Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.
November 2021
Please specify what the interview was for.
Training Contract 2024
Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.
10 am, arrival.
10:15 am, received by Graduate Recruitment.
10:30 am, escorted to meeting room and briefed on the written exercise.
10:45 am, written exercise.
11:45 am, escorted back to waiting area.
11:55 am, greeted by interviewing partner and escorted to interview room.
11:55 am, interview with two partners.
1:00 pm, received by current trainee at the end of interview for a firm tour.
1:30 pm, firm tour completed, and handed off to Graduate Recruitment for HR interview.
1:35 pm, HR interview.
1:50 pm, interview finished.
Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.
1) Written exercise (~ 60 mins): Presented with a bundle containing a variety of sources, e.g., memos, news clippings, survey reports, etc (~ 10 pages). Tasked with reading through the material and drafting a letter advising the client on the best strategy for their company.
2) Article discussion (10 mins + 20 mins): Given 10 minutes to read an opinion piece. Latter portion of the partner interview involved a discussion on the article.
3) Partner interview (~65 mins): Interview with 2 partners. Questions focused on CV and motivations. 4) HR interview (~30 mins): Questions invited candidates to reflect on the day, or were motivation based.
Please list any interview questions you were asked.
1) Your CV is most unusual; would you agree with that assessment?
2) Do you see yourself maintaining a professional life in the UK?
3) Why commercial law?
4) How do you justify your grade in this module?
5) Why did you apply to
Slaughter and May?
6) Have there been any modules you’ve enjoyed more than others at university?
7) Can you summarise this article in three sentences?
8) Have you applied to other firms? (Follow-ups: Why have you applied to X firm?; You participated in Y’s vac scheme, why do you think you were unsuccessful in getting a TC offer from them?).
9) Have there been any commercial developments that have caught your attention?
10) How do you keep commercially aware?
11) What do you hope to achieve by qualifying as a commercial lawyer?
12) Tell me about your extracurricular interests? (Follow-ups: You seem to be involved in quite a few activities - how do you manage your time?)
13) Have you watched any shows or films recently?
What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.
1) Written exercise: This exercise is designed to test your time management, written communication, commercial awareness, problem analysis, and persuasion. There is a lot of information to consider, and you need to demonstrate you've considered it all. I would suggest skimming through the bundle before planning your answer, so you have a general understanding of the scenario. Upon planning, of course, refer back to the bundle to extract key bits of detail. Secondly, I would suggest prioritising dept over breadth. You are being assessed for problem analysis and persuasion. Detailed analysis demonstrates the latter more effectively than an answer which considers all the issues but in a cursory fashion. Thirdly, you will likely be given the option of either writing or typing your answer. I would suggest typing. Not only is it generally quicker, but it ensures your work is neat. Your answer will also be assessed for commercial awareness. However, the task is designed so that it doesn't require you to demonstrate it, i.e., you may feel you have all the relevant material in the bundle. Try to incorporate commercial knowledge into your answer. Fifth, even if you can't submit a 'finished' answer, ensure you submit a 'complete' answer. Lastly, always ask yourself, 'how can I make the reader's life easier?'. Whether this means you bold key dates and figures, avoid ornamented language, have a summary at the top, always strive to make your document accessible.
2) Article discussion: You are being tested for whether you can assimilate information quickly, identify the relevant issues and articulate and defend your point of view. I would suggest giving the whole piece a thorough read before you do anything else. Only begin underlining and annotating on the second pass. You'll most likely be given a piece which invites debate, so if you feel somewhat ambivalent after reading it, give it another go - you're probably missing something! The partners will likely begin the discussion by asking you to summarise the article. This is a skill. Reading and summarising pieces in the weeks leading up to the interview helped me feel a lot more confident. Lastly, don't be afraid to defend your views. If the partner voices their disagreement, don't assume it's because you're wrong. Listen to their argument, see how it interacts with yours, and respond accordingly - if you feel your view is correct, say so - defend it! However, be mindful of a couple of things: be firm in your views, but not stubborn (e.g., if you realise a flaw in your argument, there is no harm in admitting it), and never be rude or unprofessional.
3) Partner interview: Expect to be challenged. The partners will likely probe everything you say, so it's perhaps not the best idea to learn answers to key questions, for the partner might simply ask you to move beyond those. Instead, I would suggest (as cliched as this sounds) spending a good deal of time reflecting on your experiences and motivations. Your conviction is what will be most persuasive. Secondly, know your CV inside out. There should be nothing on your CV that you aren't prepared to talk about in detail; why did you participate in X, what did you learn, what were the outcomes, etc. Lastly, the partners are also likely testing your resilience. Try not to be fazed if they disagree with your views, ask you to justify, or seem set on drilling down on a particular point. Keep calm and keep smiling! 4) HR interview: I found this to be the least intense part of the day. This is a great opportunity to show your self-awareness; e.g., if you made a mistake during the task, you could mention this and say how you would improve next time if you were to do it again. Be as honest as possible and again give as much detail as you can.
Overall: keep calm, keep conscientious, and keep smiling! Good luck!
Were you successful?
Yes
