Slaughter and May Interview 2021

BK

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Staff member
Future Trainee
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M&A Bootcamp
Aug 26, 2020
202
106
Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.
January 2021

Please specify what the interview was for.

Summer Work Experience Scheme

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

10.40am - case study given
11am - interview

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

There was only 1 interview. 20 minutes before the interview, candidates are given a case study and 3 basic questions on the case. The interview lasted for about 35 minutes after.

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.

Guide the case study questions on the themes you feel the most comfortable in - if you talk more on a point you have prepared the interviewers will expand on that more. Be ready to be flexible, the case study interview felt like a debate, the interviewers questioned all my opinions and I had to be ready to defend them or concede (with explanation) rather than sticking to my original plan.

My interview didn't actually ask much about the firm, but more about my motivations for law, commercial law and the career of a solicitor. Be prepared for these questions!

Were you successful?

Yes
 

BK

Legendary Member
Staff member
Future Trainee
Gold Member
Premium Member
M&A Bootcamp
Aug 26, 2020
202
106
Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.
February 2021

Please specify what the interview was for.
Summer vacation scheme 2021

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.
9.30 to 9.45am - sent a commercial article to read for 15 minutes.
10 to 11am - general competency and commercial interview.

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.
One interview (1 hour)- Emailed article 20 minutes before. The interview starts and it last for around 40-50min. They spend 15 min on the article and the rest is focused on you.

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.

Article discussion:
Slaughters does not necessarily give you a commercial article. They usually prefer to take something from The Times. They focus on how you articulate yourself, your opinion, and how good you are at standing your ground. For example, my article was an opinion piece on why teachers should be vaccinated before others (during the Feb 2021 half-term). I formed an opinion against it, they challenged me several times: “don’t they deserve it more than?”, but I held my ground. It was challenging and stressful but they want to see how you rationalise your decisions, persuade and make your point. It is really important you have an opinion.

General interview:
This is harder to prepare for, as people know that Slaughters does not have any set questions and ask anything! However, from my experience and speaking to others I can deduce that they barely ask any competency questions. They focus on your CV experience. They are interested in what you study, your interests and what makes you tick. Expect the grades question, remember it is not an insult or a question of your abilities. They want you to rationalise/explain why you did not do well in X subject (prepare an answer for this).

Were you successful?
Yes
 
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Elizabeth K

Esteemed Member
Gold Member
Premium Member
Jul 6, 2021
90
14
Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

November 2021

Please specify what the interview was for.


Training Contract 2024

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.


10 am, arrival.
10:15 am, received by Graduate Recruitment.
10:30 am, escorted to meeting room and briefed on the written exercise.
10:45 am, written exercise.
11:45 am, escorted back to waiting area.
11:55 am, greeted by interviewing partner and escorted to interview room.
11:55 am, interview with two partners.
1:00 pm, received by current trainee at the end of interview for a firm tour.
1:30 pm, firm tour completed, and handed off to Graduate Recruitment for HR interview.
1:35 pm, HR interview.
1:50 pm, interview finished.

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

1) Written exercise (~ 60 mins): Presented with a bundle containing a variety of sources, e.g., memos, news clippings, survey reports, etc (~ 10 pages). Tasked with reading through the material and drafting a letter advising the client on the best strategy for their company.

2) Article discussion (10 mins + 20 mins): Given 10 minutes to read an opinion piece. Latter portion of the partner interview involved a discussion on the article.

3) Partner interview (~65 mins): Interview with 2 partners. Questions focused on CV and motivations. 4) HR interview (~30 mins): Questions invited candidates to reflect on the day, or were motivation based.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.


1) Your CV is most unusual; would you agree with that assessment?
2) Do you see yourself maintaining a professional life in the UK?
3) Why commercial law?
4) How do you justify your grade in this module?
5) Why did you apply to Slaughter and May?
6) Have there been any modules you’ve enjoyed more than others at university?
7) Can you summarise this article in three sentences?
8) Have you applied to other firms? (Follow-ups: Why have you applied to X firm?; You participated in Y’s vac scheme, why do you think you were unsuccessful in getting a TC offer from them?).
9) Have there been any commercial developments that have caught your attention?
10) How do you keep commercially aware?
11) What do you hope to achieve by qualifying as a commercial lawyer?
12) Tell me about your extracurricular interests? (Follow-ups: You seem to be involved in quite a few activities - how do you manage your time?)
13) Have you watched any shows or films recently?

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.


1) Written exercise: This exercise is designed to test your time management, written communication, commercial awareness, problem analysis, and persuasion. There is a lot of information to consider, and you need to demonstrate you've considered it all. I would suggest skimming through the bundle before planning your answer, so you have a general understanding of the scenario. Upon planning, of course, refer back to the bundle to extract key bits of detail. Secondly, I would suggest prioritising dept over breadth. You are being assessed for problem analysis and persuasion. Detailed analysis demonstrates the latter more effectively than an answer which considers all the issues but in a cursory fashion. Thirdly, you will likely be given the option of either writing or typing your answer. I would suggest typing. Not only is it generally quicker, but it ensures your work is neat. Your answer will also be assessed for commercial awareness. However, the task is designed so that it doesn't require you to demonstrate it, i.e., you may feel you have all the relevant material in the bundle. Try to incorporate commercial knowledge into your answer. Fifth, even if you can't submit a 'finished' answer, ensure you submit a 'complete' answer. Lastly, always ask yourself, 'how can I make the reader's life easier?'. Whether this means you bold key dates and figures, avoid ornamented language, have a summary at the top, always strive to make your document accessible.

2) Article discussion: You are being tested for whether you can assimilate information quickly, identify the relevant issues and articulate and defend your point of view. I would suggest giving the whole piece a thorough read before you do anything else. Only begin underlining and annotating on the second pass. You'll most likely be given a piece which invites debate, so if you feel somewhat ambivalent after reading it, give it another go - you're probably missing something! The partners will likely begin the discussion by asking you to summarise the article. This is a skill. Reading and summarising pieces in the weeks leading up to the interview helped me feel a lot more confident. Lastly, don't be afraid to defend your views. If the partner voices their disagreement, don't assume it's because you're wrong. Listen to their argument, see how it interacts with yours, and respond accordingly - if you feel your view is correct, say so - defend it! However, be mindful of a couple of things: be firm in your views, but not stubborn (e.g., if you realise a flaw in your argument, there is no harm in admitting it), and never be rude or unprofessional.

3) Partner interview: Expect to be challenged. The partners will likely probe everything you say, so it's perhaps not the best idea to learn answers to key questions, for the partner might simply ask you to move beyond those. Instead, I would suggest (as cliched as this sounds) spending a good deal of time reflecting on your experiences and motivations. Your conviction is what will be most persuasive. Secondly, know your CV inside out. There should be nothing on your CV that you aren't prepared to talk about in detail; why did you participate in X, what did you learn, what were the outcomes, etc. Lastly, the partners are also likely testing your resilience. Try not to be fazed if they disagree with your views, ask you to justify, or seem set on drilling down on a particular point. Keep calm and keep smiling! 4) HR interview: I found this to be the least intense part of the day. This is a great opportunity to show your self-awareness; e.g., if you made a mistake during the task, you could mention this and say how you would improve next time if you were to do it again. Be as honest as possible and again give as much detail as you can.

Overall: keep calm, keep conscientious, and keep smiling! Good luck!

Were you successful?


Yes
 

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