Hogan Lovells Vacation Scheme Interview 2018

[Jaysen]

Hogan Lovells Vacation Scheme Interview 2018

When was your Hogan Lovells interview?

November 2018

What was it for?

Winter Vacation Scheme

Please describe the interview process at Hogan Lovells.

There were two interviews during the day.
The first interview was a partner interview, they began by introducing themselves, then asked me some questions about why I studied history. The questions then went on to my motivations for a career in law.
Some of the questions included:

• Why law?
• Why commercial law?
• Why HL?
• Who else have you applied to and why them? Are they similar to HL?
• Where would I open a new office and why?

In the last 10 minutes we briefly discussed the case study that I had been given earlier in the day. One of the questions was- what kind of practice areas would be involved to deal with the issues that may arise.

My second interview was the situational interview and was with HR and a senior associate. They both explained that the purpose of the interview was to assess how I would react to everyday situations trainees may find themselves in. They said that there were no right or wrong answers and that it was more about seeing how I approached different situations. I was then given a few seconds to consider the situation and discuss how I would respond. I was then asked further questions stemming from my answers. Questions included 'You are staying late in the office tonight because you are leaving work early tomorrow to go away for the weekend. A partner invites you to a client dinner. How would you respond?' and 'A first seat trainee is being quite rude to support staff and this is beginning to rub off on you and other trainees. You hear support staff complaining about the "trainee attitude". How would you respond?'

Then we were taken on a tour of the office followed by lunch.

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Hogan Lovells interview?

Make sure you have an understanding of HL's international strategy, as this came into particular use when I answered the question about a new office.

Try and be flexible during the partner interview. Especially, if you do not know the answers to certain questions asked by partners, be honest to them and ask for further guidance.

For the situational judgement questions make sure you explain why you chose your answer, and also tell them why you didn't choose the other answers.

 

[Jaysen]

Hogan Lovells Vacation Scheme Interview 2018

When was your Hogan Lovells interview?

4 November 2018

What was it for?

Winter Vacation Scheme

Please describe the interview process at Hogan Lovells.

Situational Judgment HR & Associate 1 hr interview/ Watson glaser/ Partner Interview/ case study

What advice would you give to future applicants for the Hogan Lovells interview?

Fairly smooth process, did not "grill" - a nice interview. It went through very standard Qs - why law/ why commercial law/ what is a commercial issue you've been following. What are key issues in case study and what would you do as a lawyer. Clearly testing things like resilience and what you believe a role of a trainee is. Why Hogan Lovells was emphasised upon - wanted me to differentiate from other law firms I've applied to.

 

[Jaysen]

*Thanks to this person for such an in-depth write up!

Hogan Lovells AC (January 2019, for Summer Vacation Scheme)

Watson Glaser Test –

***I would recommend people buy the how2become ‘critical thinking test’ book from Amazon which has a green cover. This has really helped me and I have passed every test I have sat so far and really think this book has enabled me to do that.***

There were eight people on my AC in total and, firstly, we were all led to a meeting room to retake a Watson Glaser test. Before the test was handed out, we all shared a fun fact or a celebrity encounter to break the ice and the lady presiding over the AC was really warm and friendly.

The Watson Glaser was slightly more difficult than the online generated test in my opinion but do not let it phase you – you have passed it once to get to the AC and you will be fine with this one. I would make sure to return to your first few answers at the end to be sure you read them well enough though because it did feel quite formal and exam-like. The test is in a paper format and the answer sheet is a typical exam-style multiple choice one where you have to put a cross in your answer. Make sure you are definitely matching the questions correctly on the answer sheet- seems a simple thing to point out but apparently people have slipped up here before.

After the Watson Glaser we were given a case study which we had 15 mins to make notes on. I skipped straight to the back to look at the three questions we needed to keep in mind. Then I ripped three separate sheets from the notepad provided and wrote the three questions upon them. I read the case study through once and then proceeded to re-read and made notes on the respective sheets to help guide my thoughts. I personally think this worked well given the time pressure.

Situational Judgement Test –

This is hard to prepare for but keep the firm’s values in mind. Be sure to demonstrate you are a team player and show an awareness that the firm is renowned for being very open and friendly; it really prides itself upon this and rightfully so. Bear in mind that most firms want you to take ownership of your work and own up to your mistakes too! This section is very much common sense and try to be as honest as you can – they are really just trying to see how you think here so be sure to support your answers. The interviewer will also develop the situation and make it more difficult just to test you a bit further – they will do this for everyone so don’t panic with this. There was one situation which had been developed by my interviewer and I was unsure how to respond because I was unclear as to where the line is drawn with what trainees can do in difficult scenarios. I was actually praised for this in my feedback because I showed an awareness and appreciation for rules. I thought this might have been a terrible response from me so have confidence in your thoughts! I really enjoyed this part of the day.

Partner Interview –

I found this to be really quite tough. I was guided to the room by one of the partners who I was quick to establish a conversation with and he was really nice. A senior associate was already in the room and he was equally friendly as well. I sat down, and they asked me why I was interested in law and, given my application, they asked why not the civil service. This threw me a bit so really make sure you have thought about many careers and why they are different to law and commercial law especially. They didn’t at any stage ask me why commercial law and there was no further opportunity to naturally state this. With this interview, therefore, I would be keen to note business and the commercial world early on; even if not explicitly prompted. They also asked me why Hogan Lovells too.

They asked me about what I think lawyers and trainees do. They also asked me which practice groups would be involved in an M&A deal. The case study I thought was ok by and large. I just effectively answered the three questions we prepared for and this was quite a short aspect of the interview for me, but this varies between candidates. I did not get any competency questions personally, probably because of the nature of their online form.

I really got the impression that the questions I was asked would not have been the same for other people – they really improvised, looked at my application and asked me things pertinent to previous questions and answers too. I also really tried to remain calm and to keep smiling even though I knew the interview was going less well than I had hoped. I was truly myself in the interview and tried my best and that is all you can ever ask of yourself at the end of the day! Do be charismatic because I think this goes a long way and even more so if you can maintain your charisma despite difficulty.

Feedback –

I passed the Watson Glaser again and my SJT was apparently without fault and I really impressed my interviewer. My downfall was the partner interview, as I expected. They said they were unsure of my motivations so really nail ‘why law’ and why not other paths. They said my desire to work in commercial law and my passion for business was also unclear (like I said – discuss this even if not prompted to and make sure business formulates part of your ‘why not xxxx career path?’ They also said that the overriding motivation for why HL was culture and I needed something better to really put forwards my desire to work at the firm. They did say that I came across very well within myself in terms of my charisma and personable nature (why I think this is really important, especially for a firm with a great culture like theirs).

I personally wish I had done a HL open day prior to my AC because I think it would have given me more to discuss in terms of the firm itself. I also feel indebted to HL and this experience as it has helped me to better my responses.

The firm really is so incredibly friendly and I entreat anybody to submit an application if they are thinking about it.

 

[Jaysen]

Hogan Lovells Winter Vacation scheme AC
1. Watson Glaser
2. Case Study concerning project finance
3. Situational Test
4. Partner Interview

a. Why law at university?
b. Why commercial law?
c. What other firms have you applied to?
d. Project finance

i. What are the issues
ii. How can you think we can structure this deal
iii. Why is it a problem that they do not have any substantial assets​

e. Why did you not get Cleary? How was the scheme
f. Why did you not get a vacation scheme in your second year of studies​

5. What is a commercial issue you have been following