When was your Davis Polk interview?
Summer 2018
What was it for?
Vacation scheme
Please describe the interview process at Allen & Overy.
Probably the 'easiest' out of everything I have done, as it only involved a single one-hour interview.
I felt welcomed and the interviewers did their best to guide me and relieve my stress.
What advice would you give to future applicants for the Allen & Overy interview?
As with any US firm, make sure you have read widely around the role of law firms in transactions, in this case M&A. I found that Davis Polk was less concerned about your personal experiences and competencies (given that the second interviewer was not even in the room when I was asked these in around 5 minutes), but more so about your 'commercial awareness'. This involved a case study within the interview (for which you are given around 30 minutes before it to prepare), which in my case related to a [Redacted] company wanting to invest in [Redacted] and asking for some [Redacted] in case the investment does not go as planned, for example in case a dispute arose.
The process was 'easy' as far as that is possible, but you will still be called to discuss highly technical aspects, and in my case this involved basic contract law.
*Redacted specific case study details.
Summer 2018
What was it for?
Vacation scheme
Please describe the interview process at Allen & Overy.
Probably the 'easiest' out of everything I have done, as it only involved a single one-hour interview.
I felt welcomed and the interviewers did their best to guide me and relieve my stress.
What advice would you give to future applicants for the Allen & Overy interview?
As with any US firm, make sure you have read widely around the role of law firms in transactions, in this case M&A. I found that Davis Polk was less concerned about your personal experiences and competencies (given that the second interviewer was not even in the room when I was asked these in around 5 minutes), but more so about your 'commercial awareness'. This involved a case study within the interview (for which you are given around 30 minutes before it to prepare), which in my case related to a [Redacted] company wanting to invest in [Redacted] and asking for some [Redacted] in case the investment does not go as planned, for example in case a dispute arose.
The process was 'easy' as far as that is possible, but you will still be called to discuss highly technical aspects, and in my case this involved basic contract law.
*Redacted specific case study details.
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