Hey Guest, do you have a question for graduate recruitment? Gemma Baker from Willkie is live to answer your questions!
If it is only one it's highly unlikely you will be rejected only on this basis. I remember reviewing my cover letter before starting my VS and to my surprise I discovered two or three typos/grammar mistakes in my writing. Thus, in my experience the general rule that if the application is on the whole strong enough a small number of errors can be overlooked also applies at Davis Polk.
I would say yes if (i) you have learnt about and developed your interest in the industry during the application process and/or the AC itself; and (ii) getting to that AC was highly competitive, to the effect that this can be seen as an achievement worth mentioning. However, even if both conditions are met, if this is in an interview, I would take care to only bring it up in a context in which this feels natural - you do not want to look as if you are doing too much to try to brag.
As @RSK mentioned, most successful applications will have at least one minor mistake or typo, and I can tell you this was the case for me for 3/4 of the firms that gave me a VS offer. Moreover, from my experience it is highly uncommon for firms to review written applications again when deciding on VS offers post-AC. Even if they do, the written application will play such a minor part of the decision-making process when compared to the actual AC performance that I see virtually no chance of the typo mattering at all. Since it was consider minor enough to be overlooked when they were only assessing you based solely on the application, and the written application as a whole is now itself a minor factor in the weighing process, I think you should not worry about this at all
!I'm not a recruiter but even if the typo was really noticeable they still might not have picked on it. I think Jess mentioned on the forum that most of the applications that have been progressed will have minor errors but will show strength elsewhere in the application. Don't worry about it honestly
As @RSK mentioned, most successful applications will have at least one minor mistake or typo, and I can tell you this was the case for me for 3/4 of the firms that gave me a VS offer. Moreover, from my experience it is highly uncommon for firms to review written applications again when deciding on VS offers post-AC. Even if they do, the written application will play such a minor part of the decision-making process when compared to the actual AC performance that I see virtually no chance of the typo mattering at all. Since it was consider minor enough to be overlooked when they were only assessing you based solely on the application, and the written application as a whole is now itself a minor factor in the weighing process, I think you should not worry about this at all
hey congrats! Could i ask what your report said were your strengths and weaknesses? Thank you
Hey @futuretcholder . First of all, congratulations on securing the AC. You have done very well to get to that step.
With negotiation exercices, I would say the first tip is being mindful of how one comes across. It’s a negotiation -you‘re trying to meet a middle ground, so ensuring that the discussion is fruitful and not argumentative is a key skill. This is quite difficult to master, but with the right tone, approach, and demeanor, you’ll do great on this area.
The next is acknowledging both sides of the argument. A lawyer needs to understand their client, but also the client on the other side. This makes you appear as a well-rounded candidate. Briefly throw in a few pointers which show that you acknowledge and understand the other side too.
Structure, structure, structure! I can’t emphasize the importance of this enough. You need a clear structure to appear as a candidate with well-organized thoughts. This does so many things. For example, it shows the interviewer that the set preparation time for delving into the facts was more than enough for you to come back in with a reasoned position.
Above all - confidence. The more confident you are in your position as a negotiator, the more confident your answers will come across. This aspect of an AC tests things beyond your commercial acumen - it tests those soft skills that are often unspoken about.
Hope this helps, and let us know if you have any more questions
Hey @sjr22 , well done on getting the AC. In terms of preparations, I remember fishing out several articles when I had ACs coming up. After reading them, I’d make a summary of the main issues and their impacts on law firms and their clients. The reason this is a good starting point is because any written element will essentially require you to demonstrate an understanding of those two core elements, as well as an ability to summarise information adequately. You may not necessarily be asked about the legal and commercial implications in a written assessment, but this knowledge will serve you well one way or another.
So, practicing using random articles on the FT, for example, would aid your preparations. Hope this helps!
I also understand all the nerves, so take a moment before your assessment to recharge
Yay! Great news! I’ve included a few tips below. It’s a mix of technical and soft tips, and I believe both are equally important for success;
- Relax the night before. I don’t recommend preparing hefty content the day before as it tends to stir one‘s nerves up before the assessment.
- Research on how to ace the key components of the AC. Usually, this tends to be motivational, competency, and situational interviews, as well as commercial awareness interviews (CA). CA should be weaved in at any of the other interview types I mentioned, as it‘s a skill that should be highlighted naturally. Law firms value this heavily, as you can imagine. Lawyers in the commercial world are business advisors as well as legal advisors. Notice how the commerce part comes first in the term ‘commercial lawyer’ ?
- As a transactional focused law firm, I suspect the case study to be a corporate one. I also know this has been the case at A&O in the past. However, I am not completely certain about this. On tips to prepare for corporate case studies, see the two links below;
(NEW) Corporate Case Study Analysis
Hi everyone! I hope you’re all having a wonderful Sunday. As we get closer to more interviews and assessment centres (AC’s) I thought it would be helpful to include a new fictitious Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) case study analysis. Hope you enjoy the read, and feel free to pop any questions...www.thecorporatelawacademy.com
Mock M&A Case Study: Analysis
Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a fantastic day. We’re entering the season of assessment centres (ACs) at law firms, and a hot topic for many of these ACs is Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)! So, in this thread, I’ll be guiding you through a short fictitious M&A case study and highlighting...
- Confidence. I appreciate this may sound a bit flowery, but if you’re confident on your abilities to excel at the AC, it will reflect in the responses you give. You didn’t get the AC by chance, they saw potential in you. All that’s left to do now is to calm yourself and showcase those abilities.
- Know your motivations. When I was applying, I fell into the trap of only knowing what I put in my application form. As you can imagine, this is very bad as your motivations for why law, or why X firm, shouldn’t be solely contained in 300 words or less. I took time out to understand what was driving me and why. This solid understanding made communicating those passions at length in an interview very easy. So, understand these drivers of yours. On this, avoid talking about personal experiences too much. By personal, I mean attributing your passion for Big Law to rather generic things like a person, or the international reach, etc. Focus on being specific to your experiences. For example, started a business or worked in one? Done legal work experience? Why the business side of law, and not family or immigration? Literally differentiating between the various forms of law in the interview to say ‘I liked this cause.. I didn’t like this cause..’, helps craft a solid answer. Basically.. show your journey. Nobody woke up one day and decided to go into the profession - there would be drivers. Some will be more specific and professional than others, so focus on those.
- Presentation. This is a given, but coming in professionally dressed in a smart suit goes a long way. At the end of the day, it’s a clientele role.
Again, very well done on getting to this stage. I’m sure you’ll ace it!
literally just finished, one of the hardest vi's i have ever given. it was not at all what their practice test was like or what they said the questions would be like. so unexpected and i took SO much time for each question. im thinking they will just reject me just because of how long i took :/
