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Latham VI

tkhkat

Star Member
Feb 2, 2021
25
53
Hey! I did the Latham VI, too, though I was invited to complete it at the start of the month. Interesting to learn that they are still offering VIs. I hope that yours went really well. 😀

I can't say for sure how successful ones go as I still haven't heard back from Latham yet post-VI (and I'm sure you haven't too), but I do have some insight into what constitutes a bad VI as I've failed a VI before. In my first VI with another firm, I bombed the last question - I couldn't think of an answer because it was a question that you had to prepare for beforehand, and I was silly enough not to have prepared for it. I remember there being many awkward pauses, mumbling, and I wasn't saying anything specific. There was no coherency in my answer at all, and I was mostly waiting for the time to pass. I know that this will leave a bad impression on whoever is looking at your VI because I ended up failing it, and it's quite unlikely that you'll get through if this ever happens to you (I really hope it didn't!)

I choose to believe that you'll be fine as long as you managed to use the 2mins giving an answer that has substance, is coherent, and makes good sense. I have a friend who passed the VI stage for the firm that I failed the VI for - although her answers weren't stellar or special in any way, she conveyed her thoughts very well, and I think that's what made her stand out!

I think that firms are not looking for the perfect answer to the questions they ask in VIs as you have such a short period of time to speak/think of an answer! However, they most probably want to see potential in you by assessing whether you know the firm/the legal profession well and whether you know what you're getting yourself into. Whether or not your performance measures up to others' is something that is out of your control, but I'm sure that you did your best during those circumstances!
 
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