Slaughter and May Interview Tips
- Thread starter Jennifer Lew
- Start date
Hi guys, sorry for the late reply I've been drowned with work.
In respect to the Slaughter and May Assessment Centre, I'm sure you have received the email in respect to the structure of the Assessment Centre.
1) The case study: you will be taken to a room with a computer and the case study already on the table. The task is very time restrictive so I would I suggest you write a plan before you start typing away [First thing I typed was an intro and conclusion just in case I ran out of time].
The case study will likely require you to come up with some informative ideas for your client and will list options. It will be your job to decide and advice which option is suitable based on the facts the client gives you.
2) Article: You will be taken to reception and immediately given an article to read, this could be on anything from the climate change, housing crisis or recent commercial issues. You will have 15/20mins to read it before going on to discuss it with 2 partners. The interview is VERY commercial heavy.
3) Competency interview: This is pretty much an interview in respect to your motivations. There is no script. Therefore the partners will go off your CV and ask questions of their own. Typical questions like "why you" "why commercial law" etc are very unlikely to come up. Questions like, "Who else have you applied to and why?" "How do Slaughter and May differentiate from those firms?" "Talk us through your grades?" etc...
Hope that helps.
- Feb 17, 2018
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Thanks! can you please elaborate on what you mean by ‘very commerical heavy’? Are the interviewers asking you straight up what commerical issues you are following and the significance on the industry or
No, not necessarily. But you will be 'pressed' to have a commercial opinion on issues that you may be unfamiliar with. I think the trick is to have a reasoned opinion and be ready to back up your response regardless if it's nonsense. The interviewers will play devils advocate with MOST of the things you say. For e.g., I was asked directly about a recent M&A deal that the firm were involved in. They then asked me to tell them about the different areas of law that will usually be involved in an acquisition and why these areas were important. So here, I went on to talk about Tax, real estate, IP and competition law etc and linked it with the firm and what they had to offer. I was also asked specific questions in respect to the subjects I studied in uni [uni thesis was based on Biotechnology (IP)]. For example I was asked whether companies should be allowed to have a monopoly of patents? I answered no! They questioned why not... And continued to press (This is where your commercial awareness needs to shine through in my opinion).
P.s, there is a 95% chance that you will be asked about your academics and the subjects you studied; a general discussion will follow from there. Overall, the AC is almost like a conversation but the partners know what they are looking for from the outset so be yourself because you've been invited to an interview for a reason.
Did you find the CV portion of the interview to be competency based or was it more general talking about your experiences/extra curricular activities?
Also in regards to the case study, do you think the partners expect you to have a broad knowledge of the given area or just be able to provide opinions. I feel like its not something you can exactly prepare for as the article can be on anything if that makes sense.
- Feb 17, 2018
- 4,695
- 8,577
Just in case people come across this in the future, more students have sent us their Slaughter and May interview experiences.
(1) Slaughter and May interview
Future trainee at Slaughter and May
Of course! I’ve jotted down a couple of points below which will hopefully be of some use (they’re probably slightly generic, but perhaps useful).
1. The written exercise is very time restricting. I was provided with information and had to write a business strategy for a company, so general knowledge of business models (SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces etc.) is definitely useful! Avoid going into too much detail, otherwise you will not finish it in time!
2. After you finish the written exercise you’re given around 15 minutes to read an article, and you sit in the reception to read it (which I hadn’t experienced elsewhere). My article was on technology in business, so touching on AI. The partner then comes to collect you and takes you to the interview. Don’t expect them to start with the article first! The first 30 minutes of my interview was based on me, motives, commercial awareness etc. Apparently it depends on the partners, so just be aware that this may be the case.
3. My interview was very commercially focused in comparison to other interviews, although that was just my experience. My interviewers also placed a lot of emphasis on which other firms I had applied to, and why! So be prepared to back your decisions up. Make sure you know why they are different to the other firms you have applied to (i.e multi-specialist, their international approach is very different). The interview itself is very much a conversation. The interviewers are really interested in getting to know you! Definitely be commercially prepared and be up to date with the news, and have opinions on everything you read! (I know everyone says that, but it was particularly true of Slaughter and May).
4. For the article, my advice would be the same for all firms - make sure you clearly articulate yourself succinctly, and sum up the article in your own words and outline the key arguments in the article. The partners really do push you! They do challenge your views, so stand firm when they do challenge you! They will challenge everything you say (more so than at other firms). I’ve heard a lot of people say how terrible the “interrogation” was at Slaughter and May, but I really didn’t feel that. It is challenging, but I think it challenges you in a good way. I genuinely felt that I was having a debate with the partners.
5. The short interview with HR at the end is a strange one. You sit in the reception and they ask you how you think they day went, what you thought went well/bad, what you had learnt etc. I had a really positive experience, so it was easy to discuss the day with HR. They ask again which firms you have applied, whether you’ve had any interviews/offers etc. Just be friendly and yourself. It’s part of the interview, but it’s just very informal.
(2) Slaughter and May interview
When was your Slaughter and May interview?
April 2018
What was it for?
Training Contract
Please describe the interview process at Slaughter and May.
Very organised, relax and stripped back. This firm's assessment day is straightforward and puts you at ease. You arrive and are directed to sit down in the client waiting area. A member of HR greets you and takes you to a meeting room where you complete the written exercise. This is a 1-hour activity, normally a merger or acquisition, or advice on how and whether to expand. You type your answer on a computer - they recommend typing 2-3 A4 pages. It is time pressured. Once the time is up, you are taken back to the waiting area and given an article to read with a pen and some paper to make notes. This will be on a current topic.
After 15-20 minutes one of the partners will collect you and take you to another meeting room. Both partners will introduce themselves and ask some ice breaker questions, and then launch straight in. Once the interview is finished, a trainee will collect you and give you a tour of the offices, before dropping you back to the waiting area. Finally, a member of HR will do a quick rundown and ask about other offers, where else you applied etc.
What advice would you give to future applicants for the Slaughter and May interview?
For the written exercise, do research on how mergers and acquisitions work, what things are relevant when expanding, how companies work, and basically what clients worry about when they are expanding or need your advice. Time manage extremely well because it is pressured. For the partner exercise, understand that it is entirely motivational - they will dig deep, for me they spent 15-20 minutes just talking about my A-levels, why I chose them and how I decided that doing a law degree was the way I wanted to go. They also asked my about my university choice, one of my module marks and why the firm. I felt it was quite relaxed and not as harsh as others made it out, but this definitely depends on which partners you get. For the commercial article, they asked for a summary, what the author was arguing, what I thought and what my position would be and why, and they challenged me in that respect. Definitely take a look at your CV and forensically go through how everything on it supports your decision to pursue a training contract.
It's likely we'll get more posts about the Slaughter and May interview, in which case you'll be able to find them in our new interview experiences section here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/index.php?threads/slaughter-and-may-interview.124/
(1) Slaughter and May interview
Future trainee at Slaughter and May
Of course! I’ve jotted down a couple of points below which will hopefully be of some use (they’re probably slightly generic, but perhaps useful).
1. The written exercise is very time restricting. I was provided with information and had to write a business strategy for a company, so general knowledge of business models (SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces etc.) is definitely useful! Avoid going into too much detail, otherwise you will not finish it in time!
2. After you finish the written exercise you’re given around 15 minutes to read an article, and you sit in the reception to read it (which I hadn’t experienced elsewhere). My article was on technology in business, so touching on AI. The partner then comes to collect you and takes you to the interview. Don’t expect them to start with the article first! The first 30 minutes of my interview was based on me, motives, commercial awareness etc. Apparently it depends on the partners, so just be aware that this may be the case.
3. My interview was very commercially focused in comparison to other interviews, although that was just my experience. My interviewers also placed a lot of emphasis on which other firms I had applied to, and why! So be prepared to back your decisions up. Make sure you know why they are different to the other firms you have applied to (i.e multi-specialist, their international approach is very different). The interview itself is very much a conversation. The interviewers are really interested in getting to know you! Definitely be commercially prepared and be up to date with the news, and have opinions on everything you read! (I know everyone says that, but it was particularly true of Slaughter and May).
4. For the article, my advice would be the same for all firms - make sure you clearly articulate yourself succinctly, and sum up the article in your own words and outline the key arguments in the article. The partners really do push you! They do challenge your views, so stand firm when they do challenge you! They will challenge everything you say (more so than at other firms). I’ve heard a lot of people say how terrible the “interrogation” was at Slaughter and May, but I really didn’t feel that. It is challenging, but I think it challenges you in a good way. I genuinely felt that I was having a debate with the partners.
5. The short interview with HR at the end is a strange one. You sit in the reception and they ask you how you think they day went, what you thought went well/bad, what you had learnt etc. I had a really positive experience, so it was easy to discuss the day with HR. They ask again which firms you have applied, whether you’ve had any interviews/offers etc. Just be friendly and yourself. It’s part of the interview, but it’s just very informal.
(2) Slaughter and May interview
When was your Slaughter and May interview?
April 2018
What was it for?
Training Contract
Please describe the interview process at Slaughter and May.
Very organised, relax and stripped back. This firm's assessment day is straightforward and puts you at ease. You arrive and are directed to sit down in the client waiting area. A member of HR greets you and takes you to a meeting room where you complete the written exercise. This is a 1-hour activity, normally a merger or acquisition, or advice on how and whether to expand. You type your answer on a computer - they recommend typing 2-3 A4 pages. It is time pressured. Once the time is up, you are taken back to the waiting area and given an article to read with a pen and some paper to make notes. This will be on a current topic.
After 15-20 minutes one of the partners will collect you and take you to another meeting room. Both partners will introduce themselves and ask some ice breaker questions, and then launch straight in. Once the interview is finished, a trainee will collect you and give you a tour of the offices, before dropping you back to the waiting area. Finally, a member of HR will do a quick rundown and ask about other offers, where else you applied etc.
What advice would you give to future applicants for the Slaughter and May interview?
For the written exercise, do research on how mergers and acquisitions work, what things are relevant when expanding, how companies work, and basically what clients worry about when they are expanding or need your advice. Time manage extremely well because it is pressured. For the partner exercise, understand that it is entirely motivational - they will dig deep, for me they spent 15-20 minutes just talking about my A-levels, why I chose them and how I decided that doing a law degree was the way I wanted to go. They also asked my about my university choice, one of my module marks and why the firm. I felt it was quite relaxed and not as harsh as others made it out, but this definitely depends on which partners you get. For the commercial article, they asked for a summary, what the author was arguing, what I thought and what my position would be and why, and they challenged me in that respect. Definitely take a look at your CV and forensically go through how everything on it supports your decision to pursue a training contract.
It's likely we'll get more posts about the Slaughter and May interview, in which case you'll be able to find them in our new interview experiences section here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/index.php?threads/slaughter-and-may-interview.124/
Last edited:
- Feb 17, 2018
- 4,695
- 8,577
When was your Slaughter and May interview?
April 2018
What was it for?
[Not provided]
Please describe the interview process at Slaughter and May.
An hour to read through some documents and to write an email with recommendations to the client; 15 minutes or so sitting in reception reading an article; an interview with two partners about competencies, motivations and discussing the article; an office tour by a trainee; an interview with someone from HR.
What advice would you give to future applicants for the Slaughter and May interview?
The case study is pretty straightforward, but it's really important to manage your time well. For me, it was reading through different possible business strategies and writing a recommendation to a client for which would be the best future option. Maybe brush up on your SWOT analysis for this, it could be helpful when it comes to structuring your answer. You're given the option to type it or write it.
After this, you're given a short article to read for about 15 minutes in the reception area. I had more than 15 minutes because my interviewers were late. You can take notes. A partner then collects you from the reception.
The interview with partners was okay. It wasn't very conversational in my experience though - it felt a bit "question-answer" and the partners both had extreme pokerface. Don't expect them to start talking about the article straightaway - this was the second half of my interview. Form an opinion and be able to articulate your arguments clearly.
The HR interview is a strange one. I'm not really sure what this is all about - I think just getting a feel for you and putting a face to the name when it comes to eventually having a discussion about who gets an offer. It covered the partner interview, what I felt had gone well and not so well, other work experience. They said that this wasn't actually "assessed" but that's rubbish, it 100% is and the HR person takes loads of notes so stay in interview mode.
April 2018
What was it for?
[Not provided]
Please describe the interview process at Slaughter and May.
An hour to read through some documents and to write an email with recommendations to the client; 15 minutes or so sitting in reception reading an article; an interview with two partners about competencies, motivations and discussing the article; an office tour by a trainee; an interview with someone from HR.
What advice would you give to future applicants for the Slaughter and May interview?
The case study is pretty straightforward, but it's really important to manage your time well. For me, it was reading through different possible business strategies and writing a recommendation to a client for which would be the best future option. Maybe brush up on your SWOT analysis for this, it could be helpful when it comes to structuring your answer. You're given the option to type it or write it.
After this, you're given a short article to read for about 15 minutes in the reception area. I had more than 15 minutes because my interviewers were late. You can take notes. A partner then collects you from the reception.
The interview with partners was okay. It wasn't very conversational in my experience though - it felt a bit "question-answer" and the partners both had extreme pokerface. Don't expect them to start talking about the article straightaway - this was the second half of my interview. Form an opinion and be able to articulate your arguments clearly.
The HR interview is a strange one. I'm not really sure what this is all about - I think just getting a feel for you and putting a face to the name when it comes to eventually having a discussion about who gets an offer. It covered the partner interview, what I felt had gone well and not so well, other work experience. They said that this wasn't actually "assessed" but that's rubbish, it 100% is and the HR person takes loads of notes so stay in interview mode.
- Feb 17, 2018
- 4,695
- 8,577
When was your Slaughter and May interview?
May 2018
What was it for?
Training Contract
Please describe the interview process at Slaughter and May.
The interview was unlike any other interview I'd done before. On the whole it's not really one you can prepare for. It was mainly commercial and business based. Start off with the standard why law, why commercial law. Then they choose a module you did in uni and ask you to discuss some of the issues you learnt about and your opinion. Very technical stuff. From there its all business based. I didnt get asked any questions about my experiences they didnt even mention anything from my cv other than the module i did. Thats the first half of the interview. The next is discussing an article. Essentially there will be an element of debate and whatever side you take they take the opposite. Again I found mine to be very technical focusing on what legislation id put in place to deal with the issue. They question thoroughly at this part!
What advice would you give to future applicants for the Slaughter and May interview?
The only part of the interview you can prepapre for is the article. I'd say if you read the FT everyday for 2 weeks before your interview you'll be fine. (The article I got was one I read before.) Focus on current trends because it is very unlikeley they'll choose something very obscure. Also dont be worried about knowing about the topic, despite having read the article I got before, I found that its more legal based and having an opinion as opposed to having a thorough understanding of the news story. If you vaguely know what's going on you'll be safe.
May 2018
What was it for?
Training Contract
Please describe the interview process at Slaughter and May.
The interview was unlike any other interview I'd done before. On the whole it's not really one you can prepare for. It was mainly commercial and business based. Start off with the standard why law, why commercial law. Then they choose a module you did in uni and ask you to discuss some of the issues you learnt about and your opinion. Very technical stuff. From there its all business based. I didnt get asked any questions about my experiences they didnt even mention anything from my cv other than the module i did. Thats the first half of the interview. The next is discussing an article. Essentially there will be an element of debate and whatever side you take they take the opposite. Again I found mine to be very technical focusing on what legislation id put in place to deal with the issue. They question thoroughly at this part!
What advice would you give to future applicants for the Slaughter and May interview?
The only part of the interview you can prepapre for is the article. I'd say if you read the FT everyday for 2 weeks before your interview you'll be fine. (The article I got was one I read before.) Focus on current trends because it is very unlikeley they'll choose something very obscure. Also dont be worried about knowing about the topic, despite having read the article I got before, I found that its more legal based and having an opinion as opposed to having a thorough understanding of the news story. If you vaguely know what's going on you'll be safe.
