Addleshaw Goddard Vacation Scheme – February 2025
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application
2. Critical thinking test
3. Telephone interview
3. Assessment centre
4. Vacation scheme
Which aspect does this report cover?
Vacation scheme assessment centre
Where did the assessment centre take place?
The firm's London office
What did the assessment centre involve?
1. Proofreading task: silent review of advice email to be sent by a partner to a client. (~15 minutes proofreading)
2. Group task: Supervised discussion with 4 other AC candidates followed by oral presentation to 2 partners and 1 grad rec (~10 minutes silent reading, ~20 minutes discussion, ~10 minutes presentation)
3. Partner briefing: oral presentation on advice I would give a client based on a fictional transactional scenario (~30 minutes reading and preparation time, ~30 minutes with 2 partners)
4. Partner interview: competency, motivation and commercial awareness questions (~45 minutes with 2 partners
Proofreading task
The task was a very simple proofread of an email a partner had drafted for a client. We were given some basic information on the client’s business to read through beforehand. There were very obvious spelling and grammatical errors and informational errors that would jump out of the page at you. For example:
I did not notice any particularly tricky mistakes and was told I did well on this task so it’s unlikely that there were any major issues I missed.
Group task
We were tasked with working in a group to suggest an initiative to a local counsel for them to improve the lives and welfare of a town with an emphasis on senior citizens.
We were each given identical background information and statistics, plus unique information on different initiatives. The background info included:
The initiative packs included details on:
After the 10-minute silent reading time, we had 20 minutes to discuss and advocate for our initiative to each other and agree on one to present on. The documents in the pack which we were all given essentially set out certain criteria which should influence our choice of initiative. My initiative ended up ticking the most boxes and was chosen so I took a leadership role, assigning sections to present on.
The presentation was quite short – 10 mins for 5 people to speak and no questions were asked after. For the entire group task, we were supervised by 2 partners and 1 grad recruiter.
Partner briefing
I was given a brief on a client which was an AI construction consultancy company with multiple stakeholders.
I was also given background information such as the company’s revenue split/employee split. I was then given 4 potential growth strategies for the company to choose between, considering the goals of the stakeholders. We had 30 minutes to discuss the below strategic options:
During the briefing, I was first asked to give a 5 minute (timed) summary of the client info and any further info we may need from them. I was then asked to go through the pros and cons of each strategy and give an overall suggestion. Throughout my presentation, I gave the partners multiple opportunities to ask questions but they didn’t ask any.
The partners subsequently gave me new information regarding the fourth strategy which suggested that it may be more lucrative than originally proposed. I then had to work through this info and explain whether it affected my suggestion.
Partner interview
Competency questions
Motivation questions
Legal and commercial awareness questions
The partner interview was conversational but there were fixed questions that were asked to each candidate. They did build on some of my responses, but not substantially.
What was the outcome?
The firm called the next day to tell me I had been unsuccessful.
Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?
I would recommend coming in fully refreshed as there was little to no break in between the tasks and the total AC was 4 hours long.
Addleshaw Goddard Vacation Scheme – February 2024
What was the full recruitment process?
1. ApplicationWhich aspect does this report cover?
Vacation scheme assessment centre.Where did the assessment centre take place?
The firm’s Manchester office (in person).
What did the assessment centre involve?
1. Proofreading exercise: 15 minutes to identify spelling, grammatical and factual errors in a document (mine was a case management document).The information provided about the assessment centre on the firm’s website was largely accurate and offered a good understanding of what the day would entail.
Group exercise
Each of the 5 people in the group were given a separate proposal for an initiative that a fictional client could pursue, as well as some general information that everyone had access to. The general information covered who the client was, what its objectives were, and its values. We had to present the pros and cons of our proposal whilst deciding collectively which was the best proposal for the client. No external knowledge was needed as it was a commercial exercise.
There was no prodding from our supervisors as to when our initial 10 minutes of reading were up, so our timekeeper had to remind us. We were reminded, however, when it was time to present. I don’t believe there were any follow-up questions following our group presentation on the proposals.
Briefing exercise
I was first given 30 minutes to read through the background case study materials, which included information about the client’s aims the options available to it, along with more detailed facts and figures later. I found there was quite a lot to get through, so it was not worth dwelling too much initially on the finer details. Instead, I made sure I had a solid overview of the pros and cons of each option.
It was a commercial exercise, not legal, but I did find having a solid foundational knowledge of business structures from business law modules helped to guide my evaluation (e.g. the impact of majority shareholders, and the role of different stakeholders).
The presentation exercise was split into two parts: part 1 was a presentation focused on the client’s aims and options (10 minutes); and part 2 was more of a discussion focusing on the pros and cons of each option, alongside questions from the interviewers (a partner and a legal director) and analysis of new information introduced (20 minutes).
I found the exercise to be a little overwhelming initially, considering the volume of background information. However, once in the presentation, the partners made me feel as comfortable as possible and genuinely seemed like they wanted me to succeed. My voice was shaky, but I was able to articulate myself which I think worked in my favour as showed I was nervous but knew what I was talking about. I think as I was able to back up my answers. I discussed my thought process throughout, as there wasn’t a definitive ‘right’ answer.
Partner interview
I found that a lot of this interview was based on understanding my skills and experiences and how these would make me a good trainee.
I was asked questions including:
I was asked fewer technical questions than I had expected. I would say they revolved around having a solid understanding of what a trainee does (their role in the team and day-to-day work), how the firm operates as a business, and the challenges facing law firms today (so standard commercial questions, nothing necessarily designed to trip you up).
What was the outcome?
The firm called me the first working day after the assessment centre to let me know I had been successful.
Addleshaw Goddard Vacation Scheme - February 2022
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application
2. Video interview
3. Assessment centre
4. Vacation scheme
5. Final training contract interview
Which aspect does this report cover?
Vacation scheme assessment centre
Where did the assessment centre take place?
The firm's London office (in person)
What did the assessment centre involve?
1. Written exercise: identify spelling and grammatical errors, inconsistencies and omissions (~15 minutes)
2. Group exercise: group discussion with 3 other candidates (10 minutes reading time, 20 minute group discussion, 10 minute presentation, assessed by 2 members of the graduate recruitment team)
3. Case study interview: commercial case study presentation and follow-up questions (~30 minutes with two partners)
4. General interview: competency, motivation and commercial awareness questions (~45 minute interview with 1 partner and 1 senior associate)
Group exercise
Each of the four people in my group were given a different piece of information. Based on this information, we had to choose from various options to determine which was the best for a fictional client to pursue. It was a commercial exercise (not legal), and no external knowledge was needed for the task; it is more about how you communicate and work in a team.
We took turns to speak and summarise for the group the information we were individually provided. We then collectively prepared our presentation, allocating different parts to different group members (e.g. intro, key points, conclusion).
Case study
I was first given ~15 minutes to read through a pack of background case study documents and take notes. These documents provided general business-related information, including background information about a hypothetical client, and potential benefits and drawbacks of proposed strategies/decisions that the client was considering pursuing (i.e. commercial information, not legal). The documents were not particularly complex or technical, but be sure to read them quickly to pick up on all potentially relevant information.
During my preparation time, I took notes and used a highlighter to make it easier to refer back to key points. I also wrote out a structure for my presentation in advance. I had to then deliver a 10 minute presentation to two partners, who then asked follow up questions based on the points I raised (for example “if X circumstances arise, what could the client do?”).
The case study was commercial, not legal, so try to learn about key business issues and strategies in advance, and think about what businesses must take into account when making decisions. The “A law firm’s role on transactions” and “Mergers and acquisitions” courses on the Commercial Law Academy helped me to identify some of the more subtle issues in the case study (which I then raised in my presentation), and helped me to consider these issues from a lawyer’s and a business’ perspective.
In general, I felt there were no “right” answers, although justifying your points/proposals is imperative. Be confident and personable throughout. It’s easy to feel nervous, but stay focused on the task at hand. Take time to think before answering questions, and keep your answers structured and concise. Don’t be afraid to stick to your views, even when they are challenged by your interviewers (unless they point out that you’re objectively wrong!).
General interview
Competency questions
I was asked a range of questions about my previous experiences and the skills I had developed as a result, including when have I worked in a team.
Motivation questions
I was also asked questions designed to test my motivation for pursuing a career in commercial law, and for wanting to work at Addleshaw Goddard in particular, including:
Commercial awareness questions
What was the outcome?
The firm called me the day after the assessment centre to offer me a place on the vacation scheme.