Dentons Vacation Scheme Interview 2021

Jaysen

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  • Feb 17, 2018
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    Dentons Vacation Scheme Interview 2021

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

    March 2021

    Please specify what the interview was for.

    Summer Vacation Scheme 2021

    Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

    10:30 - Arrival/Talk from GR
    11:00 - Written exercise
    12:00-12:15 - Roleplay with associates
    12:15-12:45 - Break
    12:45-14:00 - Case study & partner interview

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

    - The written exercise was around an hour and involved reading through a bundle on a fictional commercial issue. We had to pretend to be a business professional, not a lawyer, and it didn't require any prior legal knowledge or even commercial awareness, just the ability to identify relevant commercial issues and pick them out from the bundle. Around halfway through we were then given another urgent document relating to the exercise that we had to quickly incorporate into our advice.

    - The roleplay directly followed the written exercise with two associates, who were very friendly. It was in the style of a quick business meeting. We had to present our findings and were asked questions to justify why we had made certain decisions over others.

    - The case study/partner interview involved 5 minutes to read quickly through a short document detailing a scenario then completing it verbally. It was relatively technical but the partners were clear that they weren't here to test our legal knowledge but rather our ability to spot issues. They were also very friendly and gave us prompts when we needed them. The interview was a competency interview, but felt more like the partners trying to get to know us, our experience, and our motivation for applying.

    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/roleplay:
    - Don't be nervous and don't daydream - you don't need any previous knowledge for this assessment so it's all about whether you can pick out issues quickly! The bundle is also not massive and you can easily get all the way through the content in the time.
    - Make sure you are aware of your audience, don't use legal jargon, try to be clear and concise
    - Be sure to justify your reasons for any decisions in the written document because then you can rely on these when you're asked to elaborate in the roleplay

    Partner case study/interview:
    - Prepare as you would for any competency interview and make sure you especially know your motivations
    - Be prepared to talk about your hobbies
    - Know your CV well and know what you've learned from previous work experience
    - The partners are very friendly and open so if you have any questions at this stage make sure to ask them!

    Were you successful?

    Yes
     
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