- Feb 17, 2018
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- 8,829
Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.
January 2020
Please specify what the interview was for.
Vacation Scheme 2020
Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.
9 am Arrival and ice breaker
9:45 Partner Q & A
10:45 Break
11:00 Group Interview
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Partner Interview
1:40 Written Exercise
2:30 ish Leave
Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.
Introduction by Grad Rec, ice breaker (about 30 mins). Nothing much else to note here, if you have been on an open day you’ll recognise the slides.
Partner Q&A (1hr) 9:45
Around 10 people in each group.
They take notes on the questions you ask but it seemed very brief. E.g someone asked a question about AI the partner just wrote AI by his name and photo.
Stephen Lucas (the partner leading) is extremely transparent about what Kirkland does and if it isn’t for you it isn’t for you. I think you’ll be fine if you just stay engaged, it doesn’t feel like much of an assessment at all and I’m not sure how much they collect from it.
Be prepared to state where else you have applied and the status of these applications. I forgot a couple which was a bit annoying so quickly jot your apps down because they go around the group. If you have applied to a mix of firms I wouldn’t lie about it because it is expected that you are looking at different places at the vac scheme level. The people who only applied to ‘American’ firms were questioned a bit further I’d say, probably because Lucas thinks the distinction between British and American firms is a false one because the American firms are all very different. He called Latham a ‘Magic Circle Lite’!
Just justify whatever applications you’ve made – Lucas has been a partner at CC, Links and Weil before Kirkland so he will understand that you want to shop around.
Break 10:45
Group exercise (1 hr) 11:00
Choosing a CEO for Kirkland enterprises. Pick whoever as long as they are well-known, and you can justify it (you present for a minute). Group picks who the CEO will be. In my group John Legend won. Someone picked the chairman or ex-chairman of KE which I thought was a bit weird and I don’t think most people knew who he was so I’d say don’t try and impress with your choice and just focus on presenting it well.
When we had to pick a winner as a group a girl on the end was quick to dominate (she still got offered the scheme). A lot of people get advice for group interviews to be the timekeeper (I had heard that as well) and it was abundantly clear so I’d say you don’t need to be assertive and force the role in the first instance. Just make sure you contribute to the group discussion. There was 10 people in the group and Grad Rec is not going to penalise against not being in that role!
The group all spoke over each other and I thought it wasn’t that great a demonstration of teamwork. There were a few dominant voices and I think if it gets like that make sure you get to contribute but also be respectful about it. Make constructive comments. Recognise that there are about 10 different potential CEOs but you can only present 1! If things are dragging on try and present it as a vote. In my group we picked a winner but then people kept debating so I tried to emphasise that we had already selected a CEO and were running out of time.
Trainee lunch (1hr ish ) 12:00
Pretty sure this wasn’t assessed but it was just networking over lunch.
Partner interview (30 mins roughly) 1:00
Varies greatly on the partner you get. I had Jonathan Tadd, others had Rajinda Bassi, Stephen Lucas etc. My friend’s first question was ‘what makes you stand out’. Make sure you know what private equity is, one of the other candidates mentioned that she got asked about leverage and didn’t know what it was, so don’t let stuff like that trip you up.
You get the opportunity to ask a question at the end – I asked about the non-equity partner status at KE as I had read an article about how it wasn’t a good thing. I didn’t plan the question or anything it just arose out of the discussion and I wanted to know the answer. The partner had also read the article so that was good and I actually got the issue clarified.
The interview was very conversational. I got asked about why I wanted to do law, where I saw my career going, why Kirkland, when I had shown resilience, how I was finding my degree, how I organise myself, how I perform work to a high standard among other things that I don’t remember but were along the same lines. I found it really enjoyable Sometimes I drew on personal experiences instead of my CV as he’d already seen that and that worked really well. The partner had said things like 'that was a great answer' and 'that was the perfect answer' and I still didn't get offered the scheme so I think it's important to do well in all the aspects of the day.
Written exercise 1:40 (1hr ish, depends on how long your partner interview is, I don’t think anyone got equal time)
2 sides of A4
Qualities of a good trainee solicitor at Kirkland. I think most people used a simple structure of skill -- when they showed it.
Not much advice I can give here as you can’t tell if it’s going badly as obviously as in an interview/ exercise.
This was the order of my day, but people had it differently! Some started their written exercise, then had an interview and then came back to finish the written exercise. Some did the group exercise first.
Please list any interview questions you were asked.
See Above
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.
My key advice is to not be too nervous or rehearse answers and sound robotic. I think this goes for all interviews honestly. Your interviewers are people and I would just try and build a rapport with them by showing them your personality. I don’t think the negative effect of nerves is emphasised enough because the interview partly shows how you can handle high-pressure situations, which aren’t rare as a lawyer. Relax as much as possible and convey genuine motivations – everyone who interviews at Kirkland will say that they like PE so how can you make your answer different?
It’s very hard to prepare, just review your application and know why you want to be a commercial lawyer and why at Kirkland. Stephen Lucas is also a big name in debt finance and is likely to be the dominant partner in the partner Q&A. I think you should really take the opportunity to ask a genuine question, it’s very obvious if you just want to show off and you have the opportunity to learn from one of the best lawyers in the City! Also 2/3 to 3/4 of around 20-25 candidates on the AC were from Oxbridge. Apparently, this is quite typical and I wouldn’t let it put you off. Just thought I would note it here.
Note -- Kirkland do not give feedback.
Were you successful?
No
January 2020
Please specify what the interview was for.
Vacation Scheme 2020
Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.
9 am Arrival and ice breaker
9:45 Partner Q & A
10:45 Break
11:00 Group Interview
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Partner Interview
1:40 Written Exercise
2:30 ish Leave
Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.
Introduction by Grad Rec, ice breaker (about 30 mins). Nothing much else to note here, if you have been on an open day you’ll recognise the slides.
Partner Q&A (1hr) 9:45
Around 10 people in each group.
They take notes on the questions you ask but it seemed very brief. E.g someone asked a question about AI the partner just wrote AI by his name and photo.
Stephen Lucas (the partner leading) is extremely transparent about what Kirkland does and if it isn’t for you it isn’t for you. I think you’ll be fine if you just stay engaged, it doesn’t feel like much of an assessment at all and I’m not sure how much they collect from it.
Be prepared to state where else you have applied and the status of these applications. I forgot a couple which was a bit annoying so quickly jot your apps down because they go around the group. If you have applied to a mix of firms I wouldn’t lie about it because it is expected that you are looking at different places at the vac scheme level. The people who only applied to ‘American’ firms were questioned a bit further I’d say, probably because Lucas thinks the distinction between British and American firms is a false one because the American firms are all very different. He called Latham a ‘Magic Circle Lite’!
Just justify whatever applications you’ve made – Lucas has been a partner at CC, Links and Weil before Kirkland so he will understand that you want to shop around.
Break 10:45
Group exercise (1 hr) 11:00
Choosing a CEO for Kirkland enterprises. Pick whoever as long as they are well-known, and you can justify it (you present for a minute). Group picks who the CEO will be. In my group John Legend won. Someone picked the chairman or ex-chairman of KE which I thought was a bit weird and I don’t think most people knew who he was so I’d say don’t try and impress with your choice and just focus on presenting it well.
When we had to pick a winner as a group a girl on the end was quick to dominate (she still got offered the scheme). A lot of people get advice for group interviews to be the timekeeper (I had heard that as well) and it was abundantly clear so I’d say you don’t need to be assertive and force the role in the first instance. Just make sure you contribute to the group discussion. There was 10 people in the group and Grad Rec is not going to penalise against not being in that role!
The group all spoke over each other and I thought it wasn’t that great a demonstration of teamwork. There were a few dominant voices and I think if it gets like that make sure you get to contribute but also be respectful about it. Make constructive comments. Recognise that there are about 10 different potential CEOs but you can only present 1! If things are dragging on try and present it as a vote. In my group we picked a winner but then people kept debating so I tried to emphasise that we had already selected a CEO and were running out of time.
Trainee lunch (1hr ish ) 12:00
Pretty sure this wasn’t assessed but it was just networking over lunch.
Partner interview (30 mins roughly) 1:00
Varies greatly on the partner you get. I had Jonathan Tadd, others had Rajinda Bassi, Stephen Lucas etc. My friend’s first question was ‘what makes you stand out’. Make sure you know what private equity is, one of the other candidates mentioned that she got asked about leverage and didn’t know what it was, so don’t let stuff like that trip you up.
You get the opportunity to ask a question at the end – I asked about the non-equity partner status at KE as I had read an article about how it wasn’t a good thing. I didn’t plan the question or anything it just arose out of the discussion and I wanted to know the answer. The partner had also read the article so that was good and I actually got the issue clarified.
The interview was very conversational. I got asked about why I wanted to do law, where I saw my career going, why Kirkland, when I had shown resilience, how I was finding my degree, how I organise myself, how I perform work to a high standard among other things that I don’t remember but were along the same lines. I found it really enjoyable Sometimes I drew on personal experiences instead of my CV as he’d already seen that and that worked really well. The partner had said things like 'that was a great answer' and 'that was the perfect answer' and I still didn't get offered the scheme so I think it's important to do well in all the aspects of the day.
Written exercise 1:40 (1hr ish, depends on how long your partner interview is, I don’t think anyone got equal time)
2 sides of A4
Qualities of a good trainee solicitor at Kirkland. I think most people used a simple structure of skill -- when they showed it.
Not much advice I can give here as you can’t tell if it’s going badly as obviously as in an interview/ exercise.
This was the order of my day, but people had it differently! Some started their written exercise, then had an interview and then came back to finish the written exercise. Some did the group exercise first.
Please list any interview questions you were asked.
See Above
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.
My key advice is to not be too nervous or rehearse answers and sound robotic. I think this goes for all interviews honestly. Your interviewers are people and I would just try and build a rapport with them by showing them your personality. I don’t think the negative effect of nerves is emphasised enough because the interview partly shows how you can handle high-pressure situations, which aren’t rare as a lawyer. Relax as much as possible and convey genuine motivations – everyone who interviews at Kirkland will say that they like PE so how can you make your answer different?
It’s very hard to prepare, just review your application and know why you want to be a commercial lawyer and why at Kirkland. Stephen Lucas is also a big name in debt finance and is likely to be the dominant partner in the partner Q&A. I think you should really take the opportunity to ask a genuine question, it’s very obvious if you just want to show off and you have the opportunity to learn from one of the best lawyers in the City! Also 2/3 to 3/4 of around 20-25 candidates on the AC were from Oxbridge. Apparently, this is quite typical and I wouldn’t let it put you off. Just thought I would note it here.
Note -- Kirkland do not give feedback.
Were you successful?
No
