2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion

[Jessica Booker]

Anyone applying to Kirkland & Ellis know if it is okay to refer to them as Kirkland? Also, they had a question on why I want to be a trainee at a transactional-focused firm. I was planning to talk about variety of the world, types of client, a bigger focus on business as opposed to black letter law, and the less adversarial nature of the job. Anyone have any inputs?

Doesn’t seem to be a problem as that is how they are referred to in their Chambers Student Guide profile which would have been approved by the firm. Have also seen it shortened to K&E too.

 

[Dheepa]

Anyone applying to Kirkland & Ellis know if it is okay to refer to them as Kirkland? Also, they had a question on why I want to be a trainee at a transactional-focused firm. I was planning to talk about variety of the world, types of client, a bigger focus on business as opposed to black letter law, and the less adversarial nature of the job. Anyone have any inputs?

In terms of the "why transactional lawyer" question, I think those are all good points to talk about. Other things that come to mind when thinking about transactional work is the fast paced nature and quick deal timelines. However I'd say the most important thing is to make sure you really substantiated all of those points with your experiences because otherwise your motivations could come across as being too general. If you've done work in a transactional department or maybe internships in finance etc. those would all be good things to mention.

The other thing to note is that this could be a good place to talk about Kirkland's PE focus in particular and what draws you to that. That way you're not just answering why you want to be a transactional lawyer but why you want to be a transactional lawyer at Kirkland specifically.

Hope that helps!

 

[Dheepa]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anybody has started drafting Latham & Watkins VS application questions? If so, how are you generally finding them in terms of providing coherent and well structured answers?

What questions/parts exactly are you finding difficult to structure?

 

[Charlotteeeeee]

How would you write percentages in an application? I am writing about placing in the top 5% for contract law as an academic achievement I am proud of but should I write it as 'five percent' or '5%'?

 

[Legally brown]

Anyone who’s heard back from Hogan Lovells pls let me know how long it took them to tell you the outcome of your app post test?

thanks so much in advance!! Xx

 

[Jacob Miller]

How 'normal'/common, is it for a partner who interviewed you for a vac scheme to send an email saying congrats on the offer and that they hope you will take it up?

Similarly to others above, I've personally had this and know others who have had too. Remember that. firms aren't just giving you a position out of the goodness of their hearts, it means they see an opportunity to invest in future talent! I found it very difficult to flip that narrative and understand that it was a two-way street at first, but remember that every firm wants the best lawyers available! Congratulations, by the way!

 

[Jacob Miller]

How would you write percentages in an application? I am writing about placing in the top 5% for contract law as an academic achievement I am proud of but should I write it as 'five percent' or '5%'?

I've always written percentages as "x%" rather than the full word, especially for word-limited apps! Remember, though, to make everything you're saying relevant and linked to the application rather than just an abstract fact!

 

[Jessica Booker]

How would you write percentages in an application? I am writing about placing in the top 5% for contract law as an academic achievement I am proud of but should I write it as 'five percent' or '5%'?

5% is most appropriate

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anybody has started drafting Latham & Watkins VS application questions? If so, how are you generally finding them in terms of providing coherent and well structured answers?

I haven't applied personally to L&W, but the general rules for building good structure in a response are always the same. I generally go about it like thius:

1: break down what the question is actually asking me
2: identify core parts that I'll need to include in the response and break down how they should each be separated
3: identify key examples to use for each section
4: work on each section of the response using the STAR response for examples and generally ensuring that everything you write is linked back to either the question or something relevant about the firm (eg, mission statement etc).

Hope this helps!

 

[Haz]

Telephone interview invite for NRF

 

[Jessica Booker]

How 'normal'/common, is it for a partner who interviewed you for a vac scheme to send an email saying congrats on the offer and that they hope you will take it up?

It’s not anything out of the ordinary. Often comes down to the individual partners personal preferences on whether they like doing things like this or not.

 

[MZ]

Telephone interview with NRF!! Does anyone know what type of questions to expect?

 

[Bugsy Malone]

Also through to telephone interview for NRF does anyone know what kind of questions they ask?

 

[LS12]

Telephone interview for me too! Can hardly believe it, I felt so disheartened after the WG! Any advice would be so appreciated

 

[Jacob Miller]

Telephone interview with NRF!! Does anyone know what type of questions to expect?

When I did mine for the 2020 VS, the questions were a little more relaxed than in a formal interview. Mine really focussed around why law/ why me/ why NRF and I think I was briefly asked about something I'd mentioned in my application as a follow-up type question. The telephone interview isn't particularly long though (maybe 20-25 minutes?) and the Grad Rec team who take them are lovely. Wishing you the very best of luck!

 

[M1999]

NRF telephone interview after passing WG!! Has anyone got any experience at all with this? Would be super helpful, never done a telephone interview

 

[SLKEJRWOI97]

Congratulations guys for the NRF telephone interviews!

Did you guys apply for the TC, Spring Vac or Summer Vac?

 

[castrooo]

Just received an invite to a telephone interview for NRF! Any tips or insights would be greatly appreciated!

 

[castrooo]

Congratulations guys for the NRF telephone interviews!

Did you guys apply for the TC, Spring Vac or Summer Vac?

Spring Vac

 

[Haz]

Congratulations guys for the NRF telephone interviews!

Did you guys apply for the TC, Spring Vac or Summer Vac?

I applied for Spring