Has anyone done an AC with
Dechert? What can I expect and how is the written assessment?
Hey, I did one last year!
It is actually quite fun. You have a starting meeting w grad rec and then a q&a with one trainee. This was actually quite intense and even though he reminded me to not take it too seriously, the questions were quite imploring. I am pretty sure this is an assessed part of the day, but do double check. For the Q&A, just ensure you have all your research of the firm down and also know your motivations etc. Also, have questions to ask obviously!
The second interview is with another Grad Rec member and an Associate. This is the commercial awareness quiz. I would say look over exchange rates, different business structures i.e. incorporation, LLP etc. Also, key commercial definitions and regulatory bodies. This is also the competency interview so make sure you have a nice array of examples to say.
Finally, the last interview is w a partner and an associate. The partner read the scenario of the case study to me and went from asking basic questions about the case study to more challenging ones. He changed the scenario and made it more complicated etc. You will be pushed but just use your common sense. If you have a truly sound understanding of businesses and transactions etc, you will be more than fine! I probably faltered there because my knowledge was a little superficial and I was way too nervous. The case study for me was a JV but not sure if they will change it again. Then, once we exhausted the case study, we moved onto motivations and questions about myself.
The written case study was quite straightforward. There was an email and I had to read through some legislation and a contract. The client wanted to know if they could do x y and z and there were also other issues etc. The case study on TCLA is really good practice for timing and reading. Just have a clear structure with an executive summary and headings etc.
Best of luck!