Ask Willkie Farr & Gallagher Anything!

[AI212121]

Well, you can of course do anything you would like, but in the three years we've been running the exercise, I've had at least one person per year who has done this and not submitted in time and missed the cut off.......

i apologise for yet another question, but since there is a time limit, is there a allowance made a few grammatical mistakes here and there since we don't really have much time to review? Also, is the goal really just to get out as many ideas and cover as much as possible or is the structure of the answer (i.e. how well it is presented and written) taken into account just as much?

again, sorry for all the questions

 

[IneedaTCASAP]

i apologise for yet another question, but since there is a time limit, is there a allowance made a few grammatical mistakes here and there since we don't really have much time to review? Also, is the goal really just to get out as many ideas and cover as much as possible or is the structure of the answer (i.e. how well it is presented and written) taken into account just as much?

again, sorry for all the questions

As a trainee/ associate you’d be expected to produce work within a limited time frame and for that work to be up to a high standard. Attention to detail is a key skill and I would’ve expected this to be reflected in the work produced throughout the application process, VS and then on. However I could be wrong and they may allow you to make minor errors but I would believe small errors can cost clients a lot of money.

 

[WillkieGemma]

i apologise for yet another question, but since there is a time limit, is there a allowance made a few grammatical mistakes here and there since we don't really have much time to review? Also, is the goal really just to get out as many ideas and cover as much as possible or is the structure of the answer (i.e. how well it is presented and written) taken into account just as much?

again, sorry for all the questions

Hi @AI212121, I really don't mind answering questions!

The time limit takes into account both writing and proof reading your finished work - we've factored this in. The structure of the written work is important (this is going to be the case at any firm). It is never a matter of getting as many words as humanely possible down - I would always try to answer the questions in a concise, structured way. For any written exercise, I would always dedicate 50% of the allocated time to the writing up and proof reading of the finished work. You must remember that you are going into a profession where accuracy and attention to detail really are key.

We always make adjustments due to long term health conditions and/or disability and/or neurodiversity if that is the case.

 

[AI212121]

Hi @AI212121, I really don't mind answering questions!

The time limit takes into account both writing and proof reading your finished work - we've factored this in. The structure of the written work is important (this is going to be the case at any firm). It is never a matter of getting as many words as humanely possible down - I would always try to answer the questions in a concise, structured way. For any written exercise, I would always dedicate 50% of the allocated time to the writing up and proof reading of the finished work. You must remember that you are going into a profession where accuracy and attention to detail really are key.

We always make adjustments due to long term health conditions and/or disability and/or neurodiversity if that is the case.

Thank you so much for clearing it up, I always hear different things about written exercises for different firms and am never really sure.

Just one more question, how is it decided who goes through to the interview stage? Is there a threshold that has to be met, and every applicant that achieves it gets to go through to interview? Or is it looked at in comparison to other applicants (for example, the top 20 highest-scoring applicants go through)? And will individual feedback be given for everyone?

 

[WillkieGemma]

Thank you so much for clearing it up, I always hear different things about written exercises for different firms and am never really sure.

Just one more question, how is it decided who goes through to the interview stage? Is there a threshold that has to be met, and every applicant that achieves it gets to go through to interview? Or is it looked at in comparison to other applicants (for example, the top 20 highest-scoring applicants go through)? And will individual feedback be given for everyone?

We have x amounts of interview spaces, so it will be the top x% scoring people to fill those spaces. I do have feedback calls, yes.