Linklaters Vacation Scheme Interview 2018

[Jaysen]

Linklaters Interview 2018

When was your Linklaters interview?

14 November 2018

What was it for?

Winter Vacation Scheme

Please describe the interview process at Linklaters.

HR Interview/ Case Study - E-intray/ Partner Interview

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

Technical only for Partner interview - focused only on the case studies (surprised me that they did not ask questions about me or anything else aside from the technicals of the case study and role of a trainee in this case study). For the competency HR interview - it included everything - motivation for law and Linklaters & what values you expect trainees at Linklaters to have/ vs what are your core values. Brush up on your technicals!

 

[KC]

Hello. May I ask what case study it is about? Is it M&A?

 

[Jaysen]

Hello. May I ask what case study it is about? Is it M&A?

It could be: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/linklaters-interview.1153/#post-8076

 

[Jaysen]

Linklaters Vacation Scheme Interview 2018

The hardest part about the Links AC is arguably the length. There are many breaks in between and it's quite exhausting.

Work Simulation/Case Study

The work simulation is a blend of situational judgement and contract interpretation exercises. Not too challenging as long as you know what the "right" thing to do is as a trainee in difficult circumstances. The case study is a bit more challenging - it would be very beneficial if one has detailed knowledge of transactional processes and documents and what sort of terms are typically included. Very commercial, those with strong commercial knowledge/understanding will thrive and do well in the Partner interview.

HR Interview

A test of your competencies and your understanding of Links' values. More stressful than other HR interviews as its quite fast-paced and almost seems like an "interrogation". Most important thing I believe is to have a broad range of examples and coming across genuine. For example, I was asked "what values do you live by" and I gave them a value not stated on their "value diagrams". I think they appreciated it as reflected in the feedback I was given, as they said it shows authenticity and character.

Partner Interview

You will be given a "surprise" right before your interview. I can't share what that will be but just stay calm, think rationally and be prepared. For the interview, it's easy to focus on legal aspects but what I found greatly useful was i) thinking "business" and ii) understanding how those legal aspects can be used for a business objective. Your commercial thinking will definitely be tested and challenged here.

Ultimately I think it can be boiled down to i) being confident and personable; and ii) showing a strong business acumen. All the best!"

 

[KC]

Linklaters Vacation Scheme Interview 2018

The hardest part about the Links AC is arguably the length. There are many breaks in between and it's quite exhausting.

Work Simulation/Case Study

The work simulation is a blend of situational judgement and contract interpretation exercises. Not too challenging as long as you know what the "right" thing to do is as a trainee in difficult circumstances. The case study is a bit more challenging - it would be very beneficial if one has detailed knowledge of transactional processes and documents and what sort of terms are typically included. Very commercial, those with strong commercial knowledge/understanding will thrive and do well in the Partner interview.

HR Interview

A test of your competencies and your understanding of Links' values. More stressful than other HR interviews as its quite fast-paced and almost seems like an "interrogation". Most important thing I believe is to have a broad range of examples and coming across genuine. For example, I was asked "what values do you live by" and I gave them a value not stated on their "value diagrams". I think they appreciated it as reflected in the feedback I was given, as they said it shows authenticity and character.

Partner Interview

You will be given a "surprise" right before your interview. I can't share what that will be but just stay calm, think rationally and be prepared. For the interview, it's easy to focus on legal aspects but what I found greatly useful was i) thinking "business" and ii) understanding how those legal aspects can be used for a business objective. Your commercial thinking will definitely be tested and challenged here.

Ultimately I think it can be boiled down to i) being confident and personable; and ii) showing a strong business acumen. All the best!"

Thank you very much! But I have heard that it can be an etray? So is it more like a case study as this indicated or etray... Also, they took out the WG test?

 

[PMF_II]

Thank you so much for this, @Jaysen. I will contribute to this thread after completing my Linklaters AC.

 

[PMF_II]

Thank you very much! But I have heard that it can be an etray? So is it more like a case study as this indicated or etray... Also, they took out the WG test?

Hey! I recently joined a Q&A session with GR. They confirmed that there are two different elements in the “work simulation exercise”. The first one is a multiple choice test about work prioritisation and other professional skills. You will then complete a written excercise (i.e case study). In the final interview, you will discuss your written answers with a partner and a managing associate.

 

[KC]

Hey! I recently joined a Q&A session with GR. They confirmed that there are two different elements in the “work simulation exercise”. The first one is a multiple choice test about work prioritisation and other professional skills. You will then complete a written excercise (i.e case study). In the final interview, you will discuss your written answers with a partner and a managing associate.

OK! Thank you very much! All the best with your AC!!

 

[Jaysen]

Thank you so much for this, @Jaysen. I will contribute to this thread after completing my Linklaters AC.

Credit to the anonymous poster who wanted to share! (You know who you are)

 

[Zemfira Alakbarova]

Hey! I recently joined a Q&A session with GR. They confirmed that there are two different elements in the “work simulation exercise”. The first one is a multiple choice test about work prioritisation and other professional skills. You will then complete a written excercise (i.e case study). In the final interview, you will discuss your written answers with a partner and a managing associate.

May I ask how you joined please? They said in my invitation I will be able to join but did not give any further details? Will they send me a link closer to my interview?
Thanks!

 

[Jaysen]

From a student who received a recent Linklaters vacation scheme offer:

So the AC began with a HR interview, I found this to be the hardest part of the day as it didn’t seem natural at all - the lady who interviewed me was poker faced throughout. Difficult questions I was asked: when have you made a mistake, what are your values? The rest are standard teamwork etc but I’d recommend looking at Links’ mindset framework (something that I didn’t look at enough) and linking your example to each competency they want.

The next task was a case study which was split into parts. In part 1, you were given a SPA agreement and then some multiple choice questions to answer, for this one I’d suggest really taking your time and reading through it since the next sections are fairly simple. The second section concerned scenario questions and wanted to test your ‘values’ so answer these honestly and don’t just say what you think links want you to hear. The final section concerned 8 emails which you either had to ‘do’ ‘defer’ ‘delete’ or ‘delegate’ - again, there’s nothing you can really do to prepare for this.

The second part of the case study concerns an acquisition of [redacted] company. A number of issues arise including indemnities, warranties etc. For this I’d say going over TCLA’s article on the stages of an M&A acquisition, they’ll probe on technical issues so if you’re mentioning something i.e. the need to get an indemnity, really understand why it’s needed and how it will adequately protect the client etc. I’d recommend not bringing up a point or drawing in commercial issues if you’re not 100% confident you can speak about them at ease.

P.S. the AC’s designed to essentially make you feel as though you had a horrible experience, most interviewers will be pokerfaced so definitely don’t let that distract you.