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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ram Sabaratnam" data-source="post: 185513" data-attributes="member: 36738">Howdy [USER=33582]@Bread[/USER] Amazing job on reaching your first AC! I still remember how nerve-racking my first one was in January 2023, so I completely understand how you might be feeling. You’re already doing great by preparing ahead! [USER=36740]@Amma Usman[/USER] and [USER=36777]@Andrei Radu[/USER] will undoubtedly have more to say, but here are some insights based on resources and support I received here at TCLA.Understand What You're Being Assessed On: Assessment centres at commercial law firms evaluate various qualities, including attention to detail, teamwork, motivations for commercial law and the firm, problem-solving skills, adaptability, commercial awareness, and cultural fit with the firm. If you know which tasks you'll face (e.g., case study, partner interview, written exercise, negotiation, or group exercise), think about which skills each task is likely to assess. This can guide your preparation so that you can focus on relevant areas. For instance, if you’ll be doing a case study, practising similar exercises beforehand can be really helpful (I had to practice several case studies with TCLA to really understand the types of skills these tasks typically involved). Likewise with written exercises and specific types of interviews.Get the Basics Right: Having a strong grasp of the basics will go a long way. Motivational interviews often come up, so be sure you can confidently answer “why law,” “why this firm,” and “why you.” While I definitely faced unexpected or curveball questions, knowing my answers to these very basic questions helped me navigate the rest of the interview more smoothly. Think about structuring your responses in a way that shows off your thought process, motivation, and research into the firm. To help you answer these sorts of questions, I'd skim through these links <a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/interview-advice-sorry-for-another-thread.467/#post-1803" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/why-law-vs-why-commercial-law.892/" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/researching-firms-clients-and-deals.394/#post-1536" target="_blank">here</a>. If there's any particular questions about sectors/industries or a firm, feel free to ask them here and we'll try our best to give you support.Reflect on Your Experiences: Prepare examples from different aspects of your background that demonstrate qualities such as teamwork, resilience, communication, and initiative. One mistake I made in my early ACs was relying too much on a narrow range of experiences, often from my current role or legal work. This limited my answers and sometimes made them sound repetitive. As a career changer, I failed to appreciate that my varied background is a strength, not a weakness. I'd recommend drawing on experiences from different areas of your life—whether that’s from previous careers, volunteer work, or even hobbies.Interviews: Be ready to discuss why you’re pursuing a career in commercial law, why you chose this specific firm, and (if relevant) why you’re interested in working in the UK. Have examples ready that demonstrate your motivation and make sure your answers are backed by your research into the firm’s work, values, and culture. Practise discussing these points naturally to avoid sounding rehearsed. I'd often ask my partner and friends to ask me questions from this INCREDIBLE <a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/175-training-contract-interview-questions-2/" target="_blank">interview question bank</a> on TCLA. Also, [USER=1]@Jaysen[/USER] once gave me excellent advice - if you make a mistake or notice that your answer isn't quite the best, it's perfectly fine to ask the interviewers if you can start again or let them know that you'd actually like to change your answer entirely. This can actually show a level of thoughtfulness and maturity!Written Exercises and Drafting: These exercises typically test your written communication skills and attention to detail. If you’re tasked with identifying mistakes in a document, aim to spot as many as you can within the time given. Don’t stress if you don’t catch them all—sometimes even a score that seems low to you can be above the group average. At one firm, I was told that I'd spotted 19/53 errors and apparently this was on the higher end. Alternatively, if your written exercise involves giving advice to a hypothetical client, focus on being clear, structured, and logical in your writing. The assessors are looking at how you communicate complex information, rather than testing your legal knowledge specifically. So the key for these sorts of written exercises involve ensuring you are concise, have good structure, and focus on giving advice or practical actions for the hypothetical client to consider.Group Exercises: The key here is to contribute meaningfully while respecting and collaborating with others. Aim to make productive suggestions, listen to your teammates, and guide the conversation back on track if it starts to drift. Try to balance offering your ideas with encouraging quieter members to share their thoughts (In one of my ACs, we were all actually told that we hadn't done much to include a member of the group who was relatively quiet). I'd also recommend <a href="https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/law/be-your-best-self-law-assessment-centre-group-exercise" target="_blank">this link</a> for further information about group exercises.Case Studies: I really encourage anyone doing a case study to read <a href="https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/definitive-guide-to-law-firm-case-studies-monday-article-series.3232/" target="_blank">this thread</a> by Jacob Miller. Alongside practising in advance, it offered significant insight into what I was going to potentially face. I think the most important thing to remember is walking your interviewers through your reasoning step by step. This will show them how you would solve problems or analyse a question with the information you've been given.Things Not to Worry About: ACs are already hard enough on their own, and so I'd encourage you to focus on your own performance. Everyone’s nervous, and your effort is what counts. In terms of your own performance, it's perfectly fine to make mistakes. For my first AC, I made tons of mistakes, and this was completely understandable as I'd never done one before. If you make a mistake, try not to dwell on it too much. Acknowledge the error if you feel like you must, but quickly shift your focus back to the task. Remember, assessors aren’t looking for flawless candidates, so give it your best.Good luck 🫶</blockquote>

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