2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion

[WannabeSolicitor24]

Yes - was invited to AC yesterday!! Did my WG about 3 weeks ago so they're definitely taking their time I think.

Is this for the VS or the TC?

 

[Naomi U]

Really stuck at what news story to talk about if I'm asked in my AC. Has anyone got any ideas? TIA! x

Hiya,

Congrats on getting an AC ☺️

It really depends on a number of factors - there is no perfect story. I think you want to find a balance between a story that is relevant and current but also one that you have a genuine interest in. My biggest advice is to never feel forced to talk about a story simply because you think its what they "want" to hear.

There is a lot going on right now whether it be regarding the impact of COVID-19 on various industries e.g. consumer retail, hospitality, entertainment, pharmaceuticals etc. There is also a lot of M&A movement right now e.g. ASOS just bought Topshop and Boohoo just bought Debenhams. As mentioned you could also talk about changing market trends e.g. the Gamestop story. These are just some broad ideas based off things that have recently come to my attention but like I said it really depends on your interests.

Also, I think its important to remember that this question is not just focused on your general commercial awareness but also your commercial fluency - whether or not you are able to have a discussion and form an opinion on commercial matters.

When you are researching these stories/deals ask yourself:

What market/ industry was this achieved in, and what are the current trends e.g. is this an emerging market, a declining market?

Was this the first deal of this kind and why? When was the last/similar deal completed and what were the reasons for the time lag?

Was this deal particularly more complex and why? (Consider cultural, financial, environmental, tax and competition implications)

If the story is one involving the firm you are interviewing at- why was X firm able to succeed on this deal (consider location e.g. are they the only firm with practising capacity in that region, and practice area e.g. does X firm offer a unique service to clients that cannot be offered elsewhere)

I think if you approach your preparation for this question from this angle, this will really help to tailor your answer!

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

[LegalNim]

I have to answer a question about why I've chosen my preferred location - how do I go about answering this? I've had this once before and kinda just wrote about the fact that I loved the vibrancy London and that it was a global hub so there were more opportunities
but is that ok?

I asked Dentons about this and they said they largely ask for people applying to offices that aren't London so London only needed minimal explanation. Varies from firm to firm though I guess.

 

[Naomi U]

Hi guys. Quite possibly a very stupid Q but if an interview is “commercial awareness” based, could they ask about literally anything going on in the wider world or will I be driving the direction of the interview? Because my knowledge of some areas/key trends are stronger than others. What level of technical knowledge is expected? Sorry to be dumb, but I’ve no clue what to expect. Thanks

Hiya,

Not a stupid question at all!

It will usually be something along the lines of " tell me about a news story/deal you have been following in the market recently?". This will then be followed up with some questions based on what you say, I guess the more you cover the less detailed the follow up questions will be. I don't think technical knowledge is expected but naturally I would advise to only mention stories that you understand and have a genuine interest in.

I just answered a very similar question which may help but feel free to ask anything else if you would like me to clarify anything ☺️

Hiya,

Congrats on getting an AC ☺️

It really depends on a number of factors - there is no perfect story. I think you want to find a balance between a story that is relevant and current but also one that you have a genuine interest in. My biggest advice is to never feel forced to talk about a story simply because you think its what they "want" to hear.

There is a lot going on right now whether it be regarding the impact of COVID-19 on various industries e.g. consumer retail, hospitality, entertainment, pharmaceuticals etc. There is also a lot of M&A movement right now e.g. ASOS just bought Topshop and Boohoo just bought Debenhams. As mentioned you could also talk about changing market trends e.g. the Gamestop story. These are just some broad ideas based off things that have recently come to my attention but like I said it really depends on your interests.

Also, I think its important to remember that this question is not just focused on your general commercial awareness but also your commercial fluency - whether or not you are able to have a discussion and form an opinion on commercial matters.

When you are researching these stories/deals ask yourself:

What market/ industry was this achieved in, and what are the current trends e.g. is this an emerging market, a declining market?

Was this the first deal of this kind and why? When was the last/similar deal completed and what were the reasons for the time lag?

Was this deal particularly more complex and why? (Consider cultural, financial, environmental, tax and competition implications)

If the story is one involving the firm you are interviewing at- why was X firm able to succeed on this deal (consider location e.g. are they the only firm with practising capacity in that region, and practice area e.g. does X firm offer a unique service to clients that cannot be offered elsewhere)

I think if you approach your preparation for this question from this angle, this will really help to tailor your answer!

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

[cryingoverTCs]

I asked Dentons about this and they said they largely ask for people applying to offices that aren't London so London only needed minimal explanation. Varies from firm to firm though I guess.

ah ok - mine is for DWF but thank you anyway!

 

[Paris]

Hiya,

Not a stupid question at all!

I just answered a very similar question which may help but feel free to ask anything else if you would like me to clarify anything ☺️

Hiya, what about climate change issues as opposed to a deal? I.e. what the effect of the government's commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 will have on firms and clients. Or is this too broad a topic?

 

[Sekani Wraith]

absolutely love this energy and you clearly clearly deserve it - congrats!!!!

Congratulations and Thankyou for the insight you’ve motivated me to stay positive

Wow this is such amazing advice!! Well done - you smashed it friend

Thank you very much guys!!

 

[SouffléSouffléSoufflé]

Has anyone received a rejection from Penningtons? I’ve heard absolutely nothing from them, but have read here (and on LinkedIn) that some have already had their AC with them. Should I assume silent PFO?

I had an AC with Penningtons last week, which I was told was their first AC for the London office. I just received an email saying "we will aim to come back to you with an outcome by the end of this month (February 2021)." Don't assume its a PFO! It seems they are waiting to do more AC's before making decisions

 

[Slawrelated]

Yes - was invited to AC yesterday!! Did my WG about 3 weeks ago so they're definitely taking their time I think.

Congrats!! what day did you complete your WG if you dont mind me asking?

 

[Dheepa]

I must say, it's so refreshing to come on here and see this logical and sensible discussion about GameStop. I've been watching the r/wallstreetbets (wsb) thread very closely as there's no education quite like experience so I invested in a very small amount of AMC for a giggle to keep up with it hehe. What I can say from that experience is... honestly, it's like watching the end Titanic but instead of "don't let go Jack" it's "hold!!!1! to the moon daddy musk!!! 🚀😩" LOL

On a more serious note, it will certainly interesting to see the upshot from this and for how long it continues. What seemingly started as a fairly harmless situation of short sellers vs longs has morphed into this huge antiestablishment movement like nothing I've seen take off on the wsb subreddit before. At the moment, platforms aren't allowing the purchase of any memestock so it feels like an artificial decline of the 'movement' with many selling or losing interest, but one look on Reddit will tell you otherwise. In a similar way to what was seen with Trump supporters, the members of the group are promoting this real mistrust of news sources. I could even see this falling as part of the bigger move towards the regulation of social media as there is so much misinformation being spread on Reddit while the wsb subreddit has quadrupled its members (over 8m now)! This is just what I've seen though and I do not purport to be any kind of expert on financial markets

I love this anti-establishment movement point! Funnily enough it's translated into a "cryptocurrencies are the only free market" mentality on some parts of the internet which led to the sudden value increase in Dogecoin and Bitcoin a few days ago (spurred ofc by Elon Musk and an update of his Twitter bio). I think more and more law firm clients (especially financial institutions) are going to take crypto more seriously than ever now.

 

[Naomi U]

A frequent question I have been asked in interviews is "why didn't you convert your vacation schemes" or "what was your feedback from your past vacation schemes"?

I find it a bit challenging to answer this question. On the one hand, its a good chance to bring in the positives + negatives from the vac schemes which led you to apply to X firm who is interviewing you (which you can portray as being a better fit for you than firms you had vac schemes at).

However, equally I think it becomes a bit disingenuous if you portray failed vac schemes as a positive. Also its a thin line between saying negative things about a firm you had a vac scheme at and valid reasons .

My answers tend to be along the lines of
- "I like X practice area and work from the [Vac scheme firm], but did not feel a cultural fit (too competitive/not collaborative)... having spoken to person A at the firm, I feel that the culture is aligned to my own interests and I would be exposed to [whatever work I like]"
- "I felt the the training contract programmes of [vac scheme firm] was not structured enough for me, in comparison to [firm applying to] which has XYZ programmes and awards – which I like because of ABC "
- "Did not see long term career trajectory at [vac scheme firm], which as someone who is quite ambitious I found quite frustrating... [firm applying to] has had strong growth recently, provides trainees with early responsibility, and I see future potential which I find really attractive".

Whilst the answers I give are true, there are other factors at play like not performing well at a group interview or final interview in the VS final AC.

Is the way I am approaching it valid or should I be a bit more critical of my performance on the vac scheme rather than saying how I wasn't a good fit for the firms I vac schemed at? Any feedback would be really appreciated!

Thanks

Hiya,

My personal approach to questions like these would be to to approach them from a developmental and constructive point of view. Whilst I definitely do think issues like culture and vac scheme structure are very important in deciding a firm's suitability, I think perhaps such explanations could be misconstrued as deflecting from your own individual performance. The issue with this is that it then becomes harder to show how you have developed since which means its easier to miss the true aim of the question which is for interviewers to assess your self-awareness and ability to develop and learn from past mistakes.

Therefore, I would probably be more likely to lead with issues that I felt brought down my performance and then counter this with examples which show how I have worked to overcome such issues thus making me a stronger candidate now. Points and comparisons relating to why the present firm is a better fit can be used when answering your why X firm question.

I hope this helps & best of luck ☺️

 

[layla rose]

Hiya,

Not a stupid question at all!

It will usually be something along the lines of " tell me about a news story/deal you have been following in the market recently?". This will then be followed up with some questions based on what you say, I guess the more you cover the less detailed the follow up questions will be. I don't think technical knowledge is expected but naturally I would advise to only mention stories that you understand and have a genuine interest in.

I just answered a very similar question which may help but feel free to ask anything else if you would like me to clarify anything ☺️

Thank you so much for the detailed response Naomi! Your posts on this forum are always super insightful and helpful. Thank you

 

[H Chambers]

Just received a rejection from Bird & Bird after completing the VI on the 4th of January. This one is a hard rejection to accept as I really practiced and thought I had performed quite well. I'm very happy with how much more successful I have been during this application cycle (I have completed tests for 8 apps and VIs for 3 which for me is much better than last year) but I'm still finding it really stressful and disheartening to be going through the cycle as a graduate and I'm not really sure how else to improve my performance for future video interviews. Does anyone have any tips beyond the generic ones ie. practice recording yourself, lighting, blank background.....? Anything would be truly hugely appreciated!

Out of interest which scheme for Bird and Bird did you apply for?

 

[E.A]

Vac scheme offer from Baker McKenzie!! Second vac scheme offer this cycle (humble flex).

Little motivation for anyone who has had an AC that they thought went horribly, here's how mine went:

1) Document review exercise-I didn't finish it, I got to page 8 of 10 and ran out of time.
2) Associate interview-I was expecting standard competency questions but I wasn't asked a single standard competency question, instead, I got questions like 'how does politics impact law and business' (how tf do you even answer that?)
3) Group exercise-my wifi cut and so I was out for 10 minutes and struggled to catch up when I rejoined which meant I said about 5 things in 30 minutes.
4) case study interview-I didn't have a SCOOBY what 2 of the questions were about, the partners were asking me about foreign investment regimes and sanctions??? wtf is that??

Safe to say I have been preparing for a rejection since, but it never came.

Here is my theory: If you have got to the interview stage or AC then they already know you're smart, so I think the key is likeability. For example, the first 30 minutes of my partner interview where the partners were basically speaking mandarin, didn't go well, but the second 30 minutes was just questions about my app, and the partners and I were laughing and joking and bouncing off each other the entire time (same goes for my associate interview). So, above all, it's important to show that you are likable and someone that they would enjoy working with and someone they're confident will interact with clients well.

So my unsolicited advice is: show them that you are a nice person, smile, laugh and speak with conviction. If you have got to the interview stage/AC then my friend, you are the shit, because you have beat off soooo many candidates to get there, so let that energy and confidence shine!

Good luck everyone!

I will revisit this post once (not if *manifesting*) I get my AC!!! Love it!

 

[E.A]

Those who received a Mayer Brown AC invite - were there lots of dates available? I’m still waiting to hear back and I’m holding onto some hope!

Grad rec said they start holding ACs second week of Feb all the way to end of March.

 

[Naomi U]

Hiya, what about climate change issues as opposed to a deal? I.e. what the effect of the government's commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 will have on firms and clients. Or is this too broad a topic?

Hiya,

I think firstly it depends on the way the question is structured- sometimes its; tell me a story you have been following in the news as opposed to, tell me about a deal you have been following. They are very similar but I think when the word deal is used, it restricts your options a bit more. So as a general tip I think its always good to have back ups just in case.

As for your example of climate change, it is definitely a very interesting and relevant topic but I think you would have to be more specific so as to make it a story rather than a trend/general topic. I'm far from an expert on climate change unfortunately😅 but I think if you narrow it down to perhaps a new policy or initiative this would be fine for a question related to a story. As for a deal, unless the deal is specifically related to climate change, I think it would come in more as an evaluation point.

Hope this helps!

 

[Naomi U]

I have to answer a question about why I've chosen my preferred location - how do I go about answering this? I've had this once before and kinda just wrote about the fact that I loved the vibrancy London and that it was a global hub so there were more opportunities
but is that ok?

Hiya,

I think you could also approach it from an internal specialist point of view, as some offices are known for having bigger practice areas than others. So I think this could be an interesting point to tie in if that is an area of interest.

Hope this helps!

 

[Carmen H]

Pinsent Masons AC!!! For London office 😀😀😀

 

[Andrew M]

ah ok - mine is for DWF but thank you anyway!

Is this for a video interview? I hadn't realised that DWF had started contacting people yet. Which office did you apply for?

 

[Matt_96]

I'm v nervous too! They're one of my faves - not really sure how the interview went! Best of luck to you with your app

Same to you! Yeah I really like them so I'll be a little gutted if I'm rejected. What makes me nervous is that I think the interview went ok, but I was one of the first 3 people the recruiter interviewed, so she now gets to compare me to loads of other candidates who I'm sure were equally good if not better!