Ashurst Vacation Scheme – October 2024

What was the full recruitment process?

1. Application: 4 questions
2. Psychometric Test: Uses the Cognify assessment which is a game-based test that measures various cognitive abilities through interactive mini-games. Includes Values Fit test, math/problem solving/analytical test, and emotify, which matches faces to emotions. 
3. Online written case study
4. Assessment centre: interview
5. Vacation scheme 

Which aspect does this report cover?

Online written case study and the interview for the vacation scheme assessment centre

Where did the assessment center take place?

The case study was online, and the interview was held in person in the firm’s London office.  

What did the assessment center involve?

1. Written case study exercise: this involved an online business case study which we had to pass in order to progress to the second part of the assessment center (1 hour)

2. Trainee panel questions and tour: this was not assessed and was an informal discussion with two trainees. It provided the interviewees with the opportunity to learn more about the firm and ask any questions. 

3. Interview: this was a a mix of competency, motivation, and commercial awareness questions (~45 minute interview with 1 senior associate and 1 graduate recruiter).

Written exercise

This stage took place about two weeks before the final interview, and passing it was necessary to move forward in the process. Candidates joined a monitored Zoom call, but the camera could be turned off.

I was given a template with set questions to answer, all based on a case study about an acquisition. The task involved analysing two potential acquisition targets, weighing the risks and opportunities of each, and ultimately making a recommendation. The firm made it clear that the case study couldn't be discussed outside of the process, so this is as much detail as I can share. It is important however to incorporate any recent trends that you are aware of in order to demonstrate your commercial awareness.  

Interview

The interview was an hour long and the interviewers had a set number of questions they had to ask. It included a mix of competency, motivation and commercial awareness questions. 

Competency questions 

These questions focused on my previous experiences and the skills I had gained from them, including:

• Tell me about a time where you showed leadership.
• Tell me about a time when you set a demanding goal and the efforts you made to achieve it. 
• Tell me about a time when you adapted to a challenge.
• Tell me about a time you received feedback that was confronting.
• How do you manage pressure and overcome any setbacks you may face.
• Tell me about a time you had to work with someone with a different working style than your own. 
• Tell me about a time you have demonstrated curiosity and empathy.

Motivation questions

These questions tested my motivation to join the firm and required a deep understanding of the role, including:

• Why commercial law in particular?
• Why Ashurst?
• What do you think you will be doing on the vacation scheme, and what skills do you hope to gain?

Commercial awareness questions

• What are the biggest risks and opportunities inherent within the legal system?
• How does this impact Ashurst’s clients?
• Discuss a commercial news story you have been following and the impact it has on Ashurst and its clients.  

What was the outcome?

The firm informed me after two weeks that I was unsuccessful. 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?

Since the questions are the typical motivation, competency and commercial awareness questions, it is important to practice. Use the STAR method when answering some of these questions as it makes it easier for the interviewers to follow. Make sure you demonstrate strong commercial awareness throughout your interview as well. The interview itself is very relaxed so try and build a strong rapport with your interviewers. Smile!

Also, make sure you really engage with the trainee tour as you are provided with details that you can add to your interview answers, especially when answering why the firm and talking about its culture. 

Ashurst Vacation Scheme – February 2024

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application: 3 questions

2. Psychometric test: 3 “Revelian” game-based assessments: Ashurst Values Fit test, Cognify maths/problem solving/analytical skills test; and Emotify test, which involved matching faces to emotions

3. Online written case study

4. Assessment centre (interview)

5. Vacation scheme 

6. Training contract interview 

Which aspect does this report cover?

Online written case study and vacation scheme assessment centre (interview).

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

Online (case study) and London office (interview).

What did the assessment centre involve?      

1. Written case study exercise: this was a business case study, which we had to pass in order to reach the second part of the assessment centre (15 minutes reading time, 45 minutes writing time) 

2. Trainee panel questions and tour: informal discussion with two trainees. It was very friendly and provided the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the firm (~60 minutes)

3. Interview: competency, motivation, commercial awareness, and situational judgment questions (60-minute interview with 1 senior associate and 1 graduate recruiter)

Written exercise 

This took place a couple of weeks before the interview and was effectively the first stage of the assessment centre. We were monitored on a zoom call while working through the exercise. 

It included a business scenario with two acquisition targets and the opportunity to recommend a final acquisition decision to a fictional client, whilst outlining the potential risks associated with each option. The firm specifically mentioned that this part should not be discussed outside the interview – I want to respect the firm’s wishes, so this is the furthest level of detail I can go into.

Interview

Competency questions 

I was asked a range of questions about my previous experiences and the skills I had developed as a result, including:

• Tell me about a time where you showed leadership.
• How (in this situation and generally) do you deal with difficult people when working in a team?
• How do you differ your communication approach when presenting to different types of people? (this question was off the back of me talking about experiences teaching).
• Tell me about a time where you experienced failure.
• Tell me about a time when you have had to juggle competing responsibilities.

Motivation questions 

I was also asked questions designed to test my motivation for applying for the vac scheme and wanting to work at Ashurst in particular, as well as my understanding of the role. These included:

• Why commercial law?
• Why Ashurst? 
• Which other firms have you applied to?
• What do you think you will be doing on the vacation scheme? 
• What skills are needed to succeed during the vacation scheme? 

They also asked me to go into detail about my degree choice (essentially questioning why I had studied a non-law degree, and asking which skills I had developed as a result).

Situational judgment questions

The interviewer outlined three scenarios and asked how I would respond in each. These included:

• A partner is away on holiday and you are working in the office without any of your team around you. A client contacts you directly – how do you deal with this?
• You sent an email containing confidential information to the wrong person. What do you do? 

Commercial awareness questions

• What are the main challenges that the legal industry will face in the next 5 years? 
• How will these challenges specifically impact Ashurst/its clients?
• Discuss a commercial issue/news story you have been following and discuss the consequences which this would have for Ashurst/its clients?

What was the outcome?

The firm called me 8 days after the assessment centre to tell me I had been successful. 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?

I found this interview to be more conversational than previous interviews I had done. It is important to build a strong rapport with your interviewers and smile! Also, whilst the more relaxed atmosphere can definitely benefit you, I would stress to still focus on the structure of your answers. Your answers should by no means be robotic or scripted, but it is easy to become complacent given the interview style.

On the day, I would stress to really engage with the trainee tour and Q&A session before the interview itself. This not only helped me to relax and focus, but also gave me added details relating to the firm’s culture which I was able to express during the interview.

Ashurst Vacation Scheme - January 2023

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application: 3 questions

2. Psychometric test: 3 “Revelian” game-based assessments: Ashurst Values Fit test, Cognify maths/problem solving/analytical skills test; and Emotify test, which involved matching faces to emotions

3. Assessment centre 

4. Vacation scheme 

5. Training contract interview 

Which aspect does this report cover?

Vacation scheme assessment centre 

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

London office.

What did the assessment centre involve?      

1. Written exercise: based on a business case study (15 minutes reading time, 45 minutes writing time) 

2. Trainee panel questions and tour: informal discussion with two trainees. It was very friendly and provided the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the firm (~60 minutes)

3. Interview: competency, motivation, commercial awareness, and situational judgment questions (60-minute interview with1 senior associate and 1 graduate recruiter)

Written exercise  

I did this two days after my interview. We were monitored on a zoom call while working through the exercise. I was presented with a commercial scenario (a business acquisition) and was asked to provide written advice detailing a recommended course of action, taking into account risk and opportunities (the course of action involved choosing between different potential acquisition targets). To produce the informed advice, we were given multiple documents (one was up to 15 pages long) with lots of different types of information (e.g. long prose, tables, data in different forms).

Interview                

Competency questions 

I was asked a range of questions about my previous experiences and the skills I had developed as a result, including:

• Tell me about a time where you had to deal with conflict.
• How do you feel about conflict generally?
• Tell me about a time where you learnt a new skill.
• Tell me about a time where you had to communicate with lots of people.
• Why is communication important for lawyers?

Motivation questions 

I was also asked questions designed to test my motivation for applying for the vac scheme and wanting to work at Ashurst in particular, as well as my understanding of the role. These included:

• Why Ashurst? (they also looked at my previous legal experiences and asked me to differentiate those firms from Ashurst)
• What do you think you will be doing on the vacation scheme? 
• What skills are needed to succeed during the vacation scheme? 

Situational judgment questions

The interviewer outlined two scenarios and asked how I would respond in each. These included:

• You receive negative feedback which you weren’t expecting – how do you deal with this?
• You sent an email containing confidential information to the wrong person. What do you do? 

Commercial awareness questions

• What are future challenges that the legal industry will face? 
• How will these challenges specifically impact Ashurst/its clients?

What was the outcome?                                                  

The firm called me 22 days after the assessment centre to tell me I had been successful. 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?

My biggest surprise was that I wasn’t asked ‘why law?’. The interview focused much more on why I wanted to work at Ashurst specifically, and many conversations tied back to this. I was also surprised at how relaxed and conversational the interview felt.

My main piece of advice would be: don’t expect a rigid format or try to guess what you are going to be asked. Make sure you know the firm extremely well and have a variety of personal examples to hand that can demonstrate your key competencies. 

No matter how many times anyone tells you the written task is time pressured, it will still surprise you! You have no choice but to work quickly and effectively. I would practice reading long documents and then summarising them into a few sentences, along with your own reasons for reaching particular conclusions. You should also build some foundational commercial awareness relating to how businesses and deals work, as this can be useful to draw on.  

Ashurst Vacation Scheme - January 2022 

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application (3 questions)

2. Psychometric test (3 “Revelian” game-based assessments: Ashurst Values Fit test, Cognify maths/problem solving/analytical skills test; and Emotify test, which involved matching faces to emotions)

3. Assessment centre 

4. Vacation scheme 

5. Training contract interview 

Which aspect does this report cover?

Vacation scheme assessment centre 

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

Zoom

What did the assessment centre involve?      

1. Written exercise: based on a business case study (15 minutes reading time, 45 minutes writing time) 

2. Trainee panel questions: informal discussion with a panel of trainees. It was very friendly and provided the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the firm (~60 minutes)

3. Interview: competency, motivation, commercial awareness, and situational judgment questions (~45 minute interview with 1 associate and 1 graduate recruiter)

Written exercise  

I was presented with a commercial (rather than a legal) scenario. This included background information (such as articles, graphs and images) contained within a series of documents. I then had to use this information as the basis for recommending an appropriate course of action.

Interview                

Competency questions 

I was asked a range of questions about my previous experiences and the skills I had developed as a result, including:

• What key skills does the firm look for?
• When have you demonstrated these skills?
• Tell me about a time where you worked in a team.
• Tell me about a time where you demonstrated leadership skills.

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 Ashurst in particular, including:

• Why law?
• Why Ashurst? 
• Where else have you applied?
• Which practice areas are you interested in? 
• What do you think you will be doing on the vacation scheme? 

Situational judgment questions

The interviewer outlined ~4 scenarios and asked how I would respond in each, including, for example:

• What would you do if you noticed a partner had misspelt the name of a case?
• Your partner is away for a few days, so a client calls you instead. What do you do?

Commercial awareness questions

• Who are our competitors? 
• What are the challenges currently faced by the legal sector?

What was the outcome?                                                  

The firm emailed me 13 days after the assessment centre to tell me I had been unsuccessful. 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?                                                       

For the written task, you need to work quickly and efficiently. Perhaps practise writing formal reports and analysing and condensing large amounts of information. Knowledge of Ashurst’s key sectors is also useful. 

For the interview, make sure you know Ashurst extremely well, and have a variety of personal examples to hand to demonstrate your key competencies. Try to project confidence and positivity throughout. 

Ashurst Vacation Scheme - November 2021 

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application

2. Psychometric test (3 game-based assessments: logic, mathematics and emotional intelligence)

3. Assessment centre 

4. Vacation scheme 

5. Training contract interview 

Which aspect does this report cover?

Vacation scheme assessment centre 

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

Zoom

What did the assessment centre involve?      

1. Written exercise: based on a business case study (15 minutes reading time, 45 minutes writing time) 

2. Trainee panel questions: met some trainees and asked questions about their role, life at the firm, and the recruitment process (~60 minutes)

3. Interview: competency, motivation and commercial awareness questions (~60 minute interview with 1 associate and 1 HR professional)

Written exercise  

I was sent log in details to a portal, where I found 3 or 4 documents in PDF format. These related to a project development. I was given one hour to read the information and draft an opinion on whether we thought the development should proceed or not, including the reasons for our decision. I then had to email the opinion to graduate recruitment by the end of the allotted time. 

I started by noting down in a table what I thought the pros and cons of the project were, then developed each point into longer paragraphs (I only included the paragraphs in the end product). My structure was: 

• Intro: brief explanation on what the opinion was about.
• Paras 1 - 5: one pro and one con per paragraph.
• Conclusion: as the pros were more significant than the cons, I though the project should go ahead. 

As we were given a high level insight into the nature of the written exercise before the exercise commenced, I had prepared in advance a list of factors to take into account (e.g. geographic scope, profitability etc.) and had considered what potential pros or cons might be for various types of development (e.g. energy, real estate etc.). I also prepared potential wording for an introduction, conclusion and transitioning sentences to avoid wasting too much time on these aspects during the actual assessment. 

The pros and cons table also really helped to organise my thoughts, and meant I did not need to keep referring back to the various documents when writing the substantive opinion. If the documents are long, I would recommend that you note down page numbers next to your points so that you can easily refer back to the base materials if necessary. 

Trainee panel        

Make sure you actually engage with trainees and ask questions that you are unsure about (what their day looks like, what they like the most or least about the role etc.). One of the trainees on the panel ended up being my trainee buddy during the vacation scheme and gave me a lot of tips. 

Interview                

Competency questions 

I was asked a range of questions about my previous experiences and the skills I had developed as a result, including:

• Tell me about yourself 
• Tell me about a time you made a mistake and how you fixed it.
• Tell me about a time where you didn’t effectively manage competing priorities.
• What role do you play in a team? 
• Situational questions, for example “what would you do in x scenario?”. 

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 Ashurst in particular, including:

• Why commercial law? 
• Why the firm? 
• Where else have you applied? 
• How does the firm distinguish itself from its competitors and who would you say its competitors are? 
• Why do you want to change firm? (this was because I was paralegalling at a different firm) 

What happened next?        

The assessment centre was a whole afternoon on zoom, at which point successful candidates were invited to join the vacation scheme. The vacation scheme was in person.

A few days after the vacation scheme concluded, I had one more interview with two partners. This mainly focused on commercial awareness and scenario-based questions, but I was also asked one or two questions about my experiences on the vacation scheme.

What was the outcome?                                                  

The firm called me to offer me a place on the vacation scheme 7 days after the assessment centre. They then offered me a training contract 1 day after the training contract interview. 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?                                                       

Prepare as much as possible. I find that most questions are just the same question phrased differently (i.e. I was asked to tell about a time I made a mistake and how I fixed it but I interpreted as “a challenge and how I overcame it”).