Faegre Baker Daniels Interview 2019

[Jaysen]

First round interview
Fairly relaxed, lots of opportunities to break some jokes. About half of the questions were CV-based, so make sure to review your application before the interview. Most of the questions were very specific to what I wrote, e.g. I put in my application that I was training martial arts and got into a long discussion about the details of my experience in this area - so don't lie in your application, they will test you!
I was interviewed by a partner and an associate. The interview lasted for a little over an hour. I received an invitation to the second round on the same day.

Examples of questions:
- Why did you decide to apply to us?
- Why did you decide on a career at law?
- Why did you choose your university?
- What are the disadvantages of working for the US law firm?
- What are the key attributes of a successful solicitor?
- How would you react if you saw your colleague being visibly distressed at work?
- Tell me about your biggest achievement.
- Tell me about a time when you contributed to the success of a team.
- What do you like to do if you had a rough day?
- If you could be a biscuit, which one would you be and why? (best.question.ever)
- If you were to have a dinner with any three people, who would you choose and why? (may that be historical figures, movie characters, family members, etc.)
- Present three arguments for no-deal Brexit and three against.

Second round interview
The first part was an interview with two senior partners. It was much shorter than the first one and also more "to the point". Questions revolved around motivation for career in law and other aspects of application so I cannot really sample the latter as they would be specific to the candidate.

Examples of questions:
- Why did you decide to study law?
- Why did you choose your university?
- What is your proudest achievement?
- Tell us about your time with us during your vacation scheme.

The second part was a case study in which I had to draft an email to a client. All necessary material was given and the scenario was rather straightforward. There were also three other additional "what if" questions for which only a very basic understanding of commercial law and some common sense were needed. I was given 1 hour to complete the task.
The firm came back with their decision a week later.

Huge thanks to @Dominika_95 for taking the time to share this.

 

[ripplealex253]

I previously completed a vacation scheme this summer at Faegre Drinker (Formerly Faegre Baker Daniels) and reached both rounds for the Training Contract starting 2026. I can confirm that the two stages detailed above remains largely accurate to the latest Training Contract interview structure. As I found the information above so helpful I thought it was only fair to give an updated version from my account of the interviews to give future applicants a fair chance

Pre-Vacation Scheme Interview
Unfortunately I didn't take any notes reflecting on this interview so will have to go off memory. The interview was online with only the firm's recruiter who asked about 6-8 questions. Nothing too out of the ordinary, classic motivational and competency based questions.

First Round Interview
Took place in-person with a partner and the recruiter. Lasted about 40 minutes with a wide range of questions including delving into past experiences alongside classic motivational and competency based questions.

Curveball questions include:
- What irritates you most about yourself?
- How would you handle bullying in the workplace?
- Give 3 Pros and 3 Cons of AI
- What other firms have you applied to?
- If you could spend a day 3 people who would they be?
- What books have you read recently?
- What core values will you instil in your children as a parent? (Random, I Know)

Second Round Interview
Took place in-person with the managing partner and another partner. Lasted about 30 mins so was a bit more concise and a bit more direct to motivations (Why law, why the firm) and competencies (When have you worked in a team / handled difficult clients). Again, expect to be questioned on past experiences. Was also accompanied by a written exercise.

At each stage the firm were very quick with their decision which was appreciated. Generally interviewers were personable and encouraging, but the feedback following the process was short and unhelpful, which meant takeaways from the interview process were largely limited to self-reflection. It would be good if the firm could put their support for candidates into practice by providing them with detailed and genuine insights to take from the interview process, especially if candidates reach such an advanced stage in the process where there should be plenty to dissect about their performance.

I would also like to mention the fact that during the vacation scheme approachability was a mixed bag, many of the firm's associates and trainees were keen to chat but once instance stands out of when a trainee asked me a question about my background and I was midway through answering her question and she took a phone call and walked off. In any setting decorum like that is unacceptable, but especially when the trainee should have been making us vac schemers feel welcome.