How do we differ from our competitors?

[Salma]

Hi All,

I have recently come across the above question during an interview, and I was wondering how do people tackle this sort of question?

I try and mention a few unique features of the firm, i.e. innovative nature, high cross border deals, international reach etc..

It would be interesting to see what others think.

 

[AJ]

I’ve only ever had this question at firms where there are clear differences in terms of their sectors, international approach or strengths. They usually say we are the best at xyz. At these firms, it seemed to be a targetting whether you had done enough research on the firm or just blindly made an application.

I agree picking a few unique features is the way to go. But are they really unique? A lot of firms do high profiles cross boarder deals.

Again the firm I had this question at, I tried to do a compare and contrast approach. To say the firm I was interviewing at was big in certain sectors. I then mentioned a competitor firm and said that though they did some work in the same sectors they don’t have an as broad pratice (litigation, tax, employment, etc) in those sectors.

Hope that helps/make sense. Typing this half awake!

 

[Helena]

That in a way is like the Shearman question ' How do we maintain a competitive advantage?"

 

[Jaysen]

I'd start with your "Why this firm?" answer, which should give you clues as to what makes the firm different. For example, if you said the firm is strong in a particular practice area or has an unconventional training system, you already know these points make the firm unique.

You can also pick different competitors for different reasons. For example, let's say you're applying to Latham. You could argue Latham is better than the likes of magic circle (let's say Freshfields) because of its established presence in the US but better than the likes of the US elite (let's say Kirkland) because it's more global and full service.

If it was Jones Day, you might focus on the non-rotational training. Shearman, its presence in the Middle East. Allen & Overy its investment in Fuse etc. etc.

 

[Salma]

Thanks guys!

As suggested, I will focus on my reasons for why the firm to highlight how the firm differs from their competitors.