Ropes & Gray application question

[sl399]

Hi everyone,

I've been doing research for R&G's commercial question What three proposals would you make to the Partnership if you were Chairperson of Ropes & Gray? (500 words) for several days now but still haven't managed to write anything
I want to somehow write about their strategic focus on PE and their strong women's initiatives but I don't want to make any 'wild' proposals supposedly to the partnership... Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Jessica Booker]

neither of them sound wild to be honest. You have to be careful to not talk about what they have already done though - more about what they should be doing.

As long as you can justify your proposals, I doubt anything will be that wild (its a law firm after all). But even then the firm may want you to think differently - they seem to suggest they want people with a growth mindset and individual talent, and so proposals that are really safe are less likely to hit those aspects anyway.

 

[sl399]

neither of them sound wild to be honest. You have to be careful to not talk about what they have already done though - more about what they should be doing.

As long as you can justify your proposals, I doubt anything will be that wild (its a law firm after all). But even then the firm may want you to think differently - they seem to suggest they want people with a growth mindset and individual talent, and so proposals that are really safe are less likely to hit those aspects anyway.

Ok, thank you so much! Do you think it is a good idea to make comparisons to other law firms and how their strategies are successful?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Ok, thank you so much! Do you think it is a good idea to make comparisons to other law firms and how their strategies are successful?

Could do but I would try to think more creatively rather than just saying you should do something another firm has already done.

And just because a firm has done something, doesn’t mean that they would also be successful. Your analysis will need to consider why it would also be successful for R&G.

 

[Manifesting]

I just looked at the application and it seems like there is no work experience/extra-curricular/etc. section? Does the firm select applicants for interviews/ACs solely on the basis of grades and the 500-word commercial question?

 

[JJP]

I just looked at the application and it seems like there is no work experience/extra-curricular/etc. section? Does the firm select applicants for interviews/ACs solely on the basis of grades and the 500-word commercial question?

Bumping this post - is there anyone who's previously been successful with R&G who can shed some light on this?

 

[CDKelley]

neither of them sound wild to be honest. You have to be careful to not talk about what they have already done though - more about what they should be doing.

As long as you can justify your proposals, I doubt anything will be that wild (its a law firm after all). But even then the firm may want you to think differently - they seem to suggest they want people with a growth mindset and individual talent, and so proposals that are really safe are less likely to hit those aspects anyway.

To add to the earlier question: should we explain the problem that we want to address and R&G's current approach? Or should we just jump straight into our proposals?

 

[HorsesForCoursesNeighNeighNeigh]

Hi everyone, I'm currently tackling this one, thanks for all the advice upthread--definitely a Q that gets you thinking!

 

[Bethany]

Has anyone got through with Ropes & Gray? I have also had difficulty with this question and terrified of submitting my application. Any advice or insight would be appreciated ☺️

 

[Rob93]

Has anyone got through with Ropes & Gray? I have also had difficulty with this question and terrified of submitting my application. Any advice or insight would be appreciated ☺️

I think (though I don't know) that they look at everything after the deadline.
My approach has been to look at trends/issues in PE, how they relate to Ropes' current offering and what the firm might do to add value and/or increase business.

 

[LegalLily]

I’ve just realised there’s about 5 ACs, possibly more, happening for Ropes and mine earlier this week had a good few people on :/

So competitive considering they have like 6 TCs....

 

[Daisy D]

I’ve just realised there’s about 5 ACs, possibly more, happening for Ropes and mine earlier this week had a good few people on :/

So competitive considering they have like 6 TCs....

Any chance you could shed some light on the day? The amount of exercises is a little daunting... Completely appreciate if not

 

[LegalLily]

Any chance you could shed some light on the day? The amount of exercises is a little daunting... Completely appreciate if not

They were pretty strict on us not saying anything detailed . So all I will say is that the interview was very relaxed, negotiation and written very straightforward. The elevator pitch is actually very short and honestly no where near as scary as I thought it would be, it’s actually very fun. My advice would be prepared to be confident and bold during negotiation as the standard of my AC was very high. Don’t get too bogged down on practising a ton of competency, work on how you come across as I sense personality is what they are looking for. I think that’s where I fell down as I was so focused on learning technicalities of private equity and why ropes.

Good luck!!

 

[Daisy D]

They were pretty strict on us not saying anything detailed . So all I will say is that the interview was very relaxed, negotiation and written very straightforward. The elevator pitch is actually very short and honestly no where near as scary as I thought it would be, it’s actually very fun. My advice would be prepared to be confident and bold during negotiation as the standard of my AC was very high. Don’t get too bogged down on practising a ton of competency, work on how you come across as I sense personality is what they are looking for. I think that’s where I fell down as I was so focused on learning technicalities of private equity and why ropes.

Good luck!!

Aw thank you so so much! I really appreciate this, think it's so easy to get trapped in over-researching so this is super helpful. I can relate so much to focusing too hard on becoming a PE expert haha but I'm sure you did great!

Thank you again!!