Fried Frank’s application does not have a word limit. How many words should I write for each application answer? Would 250-300 words be sufficient?
Hi @Jessica Booker, can you advise how firms would look at my extenuating / mitigating circumstances:Generally, yes they are.
Although it does depend what the circumstances are and also how long a period you are claiming them for.
It becomes very difficult for recruiters to determine your true ability if the majority of your evidence is impacted by the circumstances.
Put frankly about this, I see too many people trying to claim mitigating circumstances that are fairly innocuous and you question why they would have had such a severe and long term impact compared to people who have had severe circumstances that undoubtedly would have had an impact that seem completely justified, especially when they can show it only led to a blip in performance.
I'm not sure, have you done a WG, I haven't heard back since I applied in Oct.Does anyone know if RPC looks at both WG and application for issuing the AC or just the WG.
Wondering about Weil too, but in website it says all applications will be reviewed regardless of when you applyis it too late to apply for rolling deadlines (esp ones in december or even early jan) like weil, bird & bird, hogan lovells etc? wouldn't wanna hurt my chances in the future by sending off an application that won't even be looked at...
also is davis polk rolling?
If it is clear there is an improvement in grades this will be taken into consideration.Hi @Jessica Booker, can you advise how firms would look at my extenuating / mitigating circumstances:
I was diagnosed with ASD and ADHD in October 2023 and November 2023 towards the end of my PGDL. My academic grades before that were average at best. However, since my diagnosis I have been taking medication and there has been a notable increase in my academic performance (though I had patchy ‘good’ grades previously). Can I ask that my undergraduate grade is largely discounted and my PGDL and LLM grades are more heavily weighted because of this. It’s difficult I know because every firm seems to lean entirely on A Level and undergraduate grades to filter people in or out of their recruitment process.
Thank you so much! This is really helpful.I went to an application workshop last year and they were very clear that you don't need to mention any Hogan Lovells events as they know not everyone can easily attend. I would definitely mention the virtual events and if you can remember the names of any firms that collaborated with Legal Cheek to host these events it can't hurt to mention them. If you attended any events/open days abroad those would also be relevant. From what grad rec said, the point of the question is to test your enthusiasm and genuine interest in commercial law by asking you to provide evidence. As well as describing the events you have attended, I would also try and talk about what you gained/learned and then link that back to your specific interests (i.e. are you especially interested in litigation? or maybe finance? did any of those events spark that interest?)
i passed it on the 14th of December and have yet to hearPassed DLA VI! How long did people wait to be shortlisted (either rejection or invite to AC)?
I saw someone say they tell you if you got an AC a week or two before. So since there in January we probably won’t hear back till the new year 🙃i passed it on the 14th of December and have yet to hear
Would love thoughts on this - A commercial issue for Weil app am thinking of talking about the rise of private credit. This is a commercial issue that affects asset management and PE firms for alternative forms of financing through private credit. My issue is will this still be relevant as interest rates and inflation have be lowered will private credit still be relevant. Any thoughts on this @Ram Sabaratnam @Amma Usman @Andrei Radu
Are you sure there's only one AC left for the London office? two weeks ago, GR told me they will still be hosting many more AC's from January but I don't know if they meant for all offices or just London (which was my enquiry to them)Congratulations- a week and a half but depends on location and they are swamped at the moment I.e London is closed with last ac in January it would appear but Birmingham is open with a few acs to go. However hr has a lot of apps to wade through
It makes sense, I wonder if they'll wait until after Christmas to sort through and shortlist (I can't believe they're shortlisting again). Well, best of luck everyone, fingers crossed we all get through! I wonder how many ACs will be held for the London OfficeI saw someone say they tell you if you got an AC a week or two before. So since there in January we probably won’t hear back till the new year 🙃
It was a weird test lol that AI thing made me feel unsettled.That HSF test might be the worst one I've ever done... very silly way to assess people
Thank you so much, Andrei. It's unbelievably valuable to get an insight into your thought-process. It is no surprise that you had such great success - your astute and thorough understanding of the industry is truly remarkable, especially at such an early stage. Thank you again, for your response and your support on the forum in general. 😊1. There wasn't just one singular reason why I ended up choosing Davis Polk, it was more that the firm scored best on most of my relevant selection criteria:
2. I am generally of the view once again that there is never one factor you should think leads to success, and consequently my strategy has been to try to score well in all the relevant assessment criteria rather than to try to be absolutely impressive in any given one. However, if I were to say one thing which I think distinguished me the most in my Davis Polk application and later in my VS I would say it was knowledge of the firm in the context of the broader biglaw legal market. Explaining exactly what different practice areas do and what their work looks like at different levels, what the firm's leading practices are and how they compare to that of rivals beyond Chambers rankings, and what position their firm as a whole occupies in the market is very impressive for a recruiter. It shows passion for researching this career in detail over a long period of time, which is the best evidence that you are a good fit for it.
- Client relationships and quality of work: the firm's US reputation, and especially its long standing institutional relationships in Wall Street, was an important consideration. For US firms in London a big part of their work will originate from clients in the US, so their renown there is a crucial (though often overlooked) factor to consider if you want to work on the highest end mandates.
- Small but extremely efficient corporate practice in London: Davis Polk's London corporate team is very lean compared to most rivals, with competitors with the same Chambers M&A and equity capital markets rankings having teams from double to 4/5 times the headcount. That suggests that the firm's individual practitioners are extremely efficient, which is further evidenced by the rankings in The Lawyer's Corporate Efficiency report. In 2023 Davis Polk was first by a significant margin and in 2024 it came second only after Paul, Weiss (a firm whose efficiency rankings may have been propelled by their hiring spree), and had the best/second best revenue per corporate lawyer and revenue per corporate partner figures in both years. This quality-focused approach is illustrated in the firm's average deal value figures as well: while Davis Polk works on a significantly lower number of transactions than a Latham or Kirkland, the average value of a mandate the firm works on is around three times higher - in fact, in 2023 it was the highest in the world. As at this point I knew I wanted to be a corporate lawyer and to work in a lean team, this very quality-focused strategy was attractive to me.
- Seat rotation structure: Davis Polk's pinpointed corporate-finance focus and small size means that the firm foes not operate the usual strict 4 seats rotation structure. Instead, the process is a lot more "conversational" and it is not uncommon to do even 3 seats in corporate if you want to. Since I know this is the area I want to work in, this system was a lot more attractive for me than a more conventional and broader training experience.
- Strong financials and growth plan: Davis Polk has historically been leading global average PEP rankings, in the last 5 and 10 years having the 3rd average PEP per year in the world (only behind Wachtell and Kirkland). This signals a very successful business model, which allows the firm to make substantial investments when appropriate. This enabled Davis Polk to begin a period of expansion in London while keeping a very high quality-focused approach - its recent lateral hires only include Chambers-ranked star partners, poached from Paul Hastings, Sidley, and A&O Shearman; something that rival firms with a weaker financial position might not have been capable of.