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

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker
Hi Jessica! Would love to hear your thoughts on this;

Could you advise on how should a candidate incorporate "why you" throughout the former two sections of "why Freshfields" and "Why commercial law"? Does it essentially mean to be explicit about how certain aspects of Freshfields and commercial law is particularly interesting to myself, and use specific personal experiences to back them up?

Quite confused on this area.

Thank you so much Jessica!

Nothing much has changed in 10 years - this was the advice we were giving out in 2010. My only point is to not use STAR in the application form - you haven’t got the word count and it isn’t necessary to do so. Save that for the interview. (STAR does not work in applications unless you are explicitly asked the question “tell me about a time you have...).

The personal statement is exactly that - personal. You don’t have to weave in the why you into why them or why commercial law if you don’t want to. For some people it will work for others it won’t.

My advice with the FBD personal statement is to stop trying to find a perfect answer/structure and just focus on the perfect structure for your story.

You don’t necessarily need to have evidence for a “why them” or “why commercial law”. The evidence can just be clearly articulating you know what you are letting yourself in for.

 

[R203]

Nothing much has changed in 10 years - this was the advice we were giving out in 2010. My only point is to not use STAR in the application form - you haven’t got the word count and it isn’t necessary to do so. Save that for the interview. (STAR does not work in applications unless you are explicitly asked the question “tell me about a time you have...).

The personal statement is exactly that - personal. You don’t have to weave in the why you into why them or why commercial law if you don’t want to. For some people it will work for others it won’t.

My advice with the FBD personal statement is to stop trying to find a perfect answer/structure and just focus on the perfect structure for your story.

You don’t necessarily need to have evidence for a “why them” or “why commercial law”. The evidence can just be clearly articulating you know what you are letting yourself in for.

@Jessica Booker
Thanks Jessica! Thats really informative!

How would you suggest candidates articulate the "why you" portion without using STAR?

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker
Thanks Jessica! Thats really informative!

How would you suggest candidates articulate the "why you" portion without using STAR?

Just miss out the T and the A parts. You can even miss out the everything if the evidence is elsewhere on your application.

 

[R203]

Just miss out the T and the A parts. You can even miss out the everything if the evidence is elsewhere on your application.

@Jessica Booker
Would it be something like stating the skill I have (eg: teamwork) - and then talking about the result of my role as Treasurer of XYZ (Achieved increased revenue of X% through efficient coordination of events between 10-member committee)

I would not have to talk about the step-by-step of how I actually efficiently coordinated the events right? That would be too much of the Action portion?

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker
Would it be something like stating the skill I have (eg: teamwork) - and then talking about the result of my role as Treasurer of XYZ (Achieved increased revenue of X% through efficient coordination of events between 10-member committee)

I would not have to talk about the step-by-step of how I actually efficiently coordinated the events right? That would be too much of the Action portion?

You are over thinking this. The personal statement doesn’t have to be as specifically formulated as you are trying to suggest.

The above makes no sense as there is no context around it. It could work in one structure, it could look really out of place in another. It doesn’t mean one “structure” is right and the other is wrong though.

From what we used to say at FBD, you don’t need to claim the “teamwork” skill. You just show your evidence for it.

 

[R203]

@Jessica Booker

Thank you so much Jessica!

 

[Camilla]

Rejection from Dentons

 

[Lumree]

Rejection from Dentons

Onwards and upwards!

 

[JoNo]

Rejection from Dentons

Was this post-WG?

 

[Karin]

To anyone who has applied to Ashurst for Winter VS and got rejected without even doing the tests - apply again! I just resubmitted my app today and received the tests invite few hours after (probably automated), which seems to suggest it's automatic and I was rejected for winter for being too late

 

[Camilla]

Was this post-WG?

No it was before the WG stage!

 

[Serah O]

For Slaughter & May, Davis Polk, etc cover letters, can anyone advise if you should include your address and the firms?

 

[Jessica Booker]

For Slaughter & May, Davis Polk, etc cover letters, can anyone advise if you should include your address and the firms?

I would always use the formalities of a letter, unless it is a text box within an application form. Then, you will never get the formatting right (or it can be particularly difficult/prone to error), so then it can just be "Dear...." with subsequent paragraphs and sign off.

 

[Castelli99]

What was the clarified situation on the extent of Shearman & Sterling being rolling for the Winter VS please? I have applied for Spring and was wondering if it was that some people were invited to interview before the deadline, simply not made offers until after? Thanks in advance

 

[Jessica Booker]

What was the clarified situation on the extent of Shearman & Sterling being rolling for the Winter VS please? I have applied for Spring and was wondering if it was that some people were invited to interview before the deadline, simply not made offers until after? Thanks in advance

Post 8: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/ask-shearman-sterling-anything.1825/

 

[Long Dinh]

Hi, did they mention that they solely recruit candidates for their TCs from VS?

Thanks,

Judy

Hi Judy,

No they do recruit from direct TC applications, not solely from VS.

 

[Lawyerwithadream]

Hi Judy,

No they do recruit from direct TC applications, not solely from VS.

Thank you

 

[Olivia99]

Hi guys, anyone heard back from Squire Patton Boggs for the summer vacation scheme or know when to expect to hear back?

 

[Lily]

Hi everyone,
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! I have an upcoming Baker McKenzie video interview - I wondered if anyone has previous experience with what kind of questions to expect, and how best to prepare for it?

Thank you!

 

[BMtc22]

Hi all. Can someone please enlighten me as to how the 7 calendar days works? I had 7 calendar days from 24 December to complete tests. Does this mean I have until midnight tonight or 11:55pm tomorrow (31 Dec)?