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When was your Watson Farley & Williams interview?

August 2017

What was it for?

Training Contract

Please describe the interview process at Watson Farley & Williams.

There is a group exercise, a written advice task, another group exercise and a proof reading exercise.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Watson Farley & Williams interview?

For the group exercises, make sure you contribute and don't only address one person when speaking. For the written advice use clear language and have a logical structure with an introduction and a conclusion. When completing the proof reading, read the document at least twice.

When was your Memery Crystal interview?

August 2017

What was it for?

Training Contract

Please describe the training contract interview process at Memery Crystal.

It was an application form followed by an interview with HR and an associate.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Memery Crysal interview?

Candidates can expect an intensive, fairly scripted interview. The initial focus was on competency questions, which if you have prepared, should be reasonably straightforward. No woolly answers - my response to 'tell us about a time you have gone above and beyond in your work' was critiqued strongly.

The current awareness question centred around the BBC pay gap news at the time; be prepared to go in depth and argue your perspective.

There was also a question which looked initially like a legal question but was actually basic common-sense. It asked what you would do in a situation where a client has gotten the better of a third party. It was cleverly couched in fairly emotive wording - this led me down a completely wrong avenue, so take a step back when answering and analyse the question.

I personally struggled to build a rapport, but I think that was mainly down to my nerves and inexperience at that point. It was a valuable learning curve, but a tough interview.

When was your Cooley interview?

February 2018

What was it for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at Cooley.

The first stage was a group exercise in which we had to advise a client on an acquisition. Distributing information between each other, we had to rely members to read through information and feed it back to the rest of the group. We were then asked to give a presentation, followed by a number of questions and challenges. For those that go through to the second stage, there were four different interviews with partners and associates back-to-back.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Cooley interview?

[Not provided]

When was your Freeths interview?

April 2018

What was it for?

Training Contract

Please describe the interview process at Addleshaw Goddard.

The interview was largely dominated by competency questions, so I was concerned that I was repeating myself. However, the interviewer was very good, and was incredibly understanding throughout the process. They will ask you competency questions, but they by no means take an artificial approach to studying your answers.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Addleshaw Goddard interview?

I was asked about my motivations to join a regional firm, as well as who Freeths' competitors are and how it differentiates itself. I was also asked about a current news story that was of interest to me and the commercial opportunities or threats that might stem from it.

When was your Mayer Brown interview?

February 2018

What was it for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at Mayer Brown.

Full day assessment centre, and probably the most rigorous process among the firms I interviewed at. We started with a research and presentation task to a panel followed by a Q&A session. We then completed a verbal reasoning test in which we had to both summarise and proof read an article. Following a tour of the office, I had a business exercise in which I was given the opportunity to prepare some questions to secure additional information and then recommend a client a fictitious firm should pursue. Finally, we had an interview with a partner in which I was asked about our motivations for joining the firm, as well as any particular role models or interests I had. I was also asked some typical competency questions.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Mayer Brown interview?

Be sure to speak up when preparing the presentation. Also, for the business case study, be very straightforward. Don't concern yourself with coming up with a genius question to ask, take a simple approach and build up. I made the awkward mistake of preparing a number of questions relating to the fictitious firm, only to forget that I had prepared them and waste plenty of time chasing up relatively minor distinctions between clients.

When was your Gateley plc interview?

April 2018

What was it for?

Vacation Scheme

Please describe the interview process at Gateley plc.

1. Introduction to the firm. This includes a presentation, a video prepared by the firm, and coffee;

2. Hour-long panel interview with partners from the office you selected in your application.

3. Written test. You will be given some information regarding a new development that pertains to the firm's core sectors, and you must use this to write a blog post for their website.

You will be offered lunch, and reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Gateley plc interview?

They don't invite many applicants to the assessment centre, so the interviewers will have tailored their questions to your application. Be prepared to discuss any experience/interest you shared in your application at length. Expect commercial questions [i.e. where they should open a new office and why/how a housebuilding company should react to Brexit, etc.]).

You have 45 minutes to complete the written task. Keep an eye on the time, and don't regurgitate information. It might be worthwhile to have a look at the firm's blogs to ascertain the desired length/tone.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has any experience of the Taylor Wessing Cosmic Cadet game? I know they said that no prior experience/ preparation is required in playing the game. But is there anything I should look out for when completing the game?

When was your Browne Jacobson interview?

May 2018

What was it for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at Browne Jacobson.

There is an online application, online tests, telephone interview, and assessment centre. The assessment day was structured well. There was a group exercise, case study, written exercise, and individual interview. I felt everyone was friendly, and supportive.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Browne Jacobson interview?

The telephone interview was competency based. I was also asked why law, why the firm, and what differentiates it from its competitors. For the assessment centre, the best advice is to be yourself. Its important to let your personality shine through, and let the assessors know who you really are. Be confident, and ask loads of questions. The case study and written exercise need to be structured well, and it is important to pay attention to detail. The interview was mainly competency based, so preparing good examples beforehand will help. It will help to read the key competencies on the firm's website, and think about how your skills/experiences match with those.

When was your interview with Wesleyan Assurance Society (in-house)?

April 2018

What for?

2018 Training Contract

Please describe the interview process at Wesleyan Assurance Society.

I felt very welcomed and comfortable at the assessment day. I built rapport with fellow candidates quickly and the assessors seemed very laid back. There was an introductory session/presentation, followed by - interview, written exercise, presentation, and group exercise.

What advice would you give to future applicants about the Wesleyan Assurance Society interview?

Expect general questions, not typical of standard law firm interviews such as - What motivates you, What would you do if a colleague wasn't working to the best of their ability etc. This was difficult as whilst the questions weren't particularly complex, I was thrown off as I didn't think I needed to prepare for such questions. Research both the company and financial services in general thoroughly.

When was your Stephenson Harwood interview?

August 2017

What was it for?

Training contract

Please describe the interview process at Stephenson Harwood.

The assessment day started with a presentation, Partner interview, written test, commercial awareness interview, office tour and lunch.

You are given the topic of your presentation in advance and will have a week to prepare for it prior to the assessment day. The Partner will ask many questions on your presentation, followed directly by a Partner interview on competencies and interests. I advice you to spend time on understanding how the topic chosen in the presentation affects the firm.

The written exercise is 1 hour 30 minutes long. It requires you to write a report based on the substantial amount of information provided. Your report then forms the basis for the next interview with a Partner where you will be asked on your rationale behind the advice you gave in the written exercise and a general discussion on the information.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Stephenson Harwood interview?

Research the firm and make sure that you understand the firm, its culture and the clients that it works for. You will be asked how the firm is different from other firms and how it better can sell itself to its clients. To answer this in an outstanding way, I would suggest that you read the services that the firm provides and learn about the firm culture. Also, you should use the 7 days that you are given to work on your presentation in a clever way. Be creative and think outside of the box. Be concrete and talk clearly. Think carefully about how the topic that you have been given affects Stephenson Harwood. To make your written exercise smooth, make sure that you understand the firm's services quite well. This will allow you to give a more realistic advice.

When was your Kennedys interview?

January 2018

What for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at Kennedys.

First there is a video interview if you are successful at the critical reasoning test. If successful here, you go on to an assessment centre, which included a group exercise, a written test and a short partner interview. It was very welcoming and one could see the effort they've put into the process.

What advice would you give to future applicants about the Kennedys interview?

Video interview:

• Extremely basic. Just three questions one of which was why Kennedys, and the other two were competency questions i.e tell us about a difficult experience, what did you do?.

First interview:

• Group exercises (plural)
• Written test
• Interview

Group exercise: the differentiating factor here was that there was not just one group exercise, but several. The first was typical, we were given a scenario, placed in teams and had to negotiate with the other team. This tested both communication skills and intuition. The other two were very random, as they both involved games, clearly testing collaboration skills. You were explained the rules in case you had never played the game and had to work both on your own, in the first exercise, and again as part of a group, in the second exercise. This was a lot of fun but beware that, this being a game, you naturally will let your guard down, and this is exactly what they are testing. They want to see how you truly communicate with others, how you handle losing/winning and so on. Do NOT treat these as games, essentially.

-Written test: very basic. In my case, I was advising a client who had an accident at his job and wanted advice on what course of action they should take. You are given some hints and you have to develop on these. Structure is as important as content, keep this in mind at all times.

-Interview: 20-30 minutes with one partner. This was mainly competency based, like the video interview, with one commercial question at the end, relating to the firm's practice areas. Best way to prepare is to answer such general questions in your free time, and during the interview be approachable, smile and answer directly and succinctly.

Hi Jaysen i have an upcoming assessment centre at NRF, just wanted to ask whether you have any advice? it consists of two psychometric tests, partner interview, and a group exercise.

Thanks

When was your Shearman & Sterling interview?

Late 2017

What was it for?

Winter Vacation Scheme

Please describe the interview process at Shearman & Sterling.

Very short notice, contacted 4 days before interview way past deadline despite having applied at start of window.

30 min interview with head of HR/Grad Rec and a Senior Associate.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Shearman & Sterling interview?

Very basic ‘why you, why Shearman’, competency questions like ‘time youve worked in a team, have you ever provided a service to a client’ etc. I was also asked about my strengths and weaknesses.

Finally a question on a recent commercial story I’d been following. Was properly probed on this, so be prepared to justify why it’s important/why it’s relevant.

Was rejected on basis of not knowing enough about the firm, so they’re hot on this. Also feel as though fit is very important to them.

Waited a week before rejection.

White & Case vacation scheme interview:

• The focus is on your application form, then why W&C, why law, some normal competency questions
• a number of questions about what the trainee role involves
• trying to assess your response to typical situations trainees might find themselves in

Thanks to @Denisa Olaru for this one!

When was your PWC Legal interview?

April 2017

What was it for?

PWC vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at PWC Legal.

The first interview was with a recruitment company who were screening applicants for PwC. They asked mostly competency based Qs, pretty standard ones such as; Describe a time you had to receive feedback, Describe a time you had to work in a team, Describe a time you had to solve a complex problem, Describe a time you've led a team, Describe a time you've had to deal with a difficult person etc. After these straight-forward questions were dealt with, the interviewer asked a few other Qs about why law and what I knew about the next stage (e.g. LPC)

The second stage was an assessment centre that was three parts; individual assessment (timed exercise where you had to read a document through that had multiple options in it, summarise the pros and cons of each and then recommend an option), group exercise (timed exercise where you had to read a number of documents related to your particular solution to the issue (we had a client looking to expand into the hot drinks industry and needed recommendations about which area to move into), then present back to the group the pros and cons of your particular solution before deciding as a group the best approach to take) and finally psychometric evaluations (timed verbal reasoning and diagrammatic tests).

The final stage was a further invitation back for a face to face interview with a partner. This was, largely, competency based Qs again but with follow-up Qs each time now. e.g. Describe a time you received feedback and how you dealt with it, answer, Ok, what about giving feedback?. Other interviewees mentioned their partners had a more general approach to interviews - e.g. asking them about commercial issues affecting PwC now or the UK legal scene etc.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the PWC interview?

Practice practice practice. Competency based Qs are the easiest thing in the world if you practice them (using a methodology like STAR) and don't deviate whatsoever from your answer. I messed up the final interview by deviating on one of my answers and making myself sound like a walkover, if I had stuck to my original planned answer, the feedback I got was that I would have gotten the vacation scheme.

Furthermore, think about how PwC operate. They're a really interesting law firm to work for given they sit within a MDP, so you have a lot of access to internal experts and get to go with them on client meetings. Think about how this can affect you (for better or for worse) if you were working there.

Finally, be aware of how widely PwC operate both geographically and as a law firm. They have massive departments in various areas of the law, they like their applicants to have noticed that (e.g. they have a top rated immigration dept)

Name: Jonty

When was your Morrison & Foerster interview?

Summer 2018

What was it for?

Vacation scheme/training contract

Please describe the interview process at Morrison & Foerster.

There are essentially two rounds of interviews at Morrison & Foerster - the first one with the recruitment team and two associates, and the second with two partners (one of whom will be the training principal) and a trainee.

It was the usual experience at the law firm but I feel the division between the two days is unnecessary.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Morrison & Foerster interview?

In the first interview, the process is very straightforward I would say - I was asked why the firm, why law and common competency questions. Because I had studied law, I was also asked a specific contract law question (essentially, what constitutes a contract, pretty basic stuff) as well as a commercial law question, focusing on restructuring a company. This is truly an introductory interview and the firm wants to get to know the candidate better. All throughout, I felt they really valued extra-curricular activities, as they would constantly ask me what I had done in X and Y activity, which I had mentioned on the application form.

If successful, you're invited to a second interview. Unsurprisingly, this is materially more challenging. There was a five-minute presentation, and you will be given a selection of topics to choose. You are not given them before the day, so you will have to prepare them on the spot = you need to keep up to date with the news. The topics are wide enough to give you a fair shot, i.e refugee crisis, Brexit, China's slower economic growth etc. Choose whichever you feel most comfortable with because after your presentation you will be asked specific questions on it - thankfully I had covered China's slowdown (back then it was, at least), meaning I had some stats to throw around too. They were surprised at this so I guess it adds up to how they perceive your effort.

Following this, you will be given a case study. This is again a commercial awareness exercise - the topic is not legal, focusing on a specific company trying to do X. The content of this will vary, but will usually centre on restructuring and capital markets - I would suggest brushing these up in the coming up of the interview.

Overall, I would strongly advise looking into Morrison & Foerster's specific areas are these will always feature throughout the process - they really do expect you to have put in some time learning about their practice. The deeper the detail of your knowledge, i.e deals, names of partners of these deals etc., the more impressed they will be. In the first interview, finally, make sure you really do use your extracurricular activities - they loved hearing about specific examples, i.e playing volleyball, volunteering in the law clinic of the university and so on. If anything, because they do develop their questions on your experiences, you are given the chance to answer something you will be familiar with rather than random competency questions - essentially, try leading the discussion yourself!

When was your DWF interview?

2017

What was it for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at DWF.

The interview is mainly scenario based. Giving you situations you could potentially be in and then describing what you would do. They challenge you on your answers as well. There are some technical questions assessing not only legal knowledge but also the work the firm does itself eg opening a new shopping centre what sectors would be involved and what work you would do. Standard why DWF, what sets them apart from others.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the DFW interview?

In scenario questions link it your skills and experiences and where you had to tackle something similar. DWF are huge on their values so make to sure focus on those and how you suit them.

When was your Winston & Strawn interview?

Summer 2018

What was it for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at Winston & Strawn.

Application with CV/Cover Letter and an interview (helpfully, they gave the option to do this via a video interview).

It felt very welcoming, but the firm is very small so the commonly said saying 'you'll gain responsibility from day one' gets real meaning here, and this was obvious in the interview.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Winston & Strawn interview?

What I gathered from the interview was that, given how small the firm is, most people will be interviewed by the same partners/associates, giving a lot more equal treatment to the process than at other, larger firms.

The interview experience was possibly the most welcoming, as they try their best to make it a chat rather than an assessment interview per se - something that I really appreciated, as it gave some insight into how the actual training contract might be.

Specifically, as regards its content, it was mixed, including both competency and commercial questions. The competency questions were the standard ones (i.e when you have withstood a challenge, when you led a team and so on). The commercial questions were a bit more focused than at other firms, but Winston & Strawn is pretty specialised in London so that is to be expected. So, get a firm grasp of the firm's past deals (you will be asked about some), and be ready to get into the more technical side of them. They don't expect you to know everything and they will help, but you do have to show them you have done your research and know more than what is written on their website.

One thing that is also clear throughout the interview is the focus on the firm - again, Winston & Strawn is very specialised and very small, so you will have to do more to show them it is truly the firm you want to work for. Their teams are very small and every single member counts.

Overall, make sure you focus your preparation on the firm (more so than you would at others I would say), and incorporate your suitability for it wherever you can. Nonetheless, make sure this is not forced, as I'm sure they've gotten very good at differentiating the candidate who has thought it through about working there from the candidate that is simply applying there in hopes of getting a place at any firm.

When was your Jones Day interview?

January 2017

What was it for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at Jones Day.

Online application with a very short cover letter followed by an interview with two partners.

Admittedly, this might have been my worst interview experience, but it was also my first so that might explain it. It felt cold and distanced, and the trainee that gave me a tour was clearly not having it - it felt forced and unwelcoming.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Jones Day interview?

Jones Day is known for its one-hour competency-based interviews. There were two partners who would ask a whole range of competency questions and just a couple commercial ones towards the end.

Specifically, Jones Day is apparently looking for 'friendly trainees' to be good company to partners on business trips rather than a 'robot' trainee who's only expected to do their work (how far this is true throughout the actual training contract I am not sure). Hence, the first thing they will be looking for is an approachable and talkative (but not overly so) trainee. It's all about the right balance, and given how many candidates they invite to interview the competition to show this will be very fierce. Accordingly, make sure to show them you can hold a conversation without being awkward!

Their training contract, moreover, is unique in that they do not have seats, but allow trainees to do what they like (within reason) and are expected to go looking for their own tasks. Naturally, a great deal of the interview will focus on this aspect - in my case, I was asked whether I had done something which required me to focus on two different aspects simultaneously, something in which I had to show initiative and drive, when I overcame a challenge and the like. I believe the best way to prepare for this is to download a list of competency questions from well-known sites such as chambersstudent and try answering them. Do NOT learn them by heart, just use them to structure and get a feeling of a questions.

The final commercial question varies enormously, as partners each deal with different practice areas. I was asked how Jones Day might be involved in a M&A deal (which I found very generic), as well as what I would invest £10m in - clearly meant to catch people off-guard. From what I gathered, this was less so to test your knowledge and more so to see how you'd react to an unforeseen question, as might happen throughout your training contract with clients and/or partners.

Generally, as cliche as this is, my advice would be to truly be yourself - if you pretend to be someone you're not you will not enjoy this particular firm and its training structure. So, be yourself, be respectful, and answer any questions honestly, politely and above all with enthusiasm.

When was your Ashfords interview?

June 2017

What was it for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at Ashfords.

The assessment day took place in Bristol and consisted of four main parts: a group exercise followed by an interview with HR and then a partner. The group exercise was straightforward and was on commercial awareness. We had to work together to solve tasks. Then, we were interviewed by HR and then a partner. HR asked me to talk about an outstanding personal achievement which added value to my academic or working environment. They also wanted me to talk about challenges I faced and how I overcame them. Then I was asked about a time when I successfully demonstrated commercial awareness and the challenges I faced. I was also asked to talk about my non-academic activities and interests including any positions of responsibility.

The interview with the partner started off with me talking about myself. It was pretty relaxed. The partner then asked why I wanted to work in their firm and where I see myself in the near future. Given that Ashfords is a regional firm and the have a culture that is different from that of London firms, they want to know if you are the right fit.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Ashfords interview?

Ask yourself if you really are a good fit for a regional firm. This is important, as the partner will ask you about this. Given their experience interviewing candidates all the time, they will know if you are the right fit or not by the answer that you give. During the group exercise, be polite and listen. Do not interrupt. Be proactive and give your input, but also try to involve others. For instance, one of the candidates in my group did not talk much, so I actively asked her questions in order to involve her more. This showed leadership skills and ability to work in a team. Overall, the firm is very friendly. Read up on the firm and the different sectors, understand the firm's clients, study your own CV and be realistic with respect to whether you will be a good fit at the firm or not.

When was your Simmons & Simmons interview?

November 2017

What was it for?

Winter Vacation Scheme

Please describe the interview process at Simmons & Simmons.

Simmons and Simmons has the most complicated application process of any firm I have applied to. In addition to numerous (I think three) pre interview tests, the assessment centre itself consisted of several different exercises.

Firstly there was a written exercise which was about advising on a [redacted] change for the firm's office. We were given a booklet containing all the possible options and asked to advise which would be the best choice.

Secondly I had a situational judgment interview with one associate and one HR employee. This was a strange exercise which consisted of me being read out a situation I might be faced with as a trainee and then I was asked to explain how I might respond to it. The interviewers were helpful in mentioning things so that I wouldn't miss anything out or if I ran out of things to say.

The third part of the assessment centre was a partner interview and document analysis. I think this interview lasted around 45mins and I was given a contract to analyse beforehand. I think the contract was some sort of service agreement between the firm and [redacted]. In the first half of the interview I was asked to explain what the contract was about and then was asked specific questions about what each parties' liabilities were in certain situations and at what points liability was triggered under the contract. I quite enjoyed this part of the assessment centre, but the interviewer was clearly just ticking yes or no boxes in responses to my answers so that made it feel a bit superficial. The last half of this interview was a discussion of why I wanted to work for the firm and some competency questions- standard things.

*redacted specific information.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Simmons & Simmons interview?

For the written exercise, being mindful of the time is very important, I also think I spent too long weighing up all the options instead of focusing on why the suggestion I was arguing for was the best.

For the situational judgment interview, I was nudged a few times for the interviewer for forgetting to say that I would get work checked by a superior before sending on to clients so don't forget to mention that.

For the contract analysis, in your prep time make sure you're thinking about which party is assuming responsibility for what before you go in.

When was your Foot Anstey interview?

May 2017

What was it for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at Foot Anstey.

I was interviewed at the firm's Bristol office. Given that the firm is a leading regional firm, you will need to explain to the panel of interviewers why you are interested in a career as a lawyer at a regional firm. They also ask what skills and attributes you would bring to the firm.

You will also be asked to talk about an issue or news article that you have read and that you believe will affect the firm. I wrote about the GDPR and how it will have an effect on some of the firm's clients. Further, I was asked what client I would introduce to Foot Anstey if I could and the reason behind my choice. In order to be able to answer this question, you would need to understand the different departments within the firm and understand what type of clients the firm prefers to work for.

One of the interviewers asked what makes me "stand out" from the crowd and why they should offer me a training contract. I told them about my legal experiences and the skills that I had developed. Specifically, I told them about my experience working for the university legal clinic and how that already has given me the legal skills needed for a future career in law. Overall, the experience was very pleasant and people were very friendly. Regional firms have a different atmosphere to it and attracts other type of candidates, most of which are quite pleasant.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the HFW interview?

Needless to say, you will need to read a lot about the firm and relevant news that have or may have an impact on the firm. You will need to know what clients the firm serves, as this will allow you to understand what type of clients the firm aspires to work for in the future. You will also need to justify why you wish to work for a regional firm. As you may know, many young lawyers aspire to work in London once they have completed their training contracts. They wish to know if you will commit and stay in the firm. It is important that you know your CV well and can sell yourself to the panel of interviewers, using previous experiences and skills that you have developed as a result.

When was your HFW interview?

August 2017

What was it for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at HFW.

First you complete a Watson Glaser test, then a written task on a scenario where you had to provide advice to a client. You have 45 minutes for this. Then there is an interview with 2 senior associates and after this a group task with at least 2 other people.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the HFW interview?

For the Watson Glaser they are looking for scores in the 70th percentile and above. For the written task, skim read everything once then read over the key bits again. Make sure the structure of your advice is good. For the interview, you need to research the firm and its sectors and show a clear motivation for a legal career. In the group task you need to show good analysis, teamwork and make a contribution to the discussion. Also try to read both parts of the brief as you will need to discuss both of them. There is no right answer to the task, they just want to see that you can work well with others.

When was your Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholar interview?

April 2018

What was it for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholar.

First you are taken to a room to read a problem scenario on the EU regulation of [redacted] in electrical products. You play the role of a trainee and have to advise the client (the [redacted] manufacturer) on You are tasked with finding certain bits of information online (from a laptop) and you have to write a summary of your findings and send it to graduate recruitment in an email, who then pass it on the the 2 associates that will interview you.

You then get interviewed by the 2 associates who will ask you questions based on the scenario as well as motivation, competency and commercial awareness questions. After this you meet a trainee who will give you a tour of the office and answer any questions you have.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholar interview?

You will be given around 30 minutes to prepare your answers for the scenario and the interview itself lasts for around 45 minutes. The trainee tour and questions will take around 20 minutes.

The interview is quite hard as they really stretch your commercial awareness. It would be useful to research the firm's practice areas and sectors before the interview. You can't really prepare for the problem scenario as they base it on a topic they know you won't have come across before. Just make sure you manage your time will and focus on the key bits of information that you find online. Make sure you have questions to ask the interviewers at the end and try to come across and friendly and confident.

When was your Macfarlanes interview?

Summer 2017

What was it for?

Vacation scheme

Please describe the interview process at Macfarlanes.

The day involved a 20-minute exercise with a partner, a written exercise and a group exercise.

It was very well-structured but I feel the rather high number of applicants made it feel a bit more intimidating.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Macfarlanes interview?

Regarding the interview, this is split in two parts - one focusing on personal experiences (mostly competency questions) and the other on a case study, which you will have already had the chance to read before the interview. As regards the former, in my case it involved basic questions such as 'tell me about a time you faced a challenge - how did you overcome it' and 'tell me about a time you showed initiative'. The second part was by far more difficult, insofar as the case study itself was challenging and the partner would endlessly question me without, as had happened in other interviews, being particularly helpful/leading towards a solution.

As regards the written exercise, it was certainly the most difficult part of the assessment day (or 'open day' as they call it), and involved basic calculations without a calculator. It revolved around advising a private client (-note Macfarlanes is known for this practice area!) on what they might expect to gain out of a trust.

Finally, the group exercise was very typical and in groups of two - a notable difference in my experience was that the assessor actively contributed to the discussion and was leading it in some cases - asking things candidates would never ask to each other. Be respectful and patient and make sure you think your answers through, it is especially important here when the assessor might jump in to develop your answer and/or ask explanations.