Ashurst Interview

[Bonnie94]

Hi there - I have a final TC interview at Ashurst next week. I'm feeling quite daunted as its 3.5 hours plus and I'm worried about very technical banking/finance or sector focused questions, particularly in the partner interview. The interview structure is:

1. Written case study in the form of a business report (how should I structure this?!)
2. HR Interview
3. Partner Interview

If anyone has any tips I would really appreciate it!

 

[Salma]

Hi Bonnie!

Congrats on the final TC interview! Re the written case study (I have not completed one with Ashurst before but from past experiences) it is usually an acquisition scenario, Jaysen has helpfully created a guide relating to this, check it out here (https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/why-do-you-want-to-be-a-commercial-lawyer/). But general tips:

1. You will probably be given a chunk of information to go through - bring a highlighter go through the headlines of each document and highlight/skim/scan all the key information.
2. Brush up on basic financial considerations such as balance sheet (Assets v Liabilities), exchange rates and how the company will fund the acquisition (debt or equity) and then the general SWOT analysis.
3. HR interview will probably have predictable competency questions , prepare different examples for each competency. Allow the conversation to flow and don't spill a jug of water on the table as soon as you walk in (I did just this). But also prepare briefly for random questions such as - How many dentists are there in London?
4. Partner interview will (I think) consist of other typical questions such as why Ashurst, why Law, why you and current commercial issues/what you think of it (they will probably challenge your opinion on this but stand your ground!!). They might draw upon work experience/certain modules you completed and ask what you have learned from them.

Good Luck!

Also, I was just wondering if you could offer any tips on how to approach the questions? Ashurst have a separate question relating to how they differentiate themselves from their competitors so I was wondering if you spoke about why ashurst in your cover letter and then again in the separate additional question? and did you stick to one page for the cover letter (conflicted if I should stick to one page or a page and half). Thanks in advance!

 

[Jaysen]

Hi Bonnie!

Congrats on the final TC interview! Re the written case study (I have not completed one with Ashurst before but from past experiences) it is usually an acquisition scenario, Jaysen has helpfully created a guide relating to this, check it out here (https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/why-do-you-want-to-be-a-commercial-lawyer/). But general tips:

1. You will probably be given a chunk of information to go through - bring a highlighter go through the headlines of each document and highlight/skim/scan all the key information.
2. Brush up on basic financial considerations such as balance sheet (Assets v Liabilities), exchange rates and how the company will fund the acquisition (debt or equity) and then the general SWOT analysis.
3. HR interview will probably have predictable competency questions , prepare different examples for each competency. Allow the conversation to flow and don't spill a jug of water on the table as soon as you walk in (I did just this). But also prepare briefly for random questions such as - How many dentists are there in London?
4. Partner interview will (I think) consist of other typical questions such as why Ashurst, why Law, why you and current commercial issues/what you think of it (they will probably challenge your opinion on this but stand your ground!!). They might draw upon work experience/certain modules you completed and ask what you have learned from them.

Good Luck!

Also, I was just wondering if you could offer any tips on how to approach the questions? Ashurst have a separate question relating to how they differentiate themselves from their competitors so I was wondering if you spoke about why ashurst in your cover letter and then again in the separate additional question? and did you stick to one page for the cover letter (conflicted if I should stick to one page or a page and half). Thanks in advance!

Great advice!

I wrote about a page and a half. If it's of any help, I attach the first half of my cover letter and my answer to the additional question. You'll see I wrote about why Ashurst in the cover letter and again in the additional question.

Bonnie - I know a couple of Ashurst trainees so I'll see if I can get their thoughts (I only interviewed for a vac scheme).

 

[Bonnie94]

Hi Bonnie!

Congrats on the final TC interview! Re the written case study (I have not completed one with Ashurst before but from past experiences) it is usually an acquisition scenario, Jaysen has helpfully created a guide relating to this, check it out here (https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/why-do-you-want-to-be-a-commercial-lawyer/). But general tips:

1. You will probably be given a chunk of information to go through - bring a highlighter go through the headlines of each document and highlight/skim/scan all the key information.
2. Brush up on basic financial considerations such as balance sheet (Assets v Liabilities), exchange rates and how the company will fund the acquisition (debt or equity) and then the general SWOT analysis.
3. HR interview will probably have predictable competency questions , prepare different examples for each competency. Allow the conversation to flow and don't spill a jug of water on the table as soon as you walk in (I did just this). But also prepare briefly for random questions such as - How many dentists are there in London?
4. Partner interview will (I think) consist of other typical questions such as why Ashurst, why Law, why you and current commercial issues/what you think of it (they will probably challenge your opinion on this but stand your ground!!). They might draw upon work experience/certain modules you completed and ask what you have learned from them.

Good Luck!

Also, I was just wondering if you could offer any tips on how to approach the questions? Ashurst have a separate question relating to how they differentiate themselves from their competitors so I was wondering if you spoke about why ashurst in your cover letter and then again in the separate additional question? and did you stick to one page for the cover letter (conflicted if I should stick to one page or a page and half). Thanks in advance!

Thanks for this, very helpful!

My cover letter was also about a page and a half - I thought it best to get fairly close to the word limit as they give it for a reason. And yes I wove why Ashurst through my entire cover letter and then picked two specific points and went into detail for those on how Ashurst was different. Very luckily I have actually done a week of work experience there so I was able to justifiably say I liked the culture and atmosphere of the firm! Good luck!

 

[Jaysen]

Hi there - I have a final TC interview at Ashurst next week. I'm feeling quite daunted as its 3.5 hours plus and I'm worried about very technical banking/finance or sector focused questions, particularly in the partner interview. The interview structure is:

1. Written case study in the form of a business report (how should I structure this?!)
2. HR Interview
3. Partner Interview

If anyone has any tips I would really appreciate it!

Hey Bonnie,

A few comments:

"I just did a straight training contract application. Your mentee can expect to write business report, have a short interview with HR based around his CV and experiences, and then a longer interview with 2 partners which is more scenario based.

Overall I found the process fairly relaxed compared to other firms. The interviewers are really keen to find out more about your personality, management styles and thought process. Your mentee should prepare to be able to discuss the points raised in his/her application and CV.

The culture at the firm is key: they focus on personality and pride themselves on the social and supportive aspects of the firm. "

"For the interview portion of the day, your mentee should prepare the standard motivational questions - why this firm, why commercial law, why be a solicitor. I would also recommend that they look over their own CV and try to match the characteristics asked for by Ashurst when they're looking at potential employees. These can be found on Ashurst's graduate recruitment website. I would put special emphasis on the ability to work in a team. "

 

[Jaysen]

Hey Bonnie,

A few comments:

"I just did a straight training contract application. Your mentee can expect to write business report, have a short interview with HR based around his CV and experiences, and then a longer interview with 2 partners which is more scenario based.

Overall I found the process fairly relaxed compared to other firms. The interviewers are really keen to find out more about your personality, management styles and thought process. Your mentee should prepare to be able to discuss the points raised in his/her application and CV.

The culture at the firm is key: they focus on personality and pride themselves on the social and supportive aspects of the firm. "

"For the interview portion of the day, your mentee should prepare the standard motivational questions - why this firm, why commercial law, why be a solicitor. I would also recommend that they look over their own CV and try to match the characteristics asked for by Ashurst when they're looking at potential employees. These can be found on Ashurst's graduate recruitment website. I would put special emphasis on the ability to work in a team. "

Feedback from another Ashurst trainee:

"The interviews will be one competency based, one commercial based. For the competency interview just make sure to have personal anecdotes ready for the standard questions. For the written test, they only have one hour so make sure they manage their time, and write logically with headings etc
Its content won't be too difficult"

 

[Salma]

How did it go Bonnie? I hope the tips helped!