Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.
January 2021
Please specify what the interview was for.
Spring and Summer Vacation Scheme 2021
Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.
5 people at the virtual assessment centre including myself.
9:30 Candidates logged in to TopScore
9:40 Grad rec logged in to TopScore and introduction
9:45 Icebreaker - candidates asked to express one truth and one lie, whilst others in group are asked to identify the truth
Then the following exercises:
1) Group Exercise 1
2) Written Exercise
3) Group Exercise 2
4) Proof Reading Mark Up Exercise
We were given a one hour virtual lunch break at noon. We were also encouraged to take short breaks between each exercise to refresh. We had the choice of chatting to other candidates but everyone decided it was best to rest. We would not be penalised for choosing to rest over chatting.
The day ended around 4:30pm.
Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.
Group Exercise 1 - in this client scenario, a client (private equity pension fund) had identified four energy targets to invest in. These included solar company, wind company, and more. They had listed their client aims in the information pack and wanted our advice to determine which investment opportunity best suited their needs. The group discussed how much time was appropriate to read through the information and then share our views on why each target was strong or weak. I suggested analysing and listing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each target for the client, then sharing our thoughts, which grad rec liked. There are many other ways of approaching this that could work too. Make sure you all come to a final decision on which target is best.
Written Exercise - you then need to draft an email to the client explaining which target you believed was strongest and why. You do not have to pick the target that was chosen in the group exercise.
Group Exercise 2 - prepare a presentation to pitch to a client essentially selling Watson Farley and Williams. The client will say what issues they had with previous lawyers so be sure to highlight how the firm can assist with this. Do research prior to the AC, but you will also be given an information pack about the firm. Lots of information is irrelevant and some of the packs are duplicated so make sure you communicate with other candidates to understand what they have. After preparation, you will present to a client for ten minutes. Keep track of time and don’t go over. Don’t go significantly under time limits too. Be prepared for questions after the presentation. Presentation skills aren’t assessed the most here, it’s more how you prepare during the discussion with other candidates. So if you are extremely shy and do not want to present, grad rec said you do not have to and you will not be penalised. Just make sure you make valuable contributions during the discussion.
Proof reading - a memorandum with 34 spelling, punctuation, grammar and formatting errors. There is no negative marking so if you are unsure about an error, it’s best to highlight it anyways.
All virtual exercises were given slightly longer than in-person assessments.
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.
Group Exercise 1
1) Make valuable contributions - I was commended for adding value, whilst also welcoming others to contribute in a non confrontational way. Try and do this too, but avoid speaking for the sake of speaking!
2) Be friendly and use names when referring to others - this is very easy in a virtual assessment because names are on the screen. Candidates also introduce themselves in the beginning and will mention if they prefer to be called X instead of Y. Grad rec mentioned they liked how I did this, but other candidates have done this in a “fake” way. So, if you are using names, do it because it’s natural not because you think it will impress grad rec
3) Bring in commercial awareness - this could be anything from your understanding of private equity funds to trends in the energy industry. Grad rec was impressed with all candidates in my AC for doing this in a way which kept the client’s interests in mind
Written Exercise
1) Structure - there are many ways of doing this well. I personally used the bulk of my email to explain why I chose X target and explained how any weaknesses with the target could be mitigated. I also briefly explained why other targets were less suitable. I was told my approach was good but there are many other ways of doing this well.
2) Tone - with all written exercises, make sure your tone is consistent to the task. I made mine friendly and professional which grad rec liked
3) Timing - plan your response and keep track of time. These tasks are designed in such a way that all candidates will not complete it on time. If you find you’re running out of time, don’t panic. Briefly summarise the rest of your points and sign off the email. It may look rushed but it’s better than an in complete response.
Group Exercise 2
1) Timekeep - this also applies to the first exercise. Someone needs to keep track of time. You can volunteer to do this. Although, timekeeping can go horribly wrong so it may be worth getting two people to time keep. This apparently happened in a previous AC.
2) Show off your knowledge of the firm - you are given information packs but you do not have to use them straight away! You can all start with a discussion about the firm’s strengths. Once done, you can use the information packs for additional data
3) Information packs have irrelevant information - there are hundreds of pages that aren’t relevant. Some of the packs are duplicated too. So make sure two people aren’t reading the same pack. Discuss with each other what is in your packs and then you can agree which information is most relevant to use in the presentation
4) Presentation planning - identify who is saying what in the presentation early into your discussions, don’t leave this until the end. Also discuss how you will respond to questions at the end. As mentioned earlier, you do not have to speak during the presentation to pass. Grad rec at the end of the AC said everyone speaks in every AC but you do not have to! You purely get assessed on your discussion during the preparation. Dont dominate discussions, the firm likes team players so make valuable contributions here and there.
Proof Reading Exercise
1) Go through line by line, there will be errors in almost every line! Long words in particular may be spelt incorrectly. Look out for formatting errors like double spacing too!
Tips Before the Day
1) Research the firm thoroughly. This will help with group exercise 2 in particular
2) Keep up to date with their key industries eg shipping and energy. This will help with group exercise 1, as you can demonstrate commercial awareness
3) Understand private equity and M&A. This will help with group exercise 1 and the written exercise
4) Practice markup exercises. There are many websites online that allow this for free. A quick Google (or duckduckgo) search and you’ll find some. You’ll be able to quickly notice common errors eg “the the” at the end and beginning of a line. And you can learn to differentiate commonly misspelt words eg “affect” and “effect”.
Good luck!
Were you successful?
No
January 2021
Please specify what the interview was for.
Spring and Summer Vacation Scheme 2021
Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.
5 people at the virtual assessment centre including myself.
9:30 Candidates logged in to TopScore
9:40 Grad rec logged in to TopScore and introduction
9:45 Icebreaker - candidates asked to express one truth and one lie, whilst others in group are asked to identify the truth
Then the following exercises:
1) Group Exercise 1
2) Written Exercise
3) Group Exercise 2
4) Proof Reading Mark Up Exercise
We were given a one hour virtual lunch break at noon. We were also encouraged to take short breaks between each exercise to refresh. We had the choice of chatting to other candidates but everyone decided it was best to rest. We would not be penalised for choosing to rest over chatting.
The day ended around 4:30pm.
Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.
Group Exercise 1 - in this client scenario, a client (private equity pension fund) had identified four energy targets to invest in. These included solar company, wind company, and more. They had listed their client aims in the information pack and wanted our advice to determine which investment opportunity best suited their needs. The group discussed how much time was appropriate to read through the information and then share our views on why each target was strong or weak. I suggested analysing and listing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each target for the client, then sharing our thoughts, which grad rec liked. There are many other ways of approaching this that could work too. Make sure you all come to a final decision on which target is best.
Written Exercise - you then need to draft an email to the client explaining which target you believed was strongest and why. You do not have to pick the target that was chosen in the group exercise.
Group Exercise 2 - prepare a presentation to pitch to a client essentially selling Watson Farley and Williams. The client will say what issues they had with previous lawyers so be sure to highlight how the firm can assist with this. Do research prior to the AC, but you will also be given an information pack about the firm. Lots of information is irrelevant and some of the packs are duplicated so make sure you communicate with other candidates to understand what they have. After preparation, you will present to a client for ten minutes. Keep track of time and don’t go over. Don’t go significantly under time limits too. Be prepared for questions after the presentation. Presentation skills aren’t assessed the most here, it’s more how you prepare during the discussion with other candidates. So if you are extremely shy and do not want to present, grad rec said you do not have to and you will not be penalised. Just make sure you make valuable contributions during the discussion.
Proof reading - a memorandum with 34 spelling, punctuation, grammar and formatting errors. There is no negative marking so if you are unsure about an error, it’s best to highlight it anyways.
All virtual exercises were given slightly longer than in-person assessments.
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.
Group Exercise 1
1) Make valuable contributions - I was commended for adding value, whilst also welcoming others to contribute in a non confrontational way. Try and do this too, but avoid speaking for the sake of speaking!
2) Be friendly and use names when referring to others - this is very easy in a virtual assessment because names are on the screen. Candidates also introduce themselves in the beginning and will mention if they prefer to be called X instead of Y. Grad rec mentioned they liked how I did this, but other candidates have done this in a “fake” way. So, if you are using names, do it because it’s natural not because you think it will impress grad rec
3) Bring in commercial awareness - this could be anything from your understanding of private equity funds to trends in the energy industry. Grad rec was impressed with all candidates in my AC for doing this in a way which kept the client’s interests in mind
Written Exercise
1) Structure - there are many ways of doing this well. I personally used the bulk of my email to explain why I chose X target and explained how any weaknesses with the target could be mitigated. I also briefly explained why other targets were less suitable. I was told my approach was good but there are many other ways of doing this well.
2) Tone - with all written exercises, make sure your tone is consistent to the task. I made mine friendly and professional which grad rec liked
3) Timing - plan your response and keep track of time. These tasks are designed in such a way that all candidates will not complete it on time. If you find you’re running out of time, don’t panic. Briefly summarise the rest of your points and sign off the email. It may look rushed but it’s better than an in complete response.
Group Exercise 2
1) Timekeep - this also applies to the first exercise. Someone needs to keep track of time. You can volunteer to do this. Although, timekeeping can go horribly wrong so it may be worth getting two people to time keep. This apparently happened in a previous AC.
2) Show off your knowledge of the firm - you are given information packs but you do not have to use them straight away! You can all start with a discussion about the firm’s strengths. Once done, you can use the information packs for additional data
3) Information packs have irrelevant information - there are hundreds of pages that aren’t relevant. Some of the packs are duplicated too. So make sure two people aren’t reading the same pack. Discuss with each other what is in your packs and then you can agree which information is most relevant to use in the presentation
4) Presentation planning - identify who is saying what in the presentation early into your discussions, don’t leave this until the end. Also discuss how you will respond to questions at the end. As mentioned earlier, you do not have to speak during the presentation to pass. Grad rec at the end of the AC said everyone speaks in every AC but you do not have to! You purely get assessed on your discussion during the preparation. Dont dominate discussions, the firm likes team players so make valuable contributions here and there.
Proof Reading Exercise
1) Go through line by line, there will be errors in almost every line! Long words in particular may be spelt incorrectly. Look out for formatting errors like double spacing too!
Tips Before the Day
1) Research the firm thoroughly. This will help with group exercise 2 in particular
2) Keep up to date with their key industries eg shipping and energy. This will help with group exercise 1, as you can demonstrate commercial awareness
3) Understand private equity and M&A. This will help with group exercise 1 and the written exercise
4) Practice markup exercises. There are many websites online that allow this for free. A quick Google (or duckduckgo) search and you’ll find some. You’ll be able to quickly notice common errors eg “the the” at the end and beginning of a line. And you can learn to differentiate commonly misspelt words eg “affect” and “effect”.
Good luck!
Were you successful?
No
