Hi guys, I have been receiving DMs regarding a post I made in last year's VC forum, offering advice to those taking the Clyde & Co VI. I am a Future Trainee at the firm for some context. I thought it might be easier to leave my advice here for all to see.
Ok, firstly,
I would say prepare for the standard set of questions. Why Us? Why law? Why commercial law? News topic and how it relates to the firm, etc., make sure they are not generic. No “I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer”. Link something personal to yourself and give an example. In regards to the news story, make sure you know what Clyde is. It’s an insurance firm. If your story has nothing to do with that don’t use it. Talk about automated vehicles or drones. Maybe plane crashes or marine disasters etc.
You should know why Clyde stands out. I would say this is easy as Clyde is very unique. It’s an industry-focused firm with a heavy focus on contentious disputes and insurance, not transactional (although it has small transactional wings in marine finance and aviation finance). Clyde Lawyers are constantly headhunted by other firms for their skills in Dispute resolution and insurance liability etc.
I would avoid mentioning transactional topics like M&A or finance etc. go straight for disputes and insurance etc. also mention it’s a sector-focused firm and not practice-orientated. Maybe bring in their insane expansion (trebled in size in a decade etc), particularly in America! And maybe mention tech adoption with data labs, Clyde & code smart contracts etc/ parametric insurance.
Also, prepare a ton of stories for your competency questions, and do not use all law answers. Don’t give all your examples from law societies or your law degree etc. use stories from your hobbies, sports, music etc. be yourself! Be fun. They don’t want boring people! Half of being a lawyer is being personable as you’re trapped in rooms with clients day in and day out and they don’t want a socially awkward person who only knows the law and nothing else haha. And always link your answer back to the firm and how it would help/fit in!
Remember, smile, look at the camera, and use your hands! Talk up! Use a nice camera and get good lighting/mic. This is massively important. If you sound boring you have no shot. If your smiling and look genuinely excited and happy that will go very far! Trust me, I know this from the feedback I got from partners during my TC interview. If you get to that part, it’s even more important!
I also think it's good to know who Clyde's competitors are and how they challenge Clyde for their specific client focus. Again, Clyde is an insurance firm at the end of the day. Don't say firms compete with Clyde just because they are also massive, or are also global. Think of firms like your HFWs, Kennedy's etc who also focus heavily on insurance, and get specific. Do any other firms focus on insurance for aviation/marine etc?
Moreover, tailor your commercial awareness to their focus. Think of how different issues affect the commercial world in an insurance and risk-focused way.
- An example - discuss the potential to use greener fuels in shipping trucks
- Discuss the real-world issues of employment shortages due to covid
- The Russian war blocking fuel supplies
I hope this helps guys! BTW the Clyde application is just a VI with some online tests mixed in. You will receive this VI a few days after you send in your APP so please research the firm before sending off this basic app (which only really includes your basic details) or you will be rushing in like 5 days to learn as much as you can about insurance which isn't the most relaxing time!
