Hearing Back from Law Firms, Assessment Centres & Interview Tips - 2019 - 2020

Status
Not open for further replies.

NatAsh

Active Member
Jun 5, 2019
12
4
Hey everyone! Has anyone heard anything from Reed Smith re Assessment Centre invites? Has anyone also heard from Pinsents and Travers Smith?

I am still waiting to hear back from Pinsent too. It said on their website that the AC will take place during Aug so :/ not sure if the fact that we haven't heard is a good sign but...

Do update me if you hear back though please and I will do the same.
 
Last edited:

ELA

Valued Member
Premium Member
Junior Lawyer
Jan 20, 2019
113
98
I've got my first TC interview next week.

Is there a page/thread somewhere that has a list of questions to prepare by any chance? I have ideas of course, but I'm wondering if there's somewhere I could find more.

Thanks :)
 

Alice G

Legendary Member
Future Trainee
Forum Team
M&A Bootcamp
Nov 26, 2018
1,731
4,184
  • 🤝
Reactions: ELA

Alice G

Legendary Member
Future Trainee
Forum Team
M&A Bootcamp
Nov 26, 2018
1,731
4,184
Wow there are a lot on questions on this page :D:eek: Exceeded my expectations.

There are indeed!! Don’t be too daunted though. What I did was I copied all the questions in a word doc and wrote a sentence referring to what my answer would be should it come up/wrote the specific scenario I’d use for competency questions. It also really helps to flesh out the tricker ones in more depth though- maybe try formulating the structure of an answer for those rather than just a bullet point say.

I know there are so many but if you manage to write something down for each one, it’s likely you’ve really covered your back and will feel so confident in your answers going into the interview. Let me know if I can offer any further guidance on prep, more than happy to help where I can :)
 
  • ℹ️
Reactions: Jaysen

ELA

Valued Member
Premium Member
Junior Lawyer
Jan 20, 2019
113
98
There are indeed!! Don’t be too daunted though. What I did was I copied all the questions in a word doc and wrote a sentence referring to what my answer would be should it come up/wrote the specific scenario I’d use for competency questions. It also really helps to flesh out the trickier ones in more depth though- maybe try formulating the structure of an answer for those rather than just a bullet point say.

I know there are so many but if you manage to write something down for each one, it’s likely you’ve really covered your back and will feel so confident in your answers going into the interview. Let me know if I can offer any further guidance on prep, more than happy to help where I can :)

Yes, those are great ideas! I think I might do flashcards just because I like them. I think I will also practise actually saying some of the answers because I realised during my VS Skype interview that even though I had prepared questions on paper, it wasn't coming out quite the way I wanted. The interview is on Friday 16th so I feel like I have a lot of time. I'm mostly excited.

I think it's also training your brain to come up with answers to as broad a range of questions as possible, so as to be be able to respond to a question that is impossible to prepare. I had questions I was very unprepared for during the Skype interview, because they were so 'random', and I found that tricky.
 

Jaysen

Founder, TCLA
Staff member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Premium Member
M&A Bootcamp
  • Feb 17, 2018
    4,717
    8,627
    Yes, those are great ideas! I think I might do flashcards just because I like them. I think I will also practise actually saying some of the answers because I realised during my VS Skype interview that even though I had prepared questions on paper, it wasn't coming out quite the way I wanted. The interview is on Friday 16th so I feel like I have a lot of time. I'm mostly excited.

    I think it's also training your brain to come up with answers to as broad a range of questions as possible, so as to be be able to respond to a question that is impossible to prepare. I had questions I was very unprepared for during the Skype interview, because they were so 'random', and I found that tricky.

    I think that's one of the best ways to prepare. Many candidates really know their stuff on paper, but it can be a struggle to articulate that aloud and in the pressure of an interview.

    PS: The questions in that guide lean on the harder side, but in the real thing, you should get a combination of straightforward interview questions together with some harder ones!
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Alice G and ELA

    LawGal

    Well-Known Member
    Sep 13, 2018
    23
    9
    Yes, yesterday I also received an AC invite from Freshfields, I think for me there were 4 slot options and the last one was on the 8th of August.

    Hi,

    How long did you have to complete the Watson Glaser test? Was it 30mins to complete 40 questions?
    Also Freshfields said to complete it 'by Wednesday 7th August' - do you know if this is close of business or midnight on the 7th?

    Thanks in advance!
     

    Naomi98

    Active Member
    Premium Member
    Jun 25, 2019
    12
    2
    Hi,

    How long did you have to complete the Watson Glaser test? Was it 30mins to complete 40 questions?
    Also Freshfields said to complete it 'by Wednesday 7th August' - do you know if this is close of business or midnight on the 7th?

    Thanks in advance!
    Yes it was 30mins 40 questions. Sorry I dont know about the deadline, I did mine two days before my deadline
     
    • 🤝
    Reactions: LawGal

    Jessica Booker

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Graduate Recruitment
    Premium Member
    Forum Team
    Aug 1, 2019
    14,403
    20,082
    Hi,

    How long did you have to complete the Watson Glaser test? Was it 30mins to complete 40 questions?
    Also Freshfields said to complete it 'by Wednesday 7th August' - do you know if this is close of business or midnight on the 7th?

    Thanks in advance!

    Will be 23.59 - systems are typically not that sophisticated for specific hour cut offs.

    I wouldn’t leave it that late though - your mental capacity that late at night isn’t going to go at its best (unless you’re nocturnal).
     
    Reactions: Daniel Boden

    Jaysen

    Founder, TCLA
    Staff member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    M&A Bootcamp
  • Feb 17, 2018
    4,717
    8,627
    Hi Jaysen, what do you think is the appropriate length of time candidates should spend when answering an interview question?

    Depends on the question (e.g. a competency answer will likely last longer than discussing your biggest weakness), as well as how quickly you speak. Most answers will probably be between 30 and 2 minutes. If it's less, that's OK as long as you check you're developing your answers properly. If it's more, you'll want to make sure what you're saying isn't dragging on unnecessarily.
     
    Last edited:

    Jessica Booker

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Graduate Recruitment
    Premium Member
    Forum Team
    Aug 1, 2019
    14,403
    20,082
    Depends on the question (e.g. a competency answer will likely last longer than discussing your biggest weakness), as well as how quickly you speak. Most answers will probably be between 30 and 2 minutes. If it's less, that's OK as long as check you're developing your answers properly. If it's more, you'll want to make sure what you're saying isn't dragging on unnecessarily.

    Candidates will typically feel like time is going a lot quicker than the interviewer too. So a candidate’s perception of what 30 seconds to 120 seconds might be is likely to be skewed.

    But at the same time I wouldn’t worry to much about time. I’d worry more about quality, focus and structure.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Jaysen and Daniel Boden

    Brandon93

    Valued Member
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    M&A Bootcamp
    Sep 25, 2018
    118
    112
    Candidates will typically feel like time is going a lot quicker than the interviewer too. So a candidate’s perception of what 30 seconds to 120 seconds might be is likely to be skewed.

    But at the same time I wouldn’t worry to much about time. I’d worry more about quality, focus and structure.


    Thank you to both of for your responses. That was very helpful. I know this may sound silly but the reason I asked was that when it comes to commercial awareness questions I don't know whether to keep it short and precise or spend time demonstrating I understand the topic I am talking about in depth. I'll appreciate any feedback on this, thanks again.
     

    Shane O'Hanlon

    Star Member
    Feb 8, 2019
    35
    18
    Hey guys, anyone here get an AC with NRF ? Good bit past the deadline so I assume it's a rejection. Was surprised that they wouldn't have let me know...especially since I sent in my app the day applications open. Quite frustrating. Also still no news from Travers. Assume that's the same for everybody else as well.
     

    Jessica Booker

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Graduate Recruitment
    Premium Member
    Forum Team
    Aug 1, 2019
    14,403
    20,082
    Thank you to both of for your responses. That was very helpful. I know this may sound silly but the reason I asked was that when it comes to commercial awareness questions I don't know whether to keep it short and precise or spend time demonstrating I understand the topic I am talking about in depth. I'll appreciate any feedback on this, thanks again.

    There’s no fixed answer to this - it really depends on the question. But typically with commercial awareness questions it is important to show your thinking - how you got to that conclusion, rather than just stating the conclusion. Just keep focus - where people go wrong is that they go off on a tangent as they try to show “too much” commercial awareness
     
    Status
    Not open for further replies.

    About Us

    The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

    Newsletter

    Discover the most relevant business news, access our law firm analysis, and receive our best advice for aspiring lawyers.