Clifford Chance interview

[Lauren]

I have been invited to an AC with Clifford Chance. I work for the firm so was classed as a priority candidate.

This is my second time interviewing there so I am very keen not to make the same mistakes as last time and to get as much insight as I can into the best way to prepare for the 75 minute commercial interview.

Should I brush up on big recent news stories? Key terminology? Mergers and acquisitions?

Also what is the best way to tackle a case study? This is something I have struggled with at previous assessment centres at other firms.

I am also nervous because the firm does not mention a competency interview like last time I interviewed there, are competency questions likely to form part of the commercial interview?

 

[Newton]

I have been invited to an AC with Clifford Chance. I work for the firm so was classed as a priority candidate.

This is my second time interviewing there so I am very keen not to make the same mistakes as last time and to get as much insight as I can into the best way to prepare for the 75 minute commercial interview.

Should I brush up on big recent news stories? Key terminology? Mergers and acquisitions?

Also what is the best way to tackle a case study? This is something I have struggled with at previous assessment centres at other firms.

I am also nervous because the firm does not mention a competency interview like last time I interviewed there, are competency questions likely to form part of the commercial interview?

Hi Lauren. How did your CC ac go and have they got back to you?

 

[Lauren]

Hi Lauren. How did your CC ac go and have they got back to you?

Hi, thank you for asking, I have my AC on the 11th of February. I have friends who interviewed this week though who are still waiting.

 

[Jacob Miller]

I have been invited to an AC with Clifford Chance. I work for the firm so was classed as a priority candidate.

This is my second time interviewing there so I am very keen not to make the same mistakes as last time and to get as much insight as I can into the best way to prepare for the 75 minute commercial interview.

Should I brush up on big recent news stories? Key terminology? Mergers and acquisitions?

Also what is the best way to tackle a case study? This is something I have struggled with at previous assessment centres at other firms.

I am also nervous because the firm does not mention a competency interview like last time I interviewed there, are competency questions likely to form part of the commercial interview?

In terms of approaching commercial-orientated interviews, I typically had 2 fairly full, fairly well-developed case studies that I would discuss. Typically, I'd look for them to both be quite different- for example, one transactional (e.g. a big merger or acquisition) and one contentious/ regulatory (for example a major court case, insolvency or regulatory change), and I would want both of them to be on the more complex side of things too rather than super simple. Sometimes I'd use something more political but I tended to err away from these as they run the risk of catching the interviewer's politics the wrong way.

Things that were super relevant during my assessment cycle, for perspective, included:
- Carrillion collapse
- Thomas Cook collapse
- Tiffany LVMH merger and subsequent dispute
- Google/ Amazon/ Starbucks UK tax issues
- Brexit regulatory climate
- US China trade wars

I would prep 2 for any given AC- research all hell out of them, read from a big variety of sources and develop a really good knowledge of the framework of the issue as well as making an effort to really understand the different commercial concerns of different stakeholders. I tended to find that the interview would only really focus on one but I quite liked being able to say "I'd be delighted to talk about X or Y, do you have a preference?" at the interview.

Little anecdote: someone I know very well was interviewing at a magic circle firm for a VS and they chose to do the Thomas Cook example as their case study. Get to the interview and it was the lead partner on the entire thing who was their interviewer! Personally my worst nightmare but they pulled it off and later got a TC there so can't have been too bad!

 

[Newton]

Hi, thank you for asking, I have my AC on the 11th of February. I have friends who interviewed this week though who are still waiting.

Wish you the very best Lauren!

 

[LawStudent2000]

In terms of approaching commercial-orientated interviews, I typically had 2 fairly full, fairly well-developed case studies that I would discuss. Typically, I'd look for them to both be quite different- for example, one transactional (e.g. a big merger or acquisition) and one contentious/ regulatory (for example a major court case, insolvency or regulatory change), and I would want both of them to be on the more complex side of things too rather than super simple. Sometimes I'd use something more political but I tended to err away from these as they run the risk of catching the interviewer's politics the wrong way.

Things that were super relevant during my assessment cycle, for perspective, included:
- Carrillion collapse
- Thomas Cook collapse
- Tiffany LVMH merger and subsequent dispute
- Google/ Amazon/ Starbucks UK tax issues
- Brexit regulatory climate
- US China trade wars

I would prep 2 for any given AC- research all hell out of them, read from a big variety of sources and develop a really good knowledge of the framework of the issue as well as making an effort to really understand the different commercial concerns of different stakeholders. I tended to find that the interview would only really focus on one but I quite liked being able to say "I'd be delighted to talk about X or Y, do you have a preference?" at the interview.

Little anecdote: someone I know very well was interviewing at a magic circle firm for a VS and they chose to do the Thomas Cook example as their case study. Get to the interview and it was the lead partner on the entire thing who was their interviewer! Personally my worst nightmare but they pulled it off and later got a TC there so can't have been too bad!

Thank you so much Jacob!

I was wondering if you could address the following 2 questions -
1. What ideas do you have to help CC legal tech?
2. What could Clifford Chance do to help its clients?

 

[Lastseasonwonder]

In terms of approaching commercial-orientated interviews, I typically had 2 fairly full, fairly well-developed case studies that I would discuss. Typically, I'd look for them to both be quite different- for example, one transactional (e.g. a big merger or acquisition) and one contentious/ regulatory (for example a major court case, insolvency or regulatory change), and I would want both of them to be on the more complex side of things too rather than super simple. Sometimes I'd use something more political but I tended to err away from these as they run the risk of catching the interviewer's politics the wrong way.

Things that were super relevant during my assessment cycle, for perspective, included:
- Carrillion collapse
- Thomas Cook collapse
- Tiffany LVMH merger and subsequent dispute
- Google/ Amazon/ Starbucks UK tax issues
- Brexit regulatory climate
- US China trade wars

I would prep 2 for any given AC- research all hell out of them, read from a big variety of sources and develop a really good knowledge of the framework of the issue as well as making an effort to really understand the different commercial concerns of different stakeholders. I tended to find that the interview would only really focus on one but I quite liked being able to say "I'd be delighted to talk about X or Y, do you have a preference?" at the interview.

Little anecdote: someone I know very well was interviewing at a magic circle firm for a VS and they chose to do the Thomas Cook example as their case study. Get to the interview and it was the lead partner on the entire thing who was their interviewer! Personally my worst nightmare but they pulled it off and later got a TC there so can't have been too bad!

@Jacob Miller

I just want to clarify something - slightly confused.

At a case study interview, they (the law firm) choose the case for the case study and we will not know what it will be beforehand right?

If so, what do you mean by "I'd be delighted to talk about X or Y, do you have a preference?", because I thought in case study interviews; the case is chosen pre interview and not our choice.

 

[Jaysen]

@Jacob Miller

I just want to clarify something - slightly confused.

At a case study interview, they (the law firm) choose the case for the case study and we will not know what it will be beforehand right?

If so, what do you mean by "I'd be delighted to talk about X or Y, do you have a preference?", because I thought in case study interviews; the case is chosen pre interview and not our choice.

I think Jacob might be discussing something slightly different to a typical 'case study'. These would be more fitting for commercial interviews or presentations, where candidates are asked to discuss a commercial topic of interest, or have some time to prepare in advance.

 

[Jaysen]

I have been invited to an AC with Clifford Chance. I work for the firm so was classed as a priority candidate.

This is my second time interviewing there so I am very keen not to make the same mistakes as last time and to get as much insight as I can into the best way to prepare for the 75 minute commercial interview.

Should I brush up on big recent news stories? Key terminology? Mergers and acquisitions?

Also what is the best way to tackle a case study? This is something I have struggled with at previous assessment centres at other firms.

I am also nervous because the firm does not mention a competency interview like last time I interviewed there, are competency questions likely to form part of the commercial interview?

I know a couple of years back Clifford Chance focused on Mergers and Acquisitions. In January last year, at least one of them involved being given a case study bundle on restructuring/administration (particularly what happened with Thomas Cook). This consisted of a few FT and BBC articles.

Without giving too much away, things like CVAs, AI and even credit default swaps came up in one particular candidate's AC. The interviewer was also keen to know what else they know about administrations going on at the time.

In their feedback, they were told they fell down because they didn't know the big headline stories going on at the time (in this area) and what would interest lawyers. They should have also had a much clearer focus on understanding the perspective of the client.

@Alice G and I ran training sessions on insolvency/administration earlier this. I may run a future webinar on this and see if a few TCLA members want to participate in a mock case study (if they don't mind it being public!).

 

[Jacob Miller]

@Jacob Miller

I just want to clarify something - slightly confused.

At a case study interview, they (the law firm) choose the case for the case study and we will not know what it will be beforehand right?

If so, what do you mean by "I'd be delighted to talk about X or Y, do you have a preference?", because I thought in case study interviews; the case is chosen pre interview and not our choice.

Hi Dwight,

Following up on Jaysen's clarification, my above advice was more related to a commercial interview- discussing elements of commercial awareness, which would typically be a part of a larger interview. In terms of case studies, which are a different element of the CC AC, I would recommend consulting my recent article on this topic:

Definitive Guide to Law Firm Case Studies! *Monday Article Series*

Hi all, please see below the third of my Monday Article Series! This week is my definitive guide to case studies. It's a long one - you might want to go get a coffee and settle in! Introduction This week’s Monday Article will cover how to approach law firm case studies, one of the most...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

Hope this helps solve any confusion

 

[Jacob Miller]

Thank you so much Jacob!

I was wondering if you could address the following 2 questions -
1. What ideas do you have to help CC legal tech?
2. What could Clifford Chance do to help its clients?

Hi,

In terms of question 1, I'm not quite sure what you mean here. Are you meaning in terms of how one might advise CC to leverage existing legal tech or develop new legal tech in some way? I'm aware that CC have a tech-orientated TC, is that what you're asking about? A little more info would be ideal to try and advise further.

For Q2, again this is quite open-ended and could be taken a number of different ways. I would really try and drill down on an analysis of what sort of clients a firm like CC has, what their needs are from legal advisors, and how CC can nuance their offering to best meet those needs. You also have to consider that helping clients can't come at a debilitating cost to the firm. For example, it would 'help' clients to take 60% off their fees, but it would also cripple CC as a company. Things to consider might include nuanced pricing/ billing structures, leveraging technology to be more cost-effective, utilising the regional office for certain tasks, etc etc.

 

[LawStudent2000]

Hi,

In terms of question 1, I'm not quite sure what you mean here. Are you meaning in terms of how one might advise CC to leverage existing legal tech or develop new legal tech in some way? I'm aware that CC have a tech-orientated TC, is that what you're asking about? A little more info would be ideal to try and advise further.

For Q2, again this is quite open-ended and could be taken a number of different ways. I would really try and drill down on an analysis of what sort of clients a firm like CC has, what their needs are from legal advisors, and how CC can nuance their offering to best meet those needs. You also have to consider that helping clients can't come at a debilitating cost to the firm. For example, it would 'help' clients to take 60% off their fees, but it would also cripple CC as a company. Things to consider might include nuanced pricing/ billing structures, leveraging technology to be more cost-effective, utilising the regional office for certain tasks, etc etc.

Hi Jacob!

re: Question 1, yes this is in reference to the IGNITE TC. How could they leverage existing legal tech or develop new legal tech to solve client problems? I know that this is a question that comes up in Interviews and I'm not sure how to answer it. Their Legal Tech, CC Applied Solutions (cybersecurity and contract automation AI system Kira, etc)

re: Question 2, also in reference to the IGNITE TC. How do I prepare for the following question: "Using LegalTech solutions, how would you solve XXX issue?"

 

[LawStudent2000]

I know a couple of years back Clifford Chance focused on Mergers and Acquisitions. In January last year, at least one of them involved being given a case study bundle on restructuring/administration (particularly what happened with Thomas Cook). This consisted of a few FT and BBC articles.

Without giving too much away, things like CVAs, AI and even credit default swaps came up in one particular candidate's AC. The interviewer was also keen to know what else they know about administrations going on at the time.

In their feedback, they were told they fell down because they didn't know the big headline stories going on at the time (in this area) and what would interest lawyers. They should have also had a much clearer focus on understanding the perspective of the client.

@Alice G and I ran training sessions on insolvency/administration earlier this. I may run a future webinar on this and see if a few TCLA members want to participate in a mock case study (if they don't mind it being public!).

Thanks Jaysen!

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi Jacob!

re: Question 1, yes this is in reference to the IGNITE TC. How could they leverage existing legal tech or develop new legal tech to solve client problems? I know that this is a question that comes up in Interviews and I'm not sure how to answer it. Their Legal Tech, CC Applied Solutions (cybersecurity and contract automation AI system Kira, etc)

re: Question 2, also in reference to the IGNITE TC. How do I prepare for the following question: "Using LegalTech solutions, how would you solve XXX issue?"

Thanks for clarifying these!

More than happy to help, would you be able to share some of your initial thoughts for each point which we can then build off of?

 

[Lauren]

Thank you! I have also heard a frequent question is "how has Clifford Chance had to alter its services due to the pandemic?"

Would I expected to hone in on factors relevant to it as a business itself e.g digital signatures, greater use of technology?

Or talk about it terms of practices areas and clients? E.g more work in renewables

 

[LucyC]

In terms of approaching commercial-orientated interviews, I typically had 2 fairly full, fairly well-developed case studies that I would discuss. Typically, I'd look for them to both be quite different- for example, one transactional (e.g. a big merger or acquisition) and one contentious/ regulatory (for example a major court case, insolvency or regulatory change), and I would want both of them to be on the more complex side of things too rather than super simple. Sometimes I'd use something more political but I tended to err away from these as they run the risk of catching the interviewer's politics the wrong way.

Things that were super relevant during my assessment cycle, for perspective, included:
- Carrillion collapse
- Thomas Cook collapse
- Tiffany LVMH merger and subsequent dispute
- Google/ Amazon/ Starbucks UK tax issues
- Brexit regulatory climate
- US China trade wars

I would prep 2 for any given AC- research all hell out of them, read from a big variety of sources and develop a really good knowledge of the framework of the issue as well as making an effort to really understand the different commercial concerns of different stakeholders. I tended to find that the interview would only really focus on one but I quite liked being able to say "I'd be delighted to talk about X or Y, do you have a preference?" at the interview.

Little anecdote: someone I know very well was interviewing at a magic circle firm for a VS and they chose to do the Thomas Cook example as their case study. Get to the interview and it was the lead partner on the entire thing who was their interviewer! Personally my worst nightmare but they pulled it off and later got a TC there so can't have been too bad!

@Jacob Miller @Jaysen

I was wondering which news stories are import to look at in particular for this year?
Also, are there any practice areas (such as M&A or R&I) that could form a case study this year given COVID-19 and other business developments?

Thank you!

 

[Jacob Miller]

@Jacob Miller @Jaysen

I was wondering which news stories are import to look at in particular for this year?
Also, are there any practice areas (such as M&A or R&I) that could form a case study this year given COVID-19 and other business developments?

Thank you!

I detail a few in THIS article which could be an option for you.

In sum, it really depends on what approach you're looking to take to the question! I would personally be looking at things like market trends in light of the 'rona (discussed in the article), Arcadia Group collapse, etc.

 

[Habiba]

Thank you! I have also heard a frequent question is "how has Clifford Chance had to alter its services due to the pandemic?"

Would I expected to hone in on factors relevant to it as a business itself e.g digital signatures, greater use of technology?

Or talk about it terms of practices areas and clients? E.g more work in renewables

Hi Lauren, future CC trainee here. I would think for a question like this, it's more focused on the former, as it comes across as a commercial awareness question. You're going along the right lines with digital signatures and greater use of technology. Though, I would note that both those points fall under the same umbrella category of tech, so make sure you have at least 2/3 points under varying categories. This could be in terms of client service itself and CC emphasising its use of Relationship Managers during the pandemic, for instance. As a by the by, Relationship Managers are Partners who take care of CC's relationship with a client company. Hope this helps!

 

[Lauren]

Hi Lauren, future CC trainee here. I would think for a question like this, it's more focused on the former, as it comes across as a commercial awareness question. You're going along the right lines with digital signatures and greater use of technology. Though, I would note that both those points fall under the same umbrella category of tech, so make sure you have at least 2/3 points under varying categories. This could be in terms of client service itself and CC emphasising its use of Relationship Managers during the pandemic, for instance. As a by the by, Relationship Managers are Partners who take care of CC's relationship with a client company. Hope this helps!

Thank you!

 

[LucyC]

I detail a few in THIS article which could be an option for you.

In sum, it really depends on what approach you're looking to take to the question! I would personally be looking at things like market trends in light of the 'rona (discussed in the article), Arcadia Group collapse, etc.

Thank you so much!