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Dentons Training Contract Interview 2019 - Anonymous

HR Interview: 45min-1hour

This was done on a separate day and was the round before the assessment centre. Essentially it took the place of a video/telephone interview but in much more depth.

Questions mainly revolved around standard competencies. Dentons’s main competencies are listed in a Chambers Student interview with HR here. These were 1) organisation and planning 2) attention to detail 3) resilience 4) analytical ability. All of these came up pretty directly.

There were some non-competency questions on things like ‘Why Dentons?’, ‘Why law?’ and ‘Who are Dentons’s main competitors?’.

All-in-all nothing too scary and the interviewer was very friendly.

I heard back within 30 mins or so with confirmation of an assessment centre place. I don’t know if this is standard practice or not.

Assessment Centre: Activity 1 – Written Exercise

1 hour to read a bundle of information and draft an email to the Chairman of a fictional company about your findings. My example was advising a taxi company on which [redacted] city to invest into and what type of taxi ‘service’ to provide. This meant there were two decisions to make which made it slightly trickier.

I tried to focus on interpreting the information rather than just regurgitating it when drafting my email and made sure I settled on a final answer (they emphasised there wasn’t a correct outcome).

One thing to note was that spell-check was turned off on the laptops, so take care and leave time for a quick proof/sense check.

Assessment Centre: Activity 2 – Role Play

This followed directly from the written exercise. It involved presenting your findings to two associates who then asked questions on your findings.

They did push quite hard on any details you failed to mention and would argue the opposite of what you suggested. Make sure you have read the bundle properly and can talk about all the info. even if you deem it to be a weaker argument. My advice would be to stick to your decision but take their opinion on board.

It lasted about 15-20 minutes.

Assessment Centre: Activity 3 – Case Study and Partner Interview.

5 minutes to read a very short extract about a small company which is looking to grow then straight into a room with two partners who asked how you would approach various legal/commercial scenarios the company is facing. (eg. finance, corporate governance, employee issues, dealing with competition).

In terms of preparation, think about what areas Dentons is known for (eg. finance) and maybe read a little about how companies can raise finance (debt/equity/non-traditional methods) and what the pros and cons of these methods are. Only a basic knowledge of the topics above is needed – the partners were happy to give prompts if you needed them.

My advice would be to take your time when asked a question, don’t be afraid to make a note, have a think but then give your answer with confidence. They won’t be expecting great legal knowledge, it is about how you think.

The case study lasted about 35-40 minutes.

It was then followed by a 25-30 minute interview which was very similar to the HR interview (see above). The only bit which differed was they asked more about Dentons eg its structure (Swiss Verein – worth knowing the pros and cons).

Much like HR, both were nice and easy to talk to.

I heard the result of the assessment centre 1 week later (although they said it is usually done more quickly).

With there being no end to the list of websites blogs youtube videos on vac scheme and TC application and interview tips, where does one actually draw the line and feel that one has covered enough ground? I am really lost rn

I would be very grateful to anyone who could give me some tips for the WFW Video Interview, and would be happy to share my own for the White & Case Assessment Day and Simmons & Simmons VI!

DLA Piper Summer Vacation Scheme 2020 - anonymous

1. Group Exercise
The day started off with the group exercise. I was in a group of 6 (including myself). We had 15 minutes to read a pack of information which included 6 different issues. You want to try and form opinions on all 6 issues because you will have to discuss all of them, so keep a close eye on time during preparation. You then have 45 minutes to come to conclusions with your group.

2. Case Study
You are given an information pack on a company (the same one that was from the group) and you need to give recommendations on how the company can be more profitable based on the information given. You then have to go into an interview with a partner and present your ideas. My advice is be structured in your presentation so it is clear what you are suggesting. The partner will then ask you any questions they have.

3. Interview
The partner who interviewed me was extremely nice. Whilst there were set questions, he wasn't only focused on those and I could tell that he genuinely wanted to get to know me as a person, so just be yourself! The questions were testing your motivation for DLA Piper and competencies. I guess the structure of the interview will depend on the interviewer and mine did just brush over some of the competencies because it was quite textbook like.

CMS Academy 2020 AC - anonymous

1. Case Study and Interview
You are given preparation time to read over a pack of information about whether a client should expand into an imaginary country. You have to essentially decide whether they should/shouldn't and why based on the given information. You also have to consolidate your ideas onto a piece of paper which is the 'written assessment'. You then go into an interview (I had a partner and senior associate) and you are given about 10 minutes to present your ideas. They'll then question your ideas. After this, there is a competency interview on basic competencies.

2. Speed-Networking
Essentially like speed dating but with trainees. There are 6 rotations, each lasting 6 minutes. They don't ask you firm-focused questions, but instead they question your morals/who you would want to go to dinner with etc. I think they are looking to see if you can build relationships quickly and if you are confident and have opinions.

3. Group Exercise
The group exercise was focused around how CMS can use technology to help their service. I don't think they are necessarily looking to see if you have technical knowledge. Instead, I think they were looking for how you work in a group and whether you can give your opinion and defend it.

Macfarlanes 2021 Training Contract Assessment Centre (anonymous)

1. In-tray exercise
The intray was something very hard to prepare for and specific commercial knowledge isn't actually required. The task requires you to read over information (3 different sets) in the preparation time and then go into an interview with a partner/two who you will discuss your findings with. I would recommend that you ensure that you leave enough time to look at all three, because you will be asked about all three pieces of information and follow the questions that they give you for guidance in the preparation time. Be prepared to stick up for yourself and only give into the partner if you really believe their opinion is right because they are there to challenge you and want to test your resilience.

2. Interview
Very relaxed interview with a partner and was more conversational than an interview. Asked normal questions like 'why macfarlanes', 'why commercial law' and competencies. This is probably the only thing you can really prepare for.

3. Group Exercise
There was a group of 3 (including myself). I can't remember the specific task however I think we had to come up with a business idea for a client and then come to conclusions on how we would set this up e.g. how we would finance the deal. I don't think they are really testing how technical you are here but instead want to test your general commercial acumen. They give you guidance on what to discuss. Later on in the day we had to present our findings however this was more interactive and the partners/senior associates would ask questions throughout rather than waiting until the end.

4. Written Exercise
This was very short on time. We had a pack of information to read over (a complaint from a client) and had to write an email responding to the client and offering compensation, as well as a memo to the partner stating what action you think should be taken. It was imperative to leave enough time to write both responses, as well as to properly analyse all the information you are given.

Hi All,

I know many of you are facing a 503 error at the moment when trying to access TCLA* (usually accompanied by a message noting capacity/maintenance work). I really apologise for the inconvenience here - it doesn’t reflect well on us! Unfortunately we didn’t anticipate this amount of traffic when establishing the forum.

As you may have seen me mention before, the problem is I may need to take down TCLA to fix this. I just wanted to get a sense of how bad it is for you guys so I can make a judgement call as it whether to do this sooner rather than later (I originally wanted to wait until after peak application period)? Any feedback would be helpful.

(*Note as the classes page of TCLA Premium isn’t connected to the main site, this shouldn’t be affected - just the forum.)

Anyone heard back from Freshfields regarding an AC for summer vac scheme?

Apparently it used to be on their website but it isn't anymore? Anyone have a copy?

Hello! I have an upcoming AC with Cleary. Was wondering if anyone has recent experience and tips/advice on this?

Considering a lot of the information about a law firm's clients is not in the public domain, why do law firms ask application questions about them? I am really struggling to answer an 800 word application question about which client I would most like to work with if I were a trainee at the firm... even after much googling I am still struggling to find a client worthy of 800 words. Also, as I am applying to a regional office - I am keen to select a client I would actually be working with rather than showing a lack of knowledge by selecting a client in an area of law that the Northern office doesn't even work in.

I have an interview next week and I really don't know where to start! So nervous..

Hi all, I have a question regarding Softbank Vision Fund.

Some articles call the Vision Fund the 'largest PE fund', but this fund looks like a venture capital instead of a private equity company as they seek 20-40% ownership and invest in start-ups.

Does this mean that VC is a subset of PE or are they separate? Is it best to refer to the Vision Fund as an investment fund instead of PE or VC fund?

Help appreciated!!

Hi guys,

I have been invited to Linklaters AC next week and really do not know how to prepare and what to expect.

It's my first AC and first successful application after 2 years so I'm really anxious but also extremely determined to get a Vac Scheme.

Any tips on how I can prepare, what type of questions can come up and what to expect?

Thanks,
Caroline

Hi - was just wondering in general does anyone know which firms accept low 2:1 (I.e with 2:2 modules in between) so long as the candidate has good A levels and good work/extra curricular experience?

If anyone had any insight, that would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I wanted to post this because I wanted a place to collate lots of terms and tips and know hows for case study interviews. I’m thinking along the lines of sharing the knowledge we have that we can all keep in mind for these more technical interviews (think A&O and HSF)

here are the things I’ve learned that can be useful along the way regards terms and contractual features:

Tax covenants (tax liability allocation)
Warranties, indemnities and representations (hedge against risk)
Restrictive covenants (an example of this is a non-compete clause which can stipulate that a former employee of the target can’t work for a competitor or set up a competing business in the same industry for a certain timeframe)

those are the ones I’ve picked up but I am non-law! If any of you guys have any pointers it would be great to share the knowledge! Have a great Friday everyone!!

Hi,

Has anyone done the Simmons SJT? Is there any way I can prep before/ any insight how it is?

Thanks!

Hi all,

Just wanted to let you know I'm hosting a Q&A livestream this weekend that I thought the forum might be interested in. I'll be answering questions on everything law, applications, Bakers, LPC or anything in-between. If you want to watch live, you can set an alert to do so here: https://www.addevent.com/event/Wu4475487

I'm also happy to have this as an open thread to reply to any questions you might have on here. Fire away!

Harry

Hello all,

I have recently been invited to complete a video interview for Latham.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me how much time you are given to complete each individual question?

Furthermore, if anyone has any tips please do let me know!!

Many thanks!!

Hi all, does anyone have any advice with SJTs?

Just got my rejection from Burges Salmon. Felt as if my answers were strong and do not know where I went wrong exactly. To anyone that got on the assessment centre, would you mind sharing the answers you used so I can get a feel for what they are looking for? Would massively help me out.

Dear community,

Does anyone know what is the type of critical thinking test used by Cooley? is it the WGT? Thanks!

Hi everyone, apologies for the late response, I had a lot of DM's regarding Macfarlanes 2019 AC for their summer scheme, so decided to make a thread.

Group exercise and negotiation:
Group of 5 - case study involving a company wanting to acquire another. 4 points regarding the company - we had to discuss within the group which we think is the most important to include within an executive summary to the client - assessor contributed to discussion and asked some questions - very relaxed atmosphere, just follow the usual group advice.

Negotiation - 2nd part of the paper had 4 points in total regarding the business - involved both sides having to concede on 2 things, one side is the buyer and other is seller - be calm and collective - be flexible, but not too flexible - always have the client in mind

Written exercise:
30 minutes in total - situation where a company had 3 people who were given shares and left the company as a result of one thing or another.

You are given an employment contract - use the clauses within the contract to determine what type of employee they were and how many shares and for what price the owner can recover from these employees based on the contract.

Maths IS INVOLVED! I was stuck with the maths problems as there was no calculator - ensure you have basic division skills (bus stop method) and multiplication

Very time pressured. Ensure you structure the letter clearly and read the contract CAREFULLY

Interview/in tray exercise
15 minutes reading time - case study involving a business that wanted to acquire a warehouse and license their brand to another company. Given another contract setting out what limitations they have - Please read the contract carefully, there was a lot of complicated terminology

Interview
1 partner 1 associate - lovely people. I really struggled with case study - partner guided me through and pushed me to the answers. Actual interview started with - tell me a time you faced a challenge and how you overcame it

Why law - majority of 2nd part went on around something i mentioned that i do which is extra curricular - and why Macfarlanes

And opportunity to ask questions at the end - Don't be asking too many questions, 2 is enough

Hi everyone, has anyone been through the interview with Akin for the summer vacation scheme? If so, any tips you might have about the structure of it or really anything related to it?

Hi guys

A few months ago, I successfully applied for TCLA's premium scholarship and meant to begin documenting my application cycle on here. As I'm currently working as a paralegal and applying for TCs at the same time, I didn't really get chance!

A couple of days ago I was finally offered a TC at a magic circle firm, so I thought I'd write a quick post on here as I know those of you without a perfect academic record worry about your grades holding you back.

My profile - BCC at A level (with mitigating circumstances that led to me working in two jobs alongside my studies) and a 61% 2:1 at a non-RG uni. I also got a 2:2 in Contract. Pretty far from what most firms look for! I worked in two jobs during first year of uni and held one job for second and third year. I therefore didn't hold positions within the Law Society and had barely any extra-curriculars.

Post-uni I developed interesting hobbies, made a conscious effort to network by attending Legal Cheek events, invested some time learning about commercial law and the commercial world more generally, took rubbish temp paralegal jobs (which led to more interesting paralegal jobs) and basically worked extra hard to make my application strong to counteract my weaker grades. It took a couple of years and a fair few rejections, but I now have an offer from a great firm and an upcoming assessment centre at another magic circle firm. I also have a place on the Spring Vacation Scheme of a City law firm (that I won’t be undertaking)!

I guess my point is, we'll all get there. Don't write yourself off or compare yourself to anyone else. Be proactive in seeking opportunities that will help - TCLA, Strive, Aspiring Solicitors, Rare, even Instagrammers have useful info and resources that have helped me!

Please do feel free to reach out if you have any questions and I’ll try to help as much as I can .

Best of luck everyone, keep applying and don't worry about rejections - literally everyone gets them!