Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[layk]

I know we have been working on it - I’ll check in with Jaysen to see where it is up to.

Hi Jess, has this been uploaded anywhere?

 

[Lawyerwithadream]

Hi @Jessica Booker @James Carrabino what are examples of technical questions in an interview? Thanks

 

[James Carrabino]

Hi @Jessica Booker @James Carrabino what are examples of technical questions in an interview? Thanks

@MissJ would you be able to elaborate any further on the meaning of 'technical questions'? Is this for a TC interview?

 

[Lawyerwithadream]

@MissJ would you be able to elaborate any further on the meaning of 'technical questions'? Is this for a TC interview?

Hi James, yes. I was invited to an interview and it was pointed out that technical questions will form part of the interview.

 

[James Carrabino]

Hi James, yes. I was invited to an interview and it was pointed out that technical questions will form part of the interview.

Hmm I will wait to hear @Jessica Booker's insight on this but I wonder if it could mean that you will get some technical commercial questions (e.g. how a deal is structured and what the processes are in an acquisition). I would perhaps check out a video like this one which gives a simple breakdown of these things!

It is possible that 'technical questions' refers to something more specific which @Jessica Booker would be able to advise you on

 

[Abii]

Hi @Jessica Booker @James Carrabino what are examples of technical questions in an interview? Thanks

I’m not a recruiter and @Jessica Booker might correct me here but the last two firms I interviewed with included technical questions. These were technical legal questions but quite basic legal knowledge that anyone that had done the GDL or LLB should know. Such as the required elements of a contract, what is misrepresentation. I was asked a couple of more specific questions on a more niche area but that’s because I highlighted that as an area I had done further research on for my law masters thesis.

 

[Lawyerwithadream]

Thanks so much both @James Carrabino @Abii really appreciate your input here

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi James, yes. I was invited to an interview and it was pointed out that technical questions will form part of the interview.

The input you have had from others here is great.

I would expect a technical question to be anything that assesses your knowledge of how something may be practically considered/processed in a law firm.

That can sound slightly scary, but reality is the interviewers are only going to ask such questions knowing the answer is likely to reflect your education/work experience. For instance, they are not going to ask a non-law student with no exposure to law how a specific part of contract law works.

However, they could ask something like “what makes up a good contract” and just have relatively low expectations. For instance, everyone has probably seen a basic contract (eg phone bill/consumer agreement) or can at least think about what happens with one and apply some common sense thinking. Therefore you could expect someone to at least have a go and answer such a question - they may just not have the legal jargon down (and that’s fine).

Other technical questions could be as simple as “summarise your XXXXXX law module for me as if I had no knowledge of the subject”. Again, this doesn’t really need lots of practical work experience but is trying to get you to thinking about the key elements of a law module. Questions like this are really testing your analytical and communication style rather than technical knowledge though.

There are some more specific technical questions in here:

Training Contract Interview Questions | 175 Practice Questions (2018)

We've produced these training contract interview questions to help you practice for interviews and assessment centres at law firms. Why? Well, we've arranged many mock interviews over the years and we see a substantial difference in performance after students have practiced real interview questions.

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

As you can see from this list, sometimes they are more specific and precise. Something like “Name three ways a company can raise finance for an acquisition.” is a technical question, but again could be answered with just common sense - it isn’t always about having the jargon down (that can easily be taught), it’s more about seeing your common sense and commercial thinking.

 

[Lawyerwithadream]

The input you have had from others here is great.

I would expect a technical question to be anything that assesses your knowledge of how something may be practically considered/processed in a law firm.

That can sound slightly scary, but reality is the interviewers are only going to ask such questions knowing the answer is likely to reflect your education/work experience. For instance, they are not going to ask a non-law student with no exposure to law how a specific part of contract law works.

However, they could ask something like “what makes up a good contract” and just have relatively low expectations. For instance, everyone has probably seen a basic contract (eg phone bill/consumer agreement) or can at least think about what happens with one and apply some common sense thinking. Therefore you could expect someone to at least have a go and answer such a question - they may just not have the legal jargon down (and that’s fine).

Other technical questions could be as simple as “summarise your XXXXXX law module for me as if I had no knowledge of the subject”. Again, this doesn’t really need lots of practical work experience but is trying to get you to thinking about the key elements of a law module. Questions like this are really testing your analytical and communication style rather than technical knowledge though.

There are some more specific technical questions in here:

Training Contract Interview Questions | 175 Practice Questions (2018)

We've produced these training contract interview questions to help you practice for interviews and assessment centres at law firms. Why? Well, we've arranged many mock interviews over the years and we see a substantial difference in performance after students have practiced real interview questions.

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

As you can see from this list, sometimes they are more specific and precise. Something like “Name three ways a company can raise finance for an acquisition.” is a technical question, but again could be answered with just common sense - it isn’t always about having the jargon down (that can easily be taught), it’s more about seeing your common sense and commercial thinking.

Thanks so much @Jessica Booker

 

[thirdtimelucky]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I had some technical issues yesterday which meant I arrived to one of my vac scheme sessions 10 mins late. I let both grad rec people know the issue when I managed to log in but as is my anxiety I am terrified this is the end for my TC hopes! Do you think this will impact my performance?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I had some technical issues yesterday which meant I arrived to one of my vac scheme sessions 10 mins late. I let both grad rec people know the issue when I managed to log in but as is my anxiety I am terrified this is the end for my TC hopes! Do you think this will impact my performance?

No - technical issues happen. Firms have got used to these things happening and it’s not a reflection of your ability when a technical issue occurs.

You did the right thing by contacting grad rec and the person delivering the session to explain the issue.

Please do not worry about this.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hi, @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. Just wanted to ask you something about the questions that we are supposed to ask Grad rec, trainees and Partners at the end of our interviews. Do the questions have to be tailored to the firm? I mean is it bad if the same question can apply to other firms? Conversely, does tailoring the questions get you brownie points?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi, @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. Just wanted to ask you something about the questions that we are supposed to ask Grad rec, trainees and Partners at the end of our interviews. Do the questions have to be tailored to the firm? I mean is it bad if the same question can apply to other firms? Conversely, does tailoring the questions get you brownie points?

Thanks in advance.

The questions don't have to be tailored to the firm as such, but they do need to be appropriate/relevant to the firm at the same time.

I personally don't think Brownie points exist in interviews at all. You just have to show the right skills, motivations and characteristics.

 

[IceFloe]

Hey @Jessica Booker !

I received an oral offer for a TC beginning March 2024 last week but I want to see if I can move my start date up a bit earlier. I haven't received any written confirmation or documents to sign yet but I know grad rec is still busy considering TC applicants. Is it too early to reach out to grad rec and ask about my starting date? Or should I wait until I receive more information from the firm before asking?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hey @Jessica Booker !

I received an oral offer for a TC beginning March 2024 last week but I want to see if I can move my start date up a bit earlier. I haven't received any written confirmation or documents to sign yet but I know grad rec is still busy considering TC applicants. Is it too early to reach out to grad rec and ask about my starting date? Or should I wait until I receive more information from the firm before asking?

No, it's not too early and I would contact them sooner - for something like this, the earlier you raise this the more likely they will be able to consider your position.

I would try to give them a call to discuss this with them so you can explain your reasons for starting earlier and get a gauge from them as to how likely this might be.

 

[lawnoob]

Hi @Jessica Booker !

I know cover letters are generally intro, why (commercial) law, why the firm, why you.

Does it have to be split into distinct sections like this?

When writing my cover letter I've realised that when writing 'why commerical law' I've found that I can link it to what aspects I like about the firm aka. why the firm.

For example something like (I would not write it like this but just a general structure):
I had experience at both a regional firm and global firm, and from this it strengthened my [enter reasons for wanting to pursue commercial law], and through [enter tasks/what I learnt from this experience] I developed XYZ soft/transferrable skills which make me a better commercial lawyer. I also realised that I like working at a global law firm more because [insert reasons why]. I also like this about [insert firm name] due to firm's global approach etc.

What would you think of this approach? Is it too messy?

Could why law/why firm/why you be integrated together as long as everything has been answered like in my example? Or would you advise to keep it separate and just have a paragraph of what aspects I like about the firm?

Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker !

I know cover letters are generally intro, why (commercial) law, why the firm, why you.

Does it have to be split into distinct sections like this?

When writing my cover letter I've realised that when writing 'why commerical law' I've found that I can link it to what aspects I like about the firm aka. why the firm.

For example something like (I would not write it like this but just a general structure):
I had experience at both a regional firm and global firm, and from this it strengthened my [enter reasons for wanting to pursue commercial law], and through [enter tasks/what I learnt from this experience] I developed XYZ soft/transferrable skills which make me a better commercial lawyer. I also realised that I like working at a global law firm more because [insert reasons why]. I also like this about [insert firm name] due to firm's global approach etc.

What would you think of this approach? Is it too messy?

Could why law/why firm/why you be integrated together as long as everything has been answered like in my example? Or would you advise to keep it separate and just have a paragraph of what aspects I like about the firm?

Thank you!

There doesn’t need to be distinct sections. What you have suggested is perfectly fine and I have seen it work well in many instances.

 

[lawnoob]

There doesn’t need to be distinct sections. What you have suggested is perfectly fine and I have seen it work well in many instances.

Thanks Jessica!

Another question, sorry if it has been mentioned but is it okay to copy the section about why commercial law/why law for diff firm applications? My motivations remain the same for going into law but have different reasons why I like each firm.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thanks Jessica!

Another question, sorry if it has been mentioned but is it okay to copy the section about why commercial law/why law for diff firm applications? My motivations remain the same for going into law but have different reasons why I like each firm.

As long as it still makes sense with the rest of your cover letter and is aligned to that firm still, then that is fine.

I personally don’t think that “why commercial law” is needed in a cover letter though. My suggestion is usually - why the firm, why the opportunity, why you. Obviously there may be elements in that which cover commercial law, but I just don’t think you need a dedicated section for it unless explicitly asked by the firm.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. Could you please explain what the latter part of this statement means: "Assessment centres will take place in May 2022 and applications might re-open in summer 2022 following the initial recruitment process." This is from the Ashurst's TC webpage.

Thanks in advance.