Fieldfisher Interview 2019 - 2020

Jaysen

Founder, TCLA
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  • Feb 17, 2018
    4,692
    8,565
    Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

    January 2020

    Please specify what the interview was for.

    Summer Scheme (Diversity Access Scheme)

    Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

    9:30am Arrival where we were taken to a holding room. There were 8 people in total. We were then escorted to a different room where the graduate recruitment gave us an overview of the day. We were quickly divided into 2 groups. One group had an interview first and the other had the written exercise first. Each lasted an hour and there was a 15 minute break in between. The day finished at 12:45 after the graduate recruitment team answered a few questions from us.

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

    I was in the group that had the interview first. Mine was with an associate and it was an hour long interview, mostly based on competencies as well as motivations for the firm. The associate said everybody would be asked the same set of questions for fairness. He, however, did ask me some follow up questions to some of my answers.

    Next was the written exercise for an hour. We were given a bundle of documents to read through to advise a client on how best to spend their money. There were multiple options that the client could choose and we were asked to choose two best ones to compare and contrast, keeping in mind the client's objectives and values.

    Please list any interview questions you were asked.

    Time worked in a team
    Time brought team to success
    Time I used initiative
    Why commercial law (and not human rights law) - this was a follow up questions because I have a background in this
    How is legal tech shaping the industry
    Fieldfisher's biggest competitors
    Time I changed direction in a team
    Do you like working in a team
    How do you define taking responsibility
    Why this firm/what do you know about this firm
    Why do you want to do VC here
    What do you hope to gain out of VC here
    How do you manage time
    Interest in other industries
    What other career options have you considered

    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.

    For the written exercise, I think it's important to keep an eye on the time as an hour is a short time to read through everything, make your decision and start writing to compare and contrast two different options. Aside of being aware of the time limit, I would recommend doing exactly what the prompt tells you to do, which in this case, was comparing and contrasting different options, as opposed to just listing the two options you thought were best and giving reasons for that.

    For the interview, I think being familiar with your CV is a must as well as having a bank of experiences to draw from for the competency based questions. Being familiar with key skills that Fieldfisher looks for would also be useful as questions like "how do you define taking responsibility" threw me off a little.

    Were you successful?

    Yes
     

    Jaysen

    Founder, TCLA
    Staff member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    M&A Bootcamp
  • Feb 17, 2018
    4,692
    8,565
    Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

    February 2020

    Please specify what the interview was for.

    2021 Training Contract (Birmingham)

    Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

    1pm- Arrival

    There were 4 candidates including myself. We were ushered into a board room where each of us introduced ourselves and conducted an ice-breaker activity. Two graduate recruitment members and 2 partners were present and gave us our schedule for the day.

    1:30pm- Group Exercise

    2:30pm- Written Exercise

    3:30- Partner Interview

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

    Group Exercise- 45 minutes

    We were given a scenario where we had to advise a Pizzeria that was struggling on how to turn their business around. This included documents which had facts and statistics on various areas of the business. With this information, we had to collectively put forth recommendations on how best to turn the restaurant around.

    Presentation- 15 minutes

    We presented our findings to two graduate recruiters and two partners. After the presentation they questioned us on our recommendations.

    Written Exercise- 1 hour

    This exercise was completed individually and required us to write a response to a commercial scenario. The scenario was along the lines of "Country X has proposed new legislation that would allow companies to tax their workers as a way of funding technological research and advances within the national economy. Do you agree with this or not?". We were given between 45min-1hr to give our opinion, exemplify commercial awareness and structure our response in a coherent and persuasive way.

    Partner Interview - 1 hour

    Please list any interview questions you were asked.

    "Why Fieldfisher?"

    "What are your strengths?"

    "What are your weaknesses?"

    "Do you prefer working alone or in teams?"

    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.

    Group Exercise and Presentation

    Pay attention to the statistics. Make sure you are responsive and listen to what everyone in the group has to say. Try not to be the last one in the group to present because you may run out of time.

    Written Exercise

    Try to use subheadings. Spend time to plan and structure your response beforehand.

    Interview

    Make sure you know your CV inside and out. Always smile and be confident. Make sure you have conducted research about the firm beforehand.

    General Tips

    Make sure you plan your journey accordingly because the Birmingham office location is outside the city centre (in Solihull).

    Were you successful?

    No
     

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