Mischon Final Interview

Jaysen

Founder, TCLA
Staff member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
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M&A Bootcamp
  • Feb 17, 2018
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    I've contacted a couple of future trainees about this. Will let you know if they get back to me!
     

    Jaysen

    Founder, TCLA
    Staff member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    M&A Bootcamp
  • Feb 17, 2018
    4,692
    8,564
    From a future trainee:

    "I think it’s really important to understand how Mishcon is different to other London firms in the range of services they offer and the types of clients they tend to deal with. Also linked to that is why the student is suited/attracted to Mishcon rather than a bigger firm who just have a commercial offering. They really value personality and individuality so don’t be afraid to let that come across. Lastly, in my experience with their interview process, they gave me a really hard time for the final interview for the vac scheme but then a much easier time for the final TC interview, whereas others experienced this the other way around, so I would say it’s important to show that you’re resilient and can cope under pressure because they’re likely to test that in some way."
     

    datguyak

    Esteemed Member
    Nov 20, 2018
    99
    76
    From a future trainee:

    "I think it’s really important to understand how Mishcon is different to other London firms in the range of services they offer and the types of clients they tend to deal with. Also linked to that is why the student is suited/attracted to Mishcon rather than a bigger firm who just have a commercial offering. They really value personality and individuality so don’t be afraid to let that come across. Lastly, in my experience with their interview process, they gave me a really hard time for the final interview for the vac scheme but then a much easier time for the final TC interview, whereas others experienced this the other way around, so I would say it’s important to show that you’re resilient and can cope under pressure because they’re likely to test that in some way."

    Thank you so much Jaysen- just want to add there's no way I'd have ever got this far in the process without the Academy and everyone's help.
     

    Catherine

    Distinguished Member
    Nov 28, 2018
    57
    47
    Hi, yes I have done both Case Study and the Final Interview.

    Case Study:
    When you arrive you have a little introductory presentation from grad recruitment on Mishcon with the other candidates.

    They give you a fictional client scenario and you have to identify the issues and provide some recommendations.
    You have a limited amount of time (think 30 min) to read through some documents, from what I can remember there isn't a huge amount of documentation but it's important to try and read quick as you are under time pressure. I found it useful to jot down all the key figures on a separate piece of paper as I went along so that when I was writing my notes I could just refer to that piece of paper.

    The presentation part is quite relaxed, you just do it in front of one associate/partner and spend about 10 mins talking then they ask you a few questions. I would advise having a clear structure for your presentation - introduce the issues, state recommendations - noting the potential risks- , and a brief summary at the end. Also have a question or two prepared for the end of your case study, you might not have time to ask them any questions but I did and I hadn't prepared anything so had to just think of one on the spot.

    I heard back quite quickly, maybe within 2 days.

    Final interview:
    This was a week after my case study, and was a traditional interview with 2 partners. You are given their names beforehand, so worth looking them up to see what practice area they are in and if they trained at the firm.

    It was definitely one of the hardest interviews I have had, they challenged me quite a bit on some things I said/had written in my application.
    It is hard to say the kind of questions that they asked as they were mostly tailored towards my application.
    I would definitely recommend knowing exactly why you chose Mishcon over other firms, but also consider a common theme as to why you have chosen the firms you have applied to. I wasn't very prepared for them asking me about where else I had applied, most of the firms i said were definitely bigger and more global than Mishcon (who I think value quite highly that they are 'independent') and I had to try and explain why I had applied where I had.

    Know your application in detail and go through it and think what questions might they ask me about what I have written.
    They didn't ask many situational questions such as 'tell me about a time when you..' instead focusing on my individual application.

    They also gave me a hypothetical situation involving a negotiation (which I think they may have just made up on the spot though I can't be sure) and asked me a question, and then another question based on my response. There isn't really a way of preparing for this, just try and think it through logically.

    Whilst I did find the interview challenging at times they were nice interviewers, and it can't have gone badly as I actually did get offered a place on the summer VS :)

    If you have any other questions feel free to message me and goodluck
     

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