always try and bring the team back to the brief if they've diverged slightly.

Document checking exercise: Aside from obvious spelling and grammar rules, look to make sure the bullet points are in numerical order. Likewise, page and paragraph numbering. Also, check to see if the cross-references in the document to another paragraph actually match up.

Partner case study interview: Once again, try and build a rapport to make it as conversational as possible. Keep up to speed with ongoing commercial news. This can help relate the case to real life with some examples. When giving an answer, try and show the authority for that without being prompted i.e. which paragraph led you to that conclusion. One thing the partners really liked was talking step by step through the thought processes that were leading me to my answers. They said they could clearly see a logical trail of thought. When they're trying to pressure you for answers, pause and consider it without rushing in. Explain that you think the answer is x because of y and z but you're not 100% sure so you'd check. The biggest tests in the interview challenged you to think laterally - a partner would say what happened if this factor changed or this decision was made. Overall, I think it's important to show you can be calm under pressure and can still work through something methodically.

Were you successful?

Yes

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.

9.15am Arrival, 9.30am welcome from a member of Graduate Recruitment, 9.40am Written Exercise, 10.45am Interview with a member of Graduate Recruitment, 12pm Tour with Trainees

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

Written Exercise - All of the AC attendees were sat in one room together and we were each given instructions and a stack of paper. I have heard that they circulate two different exercises and mine was on renewable energy, but the person next to you may have the other one. We had one hour to read through the documents and complete the exercise, following a brief. The exercise is done by hand. I found the instructions were very clear and you have to answer a set of questions; acting as if you are advising a fictitious council on your decision about a renewable energy project. I had no problem completing it in the time, but I am a fast writer. Make sure you read through all the documents, and there are a fair few of them (but not too many) and I found it helpful to highlight as I went through. Remember to give yourself enough time to write it. I stuck to 5-10 minutes reading/planning and the rest writing. Stick to a clear structure from the brief, be concise and where you can include relevant information from your own commercial knowledge. I enjoyed this exercise and did not find it too difficult at all.

Interview with Graduate Recruitment - The AC attendees were split into two groups, with some having their interviews first and some having their trainee tour first. I was the former and I was interviewed with a member of Graduate Recruitment. This was the most straightforward interview I had out of all the firms I interviewed at and I did not have any unexpected questions. The questions were a blend of motivational and competency. A lot of questions seemed to allow you to link in to 'why Ashurst' - I would do a lot of firm research beforehand. I was given the opportunity to ask questions at the end and I found my interviewer very friendly. It was overall an enjoyable experience.

Tour/Chat with Trainees - This was very informal. A few trainees took a group of us around the office and answered any questions we had.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

- Why Ashurst?
- Why law?
- Why did you apply to our vacation scheme?
- If you attended the scheme, which practice area would you like to sit in?
- Tell us about a time you had to work in a team and any challenges that arose
- Would you say you prefer to work in a team or be a leader?
- What skills do you think a trainee needs to have?
- Which other firms did you apply to?
- What has been your application strategy?
- Tell us about a time you had feedback. What was the feedback?
- What would you say is a weakness of yours?

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.

Written Exercise - If you are not used to writing in exam-style conditions, practise writing a lot by hand. Be aware of what is going on currently that could affect the business world. Write quickly, skim through everything and have a good structure. If you have the time, read through at the end to check you have used good spelling and grammar.

Interview - Be friendly and personable. Brush up on your motivational answers. Be expected to justify which other firms you have applied to and what your application strategy was - I think this is quite important to them. Do thorough firm research from different sources. Prepare three questions for the end.

Tour - Ask lots of questions.

Were you successful?

Yes

This year I decided I would make a conscious effort to decrease the number of VS applications that I did in comparison to last year, in order to be able to fully research the firms that I was applying to. I took a lot of time and effort out to do this, to also note I'm dyslexic and had some very tough mit circ's that affected my whole degree that were pretty serious. Yet I didn't let it get in the way of the career aspirations I had. The problem was the MC's that I had did affect my grades and currently I'm predicted a 2:2.

I currently work an admin job and volunteer

I received two rejections within a matter of minutes today and it was really soul destroying when I actually put in so much time and effort, not to mention how many times I made drafts and edited them numerous times. Im not sure where I've gone wrong and I genuinely have no interest in any other career path.

Any advice?

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

January 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Vacation Scheme

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

I arrival at 2pm, I was greeted by three other candidates undertaking the AC. We were then taken into a separate room to have a casual conversation with the woman from graduate recruitment. She gave an overview of the day. Then at around 2:30 we were taken into separate rooms and handed our case studies with 30 minutes to go through the material. Once the time was over, a partner arrived to discuss the questions. After this we were given a 10/15 minute break until another interview with somebody from graduate recruitment in the same small room. Everything was fairly personal since it was 1:1.

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

Case Study - 30 minutes to read through the bundle and prepare answers to a set of questions. As many scenarios, it was an M&A study where we had to advise whether it would be worth acquiring company A.
With A&O there is generally a maths question - mine was to work out the estimated value of the company. Make sure you take a calculator!
Interview - this was approximately 30 minutes long and was very conversational. We were discussing a bit about my extra-curriculars but then swiftly moved into the situational judgement sort of questions.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

Why A&O?
Why the city?
Where else have I applied?
After looking at my experience in accounting, why not accounting or the Big Four?

Then I was asked questions about different situations
- what would you do if you have a flight to catch in the morning and work to get done tonight but a partner asks you to attend a client dinner?
- also asked something about a trainee being rowdy at an event. How would you approach this?

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.

M&A Case Study - organise your notes, my notes became messy and difficult to understand. This was reflected in my presentation. Please bring a calculator and ensure that you have answered the maths question because that seemed to be discussed in quite a lot of detail. Try to create diagrams where possible.

Interview - this was laid back and I think staying relaxed is the best approach. Try to make it conversational, I was attempting not to be too rigid in my approach - particularly with the STAR answers. Make sure that you remember what you had written in the application, things were brought up that I had slightly forgotten about in the description of my work experience. Also, I think honesty is very important with the situational judgement interviews. Sometimes it would be unrealistic to give an answer that you think they want to hear (eg the questions about your flight - you wouldn’t miss your flight to get the work done but perhaps work until late or start early before the flight).

Were you successful?

Yes