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Herbert Smith Freehills Interview 2021
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<blockquote data-quote="BK" data-source="post: 79796" data-attributes="member: 7354"><p><strong>Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.</strong></p><p>January 2021</p><p></p><p><strong>Please specify what the interview was for.</strong></p><p>Spring vacation scheme 2021</p><p></p><p><strong>Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.</strong></p><p>9.30 to 9.45am - (virtual) arrival, welcome from grad rec which includes partner overview of the firm and Q&A with a trainee. </p><p>10 to 10.30am - first case study interview with one partner. This is a selection from a pack of case study interviews they have on Private Equity, M&A, Disputes, Employment, etc. </p><p>10.30 to 11am - second case study interview with one partner. This is based on the partner’s own experience, thus it can be on anything! </p><p>11 to 11.45am - general interview with one senior associate or partner. </p><p></p><p><strong>Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.</strong></p><p></p><p>Scenario interview 1: based on a case/deal the partner has worked on themselves. You get interviewed by one person. I had a disputes case (30 minutes).</p><p></p><p>Scenario interview 2: fictional case/deal the firm would typically work on. I had a private M&A/private equity deal (30 minutes).</p><p></p><p>Competency interview: typical competency interview with the why commercial law, why HSF questions. They ask a lot about your experiences and application, so be sure you know them well (45 min to 1 hour).</p><p></p><p><strong>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.</strong></p><p></p><p>Competency interview: </p><p>- Have prepared answers for why law/HSF, but don’t make them sound too scripted. </p><p>- Know your application inside out. </p><p>- Research the firm thoroughly - this includes attending firm specific events. I have heard that they don’t really appreciate answers that are centred solely on Google/website research, they want to hear about personal experience with the firm. </p><p>- Be personable. I had a very tough interviewer, straight face throughout, but I kept up my cheerful demeanour - I got really good feedback on this. </p><p></p><p>Scenario interview: </p><p>- The second scenario interview is based on a case study (one from a selection of which the firm has prepared and recycled). I do not know if this will change for future ACs but usually they have a public M&A, private M&A, PE and leveraged finance case study. They want you to walk through a deal, so make sure you understand how a deal is structured (e.g., what should you think about when instructing a client on a private M&A). </p><p>- I prepared for this by jotting down all of HSF’s practice groups, researching them well, understanding, for example, what IPMT/employment does in a deal. Then during the interview I guided the partner through how the deal would require work from each department. For example, starting from corporate (M&A) the client will be advised on the structure, them moving on to finance (debt or equity), employment (existing contracts), real estate (buildings), tax (asset management), etc. As a result, I did very well on the second scenario interview. </p><p>- The first scenario interview is harder to prepare for as it is based on a deal the partner worked on - it could be anything! Prepare as you would for the other scenario interview, but make sure you do not undermine the smaller depts like tax, IP, employment. I got a disputes/investigations partner and unfortunately I had not prepared well for a contentious scenario. The partner was very harsh and wanted specific answers on what type of injunction the client could use, etc. Although they mention that they take your degree into account if you are a non-law student, I personally found no difference. I was asked tough questions on criminal law, even though I had not studied it yet.</p><p></p><p><strong>Were you successful?</strong></p><p>No</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BK, post: 79796, member: 7354"] [B]Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.[/B] January 2021 [B]Please specify what the interview was for.[/B] Spring vacation scheme 2021 [B]Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.[/B] 9.30 to 9.45am - (virtual) arrival, welcome from grad rec which includes partner overview of the firm and Q&A with a trainee. 10 to 10.30am - first case study interview with one partner. This is a selection from a pack of case study interviews they have on Private Equity, M&A, Disputes, Employment, etc. 10.30 to 11am - second case study interview with one partner. This is based on the partner’s own experience, thus it can be on anything! 11 to 11.45am - general interview with one senior associate or partner. [B]Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.[/B] Scenario interview 1: based on a case/deal the partner has worked on themselves. You get interviewed by one person. I had a disputes case (30 minutes). Scenario interview 2: fictional case/deal the firm would typically work on. I had a private M&A/private equity deal (30 minutes). Competency interview: typical competency interview with the why commercial law, why HSF questions. They ask a lot about your experiences and application, so be sure you know them well (45 min to 1 hour). [B]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.[/B] Competency interview: - Have prepared answers for why law/HSF, but don’t make them sound too scripted. - Know your application inside out. - Research the firm thoroughly - this includes attending firm specific events. I have heard that they don’t really appreciate answers that are centred solely on Google/website research, they want to hear about personal experience with the firm. - Be personable. I had a very tough interviewer, straight face throughout, but I kept up my cheerful demeanour - I got really good feedback on this. Scenario interview: - The second scenario interview is based on a case study (one from a selection of which the firm has prepared and recycled). I do not know if this will change for future ACs but usually they have a public M&A, private M&A, PE and leveraged finance case study. They want you to walk through a deal, so make sure you understand how a deal is structured (e.g., what should you think about when instructing a client on a private M&A). - I prepared for this by jotting down all of HSF’s practice groups, researching them well, understanding, for example, what IPMT/employment does in a deal. Then during the interview I guided the partner through how the deal would require work from each department. For example, starting from corporate (M&A) the client will be advised on the structure, them moving on to finance (debt or equity), employment (existing contracts), real estate (buildings), tax (asset management), etc. As a result, I did very well on the second scenario interview. - The first scenario interview is harder to prepare for as it is based on a deal the partner worked on - it could be anything! Prepare as you would for the other scenario interview, but make sure you do not undermine the smaller depts like tax, IP, employment. I got a disputes/investigations partner and unfortunately I had not prepared well for a contentious scenario. The partner was very harsh and wanted specific answers on what type of injunction the client could use, etc. Although they mention that they take your degree into account if you are a non-law student, I personally found no difference. I was asked tough questions on criminal law, even though I had not studied it yet. [B]Were you successful?[/B] No [/QUOTE]
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