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Simmons & Simmons
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<blockquote data-quote="Jaysen" data-source="post: 937" data-attributes="member: 1"><p><strong>When was your Simmons & Simmons interview? </strong></p><p></p><p>November 2015</p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>What was it for? </strong></p><p></p><p>Vacation Scheme</p><p></p><p><strong>Please describe the interview process at Simmons & Simmons.</strong></p><p></p><p>I was prepared for the interview thanks to the support of one of the diversity organisation. This helped me to prepare for the relevant areas, although the assessment centre was still quite tough.</p><p></p><p>The interview was split between a case study (contract analysis) and competency questions. For the case study, we were given a short amount of time to read through a large document. A lot of the questions were based on joint ventures, their purpose, the consequences of a break up and liability issues. This was difficult, but you were allowed to read back through the document during the interview to answer the questions. In all honesty, I think it was unfair for them to choose such a difficult commercial topic which students won't really understand and this is coming from someone who knew some of the key areas to prepare for in advance. I know it's supposed to be testing your thought process, but it seemed unfair to push about the technicalities of a joint venture break up provision as some students - like those on the LPC - would be better able to answer this.</p><p></p><p>The group exercise involved us splitting into two groups and discussing an area that Simmons & Simmons should look into. We were given material to back up our assertions. We then had to form a conclusion and discuss it with the rest of the group, coming to a consensus if the areas were different. Finally, we then pitched to the interviewers (there were a few around the room).</p><p></p><p>The written exercise was quite straightforward. You had one hour to write and all the relevant information was in the document.</p><p></p><p><strong>What advice would you give to future applicants for the Simmons & Simmons interview?</strong></p><p></p><p>The case study topic has probably changed by now but even then (as you can probably tell!) I wouldn't class joint ventures under straightforward commercial awareness. There are things I would recommend in the interview though. It helps to mark up/highlight areas that seem important so you can flick back to it at interview, ask the interviewer to clarify if you need to and tell the interviewer you don't know if you don't - otherwise it's obvious when you're waffling!</p><p></p><p>The competency interview was only a few questions. You should have clear reasons why Simmons (e.g. talk about their sector focus) and also be prepared to justify why you are interested in the firm if you have other interviews upcoming.</p><p></p><p>For the group exercise, when we broke off into discussions, one of my team members was determined to justify a particular area for Simmons & Simmons to invest in, even though it was an odd choice for a commercial law firm. Since we were allowed to come back with two, I was able to focus on my topic and let her pitch hers. Leaving it up to the interviewers to decide ended up being the better approach so I would recommend this if you get a difficult character in your group session.</p><p></p><p>For the written, I don't think you can prepare. Just focus on getting it done within the time limit (even if you have to finish up early). I think it's better to submit a decent finished answer than an incomplete one.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jaysen, post: 937, member: 1"] [B]When was your Simmons & Simmons interview? [/B] November 2015 [B] What was it for? [/B] Vacation Scheme [B]Please describe the interview process at Simmons & Simmons.[/B] I was prepared for the interview thanks to the support of one of the diversity organisation. This helped me to prepare for the relevant areas, although the assessment centre was still quite tough. The interview was split between a case study (contract analysis) and competency questions. For the case study, we were given a short amount of time to read through a large document. A lot of the questions were based on joint ventures, their purpose, the consequences of a break up and liability issues. This was difficult, but you were allowed to read back through the document during the interview to answer the questions. In all honesty, I think it was unfair for them to choose such a difficult commercial topic which students won't really understand and this is coming from someone who knew some of the key areas to prepare for in advance. I know it's supposed to be testing your thought process, but it seemed unfair to push about the technicalities of a joint venture break up provision as some students - like those on the LPC - would be better able to answer this. The group exercise involved us splitting into two groups and discussing an area that Simmons & Simmons should look into. We were given material to back up our assertions. We then had to form a conclusion and discuss it with the rest of the group, coming to a consensus if the areas were different. Finally, we then pitched to the interviewers (there were a few around the room). The written exercise was quite straightforward. You had one hour to write and all the relevant information was in the document. [B]What advice would you give to future applicants for the Simmons & Simmons interview?[/B] The case study topic has probably changed by now but even then (as you can probably tell!) I wouldn't class joint ventures under straightforward commercial awareness. There are things I would recommend in the interview though. It helps to mark up/highlight areas that seem important so you can flick back to it at interview, ask the interviewer to clarify if you need to and tell the interviewer you don't know if you don't - otherwise it's obvious when you're waffling! The competency interview was only a few questions. You should have clear reasons why Simmons (e.g. talk about their sector focus) and also be prepared to justify why you are interested in the firm if you have other interviews upcoming. For the group exercise, when we broke off into discussions, one of my team members was determined to justify a particular area for Simmons & Simmons to invest in, even though it was an odd choice for a commercial law firm. Since we were allowed to come back with two, I was able to focus on my topic and let her pitch hers. Leaving it up to the interviewers to decide ended up being the better approach so I would recommend this if you get a difficult character in your group session. For the written, I don't think you can prepare. Just focus on getting it done within the time limit (even if you have to finish up early). I think it's better to submit a decent finished answer than an incomplete one. [/QUOTE]
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