Hearing Back from Law Firms, Assessment Centres & Interview Tips - 2019 - 2020

[Lumree]

Anyone heard from Cooley yet? I know they said by Thursday but just want to check!

 

[Jessica Booker]

I've realised on one of my applications which I've completed a VI for (still waiting to hear back), that I put fluent in Spanish for writing, but on speaking it says Basic. This was a mistake - I meant to put fluent. Should I just leave this and hope they don't notice or should I let them know? And if so, by telephone or by email?

just leave it unless the job description said you needed to be fluent in Spanish

 

[bzheng]

Just got rejected from Sidley aha

ah so sorry to hear could i ask when you applied pls?

 

[M777]

I am still waiting, but I think its a rejection.

How come?

 

[Iman]

I just got invited for NRF's telephone interview. Does anyone have any tips?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Ah I get you, read it as 60-75 being the offer rate. As someone with a VS there this summer, 80%+ is a nice number to hear.

While on the subject, do you have any advice on how to make I get the offer on the VS? Is it primarily based on general feedback, or tasks set, or interviews etc and is there anything non-obvious which is actually an important factor? I appreciate you left the firm a while ago, but this is probably the best advice for this specific VS I can get, so I really appreciate it.

Managed to track down what I thought it was. Despite asking for my data to be wiped, traces of me on TSR still exist....

I posted this:

"Most of the above I agree with, but here are my additional points:

1) If you do something stupid, at least have the maturity to own up/apologise/make amends. Whether its getting drunk (yes it happens A LOT on vac schemes) or messing up with a piece of work (e.g. leaving confidential information somewhere stupid), the worse thing you can do is pretend like it never happened

2) Don't ***** about anyone or anything - word gets around quickly if you do. It only makes you look bad.

3) Don't succumb to the "pack" mentality or cliques that can form in a larger vacation scheme group. I've seen enough good applicants get caught up in negative group energy or false rumours, and subsequently not get a TC at the end of it.

4) Don't use your working day to prepare for any assessments (like your interviews). There is nothing worse than candidates who decides to take on little to no work on the day of their interview, so they can "prepare". You are being paid to do a job, remember that this should be your priority between 9.30-5.30pm."

The "most of the above I agree with" was posted by someone else, but I have edited it to what I agree with and posted it below:

"My general advice would be to treat the entire VS as an extended interview. A good rule of thumb would be to behave as you think an ideal trainee ought to (eg confident, sociable, enthusiastic, intelligent). Some more specific points are:

- Always be on your best behaviour at all times. Try not to be on your phone/ Facebook at your desk (if you have to check, go to the bathroom). Getting drunk is absolutely a no-no (and yes, I have heard of it happening on other VSes).

- Be sociable and friendly to everyone, not just the lawyers. Being nice to support staff (eg secretaries, receptionists, paralegals) doesn't take much (and is the decent thing to do at any rate). Also, they can be extremely helpful, and you never know if their opinions will be taken into account in making offers.

- Be confident, but not cocky. Don't be intimidated talking to partners or senior associates.

- Organization is very important. You should always carry a notebook with you at all times to write down information. The moment you get a piece of work, ask (1) When is this due by and (2) How should it be done (eg hard or soft copy, whether the firm has a standard template that should be used). You might have to prioritize, and if you have no more capacity, try to convey that sensitively (eg I'm currently finishing up an urgent assignment from x, perhaps I could come over after I'm done at y date and time? Or I'm rather loaded at the present - would it be okay for me to send this piece over at x date and time instead of y?). In general though, try to take on as much work as you can without compromising on quality.

- If you need clarification, don't be afraid to ask. Better to ask early and get some guidance, rather than find out that you've been barking up the wrong tree right at the end!

- Be enthusiastic about your work. I used to go around knocking on doors asking for work whenever I had nothing to do, and got positive feedback about it (it's a fine line between enthusiasm and being annoying though - think I used to go round twice a day and that was fine).

- Don't knock any work that's given to you, even if it isn't very "legal" or intellectual (eg proofreading, due diligence). Take everything with a smile, and make sure you do your best, even if you don't find the work all that exciting. Heck, if the lawyers want you to do paralegal/ secretarial things (eg pouring water for clients), you better do it competently with a big smile!

- Do all your work well. Triple-check and re-read everything before you send it out (including emails). If necessary, print it out and go over it in hard copy line by line - it's usually easier to spot typos this way.

- If you have no work, you could consider going to other departments to ask (and it's a good opportunity to try other areas of the law if you're interested!). If you have absolutely nothing to do, spend the time reading up on things like the Financial Times or the firm's internal training materials.

- Take your assessments seriously (eg client pitch, negotiation exercise). Ask the trainees who came through VSes for advice.

- Be careful with what you say to anyone - you never know whether it will be taken into account (eg your supervisor might 'informally interview' you on the first day you get to your seat). You always want to give the impression that you want to be here, and that you're a great fit for the firm.

- Talk to other people! As much as a VS is for the firm to assess if they like you, it's also an opportunity for you to decide if you like the firm and if a legal career suits you. Talk to everyone about their experiences (including support staff - they can be very insightful about a firm's culture). I was quite scared of talking to people because I didn't want to distract them, but the key is sensing when they're "free" to talk. Most people are pretty happy to talk to you if they aren't swamped with work. And certainly approach them at social events if you see them hanging around.

- Befriend the other interns, but be aware that some of them might have ulterior motives (some see VS/ TC as a zero-sum game). It makes the VS much more enjoyable, and you might be able to collect useful information. Plus, it's good to get to know your potential colleagues early on.

 

[Phoebe]

Got invited to an AC at Taylor Wessing - any tips would be much appreciated!

I went to the Open Day so I have an idea of what the presentation task would be like.

 

[Shane]

Have you heard back yet?

No I still haven't ! Have you heard of many people getting AC's ? It seems like a long time not to hear back.

 

[Karin]

Freshfields AC!!!!

Yesss!!!! Congrats - you can do this!!! All the best xxx

 

[Karin]

Has anyone read any good books recently or listened to any podcasts that are especially good for debates surrounding current affairs or sort of big overarching ideas that are current? Just been thinking how I can best prepare for an article discussion and figured this might be a decent approach alongside my general news reading etc

I really like Commercial Awareness Podcast on Spotify, not sure whether you are listening to that already?

 

[Alan]

Does anyone have any advice on how to answer this question:
What would you do if a partner and an associate asked you to do the same work and it was the same deadline?

I had the this question for my BCLP AC which I was successful in.

I mentioned:
- Assessing if my schedule could be rearranged
- Having a realistic plan to see if both tasks are attainable
- Making your supervisor and the two seniors who set you the tasks aware of the situation
- If so staying late and asking to see if any other tasks you have can be pushed back
- see if some of the generic and easier parts of the tasks can be delegated.

Hope this helps

 

[Andreasyau1]

Cant remember when, but a long long long long time ago

ah so sorry to hear could i ask when you applied pls?

 

[Thomas J Foley]

Has anyone heard back from Weil post AC at all?

 

[003]

Looking at past interview questions people have been asked and there's one I don't know how would be best to answer it. Does anyone have any ideas please?

'What would you do if you knew a client had lied in order to secure a contract?'

 

[LegalNim]

Anyone heard from Cooley yet? I know they said by Thursday but just want to check!

Nothing yet.

 

[NickyRaykes]

Got invited to an AC at Taylor Wessing - any tips would be much appreciated!

I went to the Open Day so I have an idea of what the presentation task would be like.

Congrats Phoebe!! Could I ask when you applied and when you found out?

 

[PhoebeL]

I received an Irwin Mitchell London PLS VI yesterday (17th Feb). Applied on 10th Jan, 2 days before the deadline.

Just posting as I noticed a few others asking for Irwin Mitchell updates over the past week or so.

Their email is not specific on whether it will be competency or strengths based so any tips from anyone who has done it would be welcome!

I posted in the Interview Discussions my experience. It is for BLS but only the final question was specific.

 

[PhoebeL]

Just got rejected from Sidley aha

Same

 

[Jessica Booker]

Looking at past interview questions people have been asked and there's one I don't know how would be best to answer it. Does anyone have any ideas please?

'What would you do if you knew a client had lied in order to secure a contract?'

Integrity is everything in the legal sector. Ultimately you tell your supervisors.

 

[OB]

Are you guys waiting post WG invite, or still from app? I still haven't heard a single thing and starting to really loose hope

I’m still waiting from app so we’re in the same boat!