Hi
@Naomi U
Thank you so much for such a detailed response!
Thankfully it seems I'm on the right track as I've already made some notes from the various M&A resources available on TCLA you suggested!
There seems to be a consensus that the scenario based interview is notoriously hard to prepare for as, like you said, it is very much down to the partner or associate interviewing. Would you suggest any type of general considerations to be thinking about throughout this interview that could broadly apply to any scenario?
Thanks again!
Hi
@Tony
No problem at all! Great to see you are on the right track!
From my personal experience I think my general tips would be:
Prior to the interview
- Try to gain a good understanding of the key roles and responsibilities of solicitors in each practice area e.g. the work they are likely to do and the clients they are likely to work for. This will give you a foundational understanding of the context the scenario is set in which will be key to helping you to gauge your answer
- From a commercial awareness perspective, beware that m&a type stories may not fit in neatly with the scenario you are given. Therefore, in addition to following such deals, also keep an eye on the wider news and be open-minded to the issues that may be operating in your scenario. Again, this will help give context to the questions as well as your responses.
- It might also be useful to have a look at the Code of Conduct for Solicitors. I've attached the link below.
Of course, you are not expected to know this in any degree of depth however, from experience I think it is quite helpful in scenario-based interviews to gain some insight into the remit between appropriate and seemingly helpful but inappropriate behaviour.
During the interview
- Be confident. It can be very daunting when you are asked questions you did not anticipate but I think it's very important that you try to remain calm. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking the interviewer to repeat the question or asking for a second to consider your answer. This is much preferred than rushing into a response that you later try to backtrack.
- Try to structure your answers to present your chain of reasoning- this can be done using the example I included in my earlier post by saying; " In the present case under X circumstances, I believe this may be the best choice of action because .. "
- Be open minded. Your interviewer may try to push you in an alternative direction to your initial response. Do not be afraid to be open to changing or modifying your answer. Again, this can be done using the phrase above. Similarly, if you want to defend a point, don't be afraid to do so, but ensure you acknowledge their input and how it could apply.
With this in mind like you said it is notoriously hard to prepare. So my biggest take way is to prepare as much as you can and remember to be confident and in control in the interview!.
Best of luck!
The link to the Solicitors Code of Conduct:
https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/code-conduct-solicitors/
