Freshfields (x3)
Freshfields Vacation Scheme - January 2025
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Brand ambassador role: I was lucky enough to be fast-tracked to an assessment centre because of my role as brand ambassador for the firm
2. Written test
3. Assessment centre
4. Vacation scheme
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 test: proofreading exercise (1 hour)
2. Interview: competency and motivation questions (~60 minutes with 1 partner and 1 senior associate)
3. Case study interview: asked questions based on an article that was written by a partner (~30 minutes reading and preparation time, ~60 minutes with 1 partner and 1 senior associate)
Written test
This was an online test carried out prior to the day of interviews. It still formed part of the overall assessment centre however (it wasn’t a separate step).
I had one hour to complete the test. I was given approx. 1 side of A4 text as background material, plus a table. The text contained various spelling, grammatical and tone errors. In the table, I had to identify the errors (including the location of each) in one column, then in another column suggest edits/suggestions for improvement. At the bottom of the table was a short section with space for me to rewrite an entire paragraph of the text (it was a very short paragraph).
I was not given a timer, so make sure to have your phone with a timer on to keep track of the time.
Competency and motivation interview
This was a very straightforward interview to get to know me and my motivation for applying. The interview was CV blind but they did possess my cover letter/personal statement (provided previously) to form the basis of questions. The interview was very casual, asking the classics:
- Why commercial law?
- Why do you want to be a commercial lawyer in the city?
- Why Freshfields?
- What other firms have you applied to?
- How do you build your commercial awareness?
- Why do you want to work in the city?
- What are the key qualities of a commercial lawyer and how do you demonstrate this?
- What practice areas are you interested in?
- Would you be interested in a secondment?
Also more competency based questions:
- Tell be about a situation when something went wrong.
- How do you resolve conflict?
Case study interview
I was provided with a 2 page article about deep sea mining (I wasn’t assessed specifically on the topic of deep sea mining). I had approx. 30 mins to prepare (including during my break). I was asked to summarise the article, and then faced what seemed like scripted questions about the content of the article, including:
- What is an angel investor?
- What is the difference between venture capital and private equity?
- How can a company protect its assets?
- How has this company raised capital and how should it raise capital later on?
- What is the benefit of raising capital via equity vs debt?
There was also a graph within the article and I was asked what the graph demonstrates. The graph showed various countries with the number of licences each had issued in connection with deep sea mining.
Whilst a few scripted questions were asked, the interview quickly (positively) derailed into a debate surrounding what kind of lawyers the partner should hire, private equity lawyers vs equity capital markets lawyers etc. We then went on to debate the benefits of higher regulation and taxation vs lower regulation and taxation, especially regarding how the current Labour government can drive growth.
What was the outcome?
One of the partners who interviewed me called me a couple of weeks later to let me know I had been successful.
Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?
Be prepared to show your clear motivations around why you would like to work for Freshfields. Think about the following questions:
- Why do I want to train here?
- What does Freshfields do well in terms of work and practice areas?
- Where has Freshfields done well geographically? (organic growth in the US vs merging with a US firm)
The summary you provide about the article is vital, so make sure you know what the article is about. It is worth learning what the various stages of growth a company goes through and what a law firm does at various levels for their clients. Also don’t be afraid to have opinions and be able to back them up with knowledge and ideas.
Have fun with it.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Training Contract - February 2024
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application: 850 word personal statement
2. Psychometric test: Watson Glaser
3. Written exercise: to be completed in the week leading up to the assessment centre
4. Assessment centre: consisting of two interviews
Which aspect does this report cover?
Written exercise and training contract assessment centre.
Where did the assessment centre take place?
Microsoft Teams.
What did the assessment centre involve?
1. One-on-one chat with grad recruitment: we ran though the structure of the day and I had the opportunity to ask questions (~10 minutes).
2. General interview: motivation and competency questions (~1 hour with counsel and a senior associate).
3. Call with a trainee: I had the chance to ask a trainee for advice on the analytical interview (~15 minutes).
4. Analytical interview: questions relating to a fictional article (30 minutes reading time, followed by ~1 hour interview with a partner and an associate).
Written exercise
I was sent a written exercise 3 weeks before the assessment centre. I had a 3-day window in which to submit it, and once I started the exercise, I had 60 minutes to complete it. It was essentially a simple proofreading exercise based on three fictional emails, one of which included a set of client instructions.
In particular, I needed to identify and comment on spelling, grammatical, and punctuation mistakes in the draft email, as well as the tone and formality of the text. I also needed to comment on whether the email to the fictional client followed the given instructions and contained the necessary information, and identify any irrelevant information, mistakes, and ambiguities.
Make sure you read the instructions and emails very carefully, as attention to detail is key. Check names, dates, terminology, figures, who is signing off and so on – every detail counts! In addition, make sure you take the time to properly get to grips with all the facts. It can be a little confusing at times, as one email might reference purported facts or instructions that do not properly reflect the facts or instructions set out in one of the other emails (e.g. one party might misquote another party, or misspell something that other party has written, in which case you would need to identify this as an ambiguity or mistake).
Read and re-read everything, just to make sure you fully understand what each document is setting out. And have a clock or timer to hand, as you are expected to manage your own time and submit within the 60 minutes yourself.
General interview
This interview involved a range of motivation and competency questions, including:
- Why law?
- Why commercial law?
- What do you believe are the key traits a trainee needs?
- How have you demonstrated these skills?
- Tell me about a time you struggled, and how did you resolve the situation?
- Tell me about a time you completely failed.
- Tell me about a time you had to resolve a conflict? What were you thinking?
- How do you organise your tasks?
- What is your proudest achievement?
- Tell me about your experience working in a team. This was followed by “do you normally take on the role of a leader or follower?”
- Situation question: Your supervisor assigns you a task to work on with another trainee. The task is urgent and must be delivered by tomorrow. You cannot complete the task on your own, however the other trainee is tired and decides they want to go home. What do you do?
I was then given a chance to ask questions at the end.
Case study interview
30 minutes before the interview, I received an online link to a fictional article. I had 30 minutes to read the article and make notes. The article focused on alternative energy resources and provided information about a start-up company seeking to capitalise on a new method of energy production. To give a few examples of the questions I was asked based on the content:
- Summarise the article.
- What about the article stands out to you?
- What are ways in which a company can raise capital?
- Why would equity or debt capital be preferred over the other? What would be the preferred approach in this scenario.
- What is market capitalisation?
- What is an IPO?
- What is venture capital?
- What is an angel investor?
- What are the different types of investors, and which would be beneficial here?
- Define “alternative energy resources” and explain why you think they are important.
- What is ESG?
- How do ESG ratings impact investments?
- What would you put in a contract for an acquisition?
- What role do lawyers play in facilitating such transactions?
- What are some of the regulatory issues that arise in a merger?
- What can you observe from the bar graph regarding different countries’ investments?
- Why do you think some countries are investing more in alternative energy resources than others?
- What considerations might have been taken by countries abstaining from a large number of investments?
The interview felt like a conversation and the interviewers were personable throughout, which allowed the interview to flow naturally. I was also given the opportunity to ask questions at the end.
What was the outcome?
I received my vacation scheme offer by phone two days after the interview.
Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?
- For the written assessment, going over grammar and punctuation rules in advance is helpful. During the assessment itself, keep track of time and remain focused, analysing every word and cross-checking all information.
- For the general interview, prepare for typical motivation questions. It is crucial to have examples for each skill you mention, and having a structured approach to discussing experiences such as using the ‘STAR’ structure would help.
- Be prepared to summarise the article at the start of your case study interview. Then the interviewers typically analyse the article section by section, probing terms in the article and further commercial implications.
- For the case study, understanding how businesses work is fundamental. Brush up on M&A essentials, key practice areas in firms, and the role lawyers play on transactions. Being able to evaluate strategies and define terms is important.
- If possible, bringing in broader commercial trends and relevant real-life examples when mentioning concepts such as ESG can be beneficial.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Training Contract - February 2022
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application: 850 word personal statement
2. Psychometric test: Watson Glaser
3. Written exercise: to be completed in the week leading up to the assessment centre
4. Assessment centre: consisting of two interviews
Which aspect does this report cover?
Written exercise and training contract assessment centre.
Where did the assessment centre take place?
Microsoft Teams.
What did the assessment centre involve?
1. One-on-one chat with grad recruitment: we ran though the structure of the day and I had the opportunity to ask questions (~10 minutes).
2. General interview: motivation and competency questions (~1 hour with counsel and a senior associate).
3. Call with a trainee: I had the chance to ask a trainee for advice on the analytical interview (~15 minutes).
4. Analytical interview: questions relating to a specific Financial Times article (30 minutes reading time, followed by ~1 hour interview with a partner and an associate).
Written exercise
I was sent a written exercise 5 days before the assessment centre. I had a 3-day window in which to submit it, and once I started the exercise, I had 60 minutes to complete it. It was essentially a simple proofreading exercise based on three fictional emails, one of which included a set of client instructions.
In particular, I needed to identify and comment on spelling and grammatical mistakes in the draft email, as well as the tone and formality of the text. I also needed to comment on whether the email to the fictional client followed the given instructions, and identify any irrelevant information, mistakes and ambiguities.
Make sure you read the instructions and emails very carefully, as attention to detail is key. Check names, dates, who is signing off and so on – every detail counts! In addition, make sure you take the time to properly get to grips with all the facts. It can be a little confusing at times, as one email might reference purported facts or instructions that do not properly reflect the facts or instructions set out in one of the other emails (e.g. one party might misquote another party, or misspell something that other party has written, in which case you would need to identify this as an ambiguity or mistake).
Read and re-read everything, just to make sure you fully understand what each document is setting out. And have a clock or timer to hand, as you are expected to manage your own time.
General interview
This interview involved a range of motivation and competency questions, including:
- What are the key skills of a successful lawyer?
- What is the role of a trainee at Freshfields? This was followed up with “Those roles can apply to a trainee in any magic circle firm; what specifically would a trainee at Freshfields do?”.
- When have you demonstrated these skills?
- When have you had to adjust your plans because of a last-minute change, and what did you consider when making that adjustment?
- What role do you take in a team?
- How do you manage conflict?
- Why commercial law?
- What is your proudest achievement?
- Tell me about a time you failed.
- Situation question: it is 6pm, you are working on a deal, and the whole team is busy. Your supervisor allocates you and another trainee a task that is central to the deal. The task must be delivered before 10pm, so you therefore have only four hours. You cannot complete the task on your own, however the other trainee is tired and decides they want to go home. What do you do?
I was then given a chance to ask questions at the end.
Case study interview
30 minutes before the interview, I received an online link to an article that was published in The Financial Times in 2019. I had 30 minutes to read the article and make notes. The article focused on the plant-based “meat” industry, including how it was competing with established meat sellers and producers. To give a few examples of the questions I was asked based on the content:
- Summarise the article.
- What about the article stands out to you?
- What is venture capital?
- What is market capitalisation?
- How is market cap calculated?
- What would consider when setting up a factory?
- Is plant-based meat better than real meat?
- Why do people buy plant-based meat?
- If you had to market plant-based meat, how would you go about it?
- Do you think COVID has hurt or strengthened the plant-based foods sector?
- There seems to be a lot of acquisitions in this sector. How could Freshfields support some of the parties involved?
- What would you put in a contract for a joint venture, if you were acting for a tech start-up partnering with a large food company?
- How do you value a company?
- How do companies remain competitive?
- What are some of the regulatory issues that arise in a merger?
- How do supermarkets benefit from having certain products on their shelves?
- What do you think is negotiated between producers and supermarkets before products are put on the shelves?
The interview felt like a conversation and the interviewers were personable throughout, which allowed the interview to flow naturally. I was also given the opportunity to ask questions at the end.
What was the outcome?
I received my vacation scheme offer by phone two days after the interview.
Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?
- Remember that the interviewers want you to succeed. Try to remain calm, and take on board any tips they give you, and smile, as this will come across more positively to your interviews.
- Be clear on your motivations: why law, why commercial law, why you and why Freshfields.
- During your reading time before the case study article, I would recommend Googling any words you don’t know as there’s a good chance you will be asked to define them (if this is allowed, of course).
- Be prepared to summarise the article at the start of your interview. Perhaps plan your summary during your reading time, as this can ensure you get off to the best possible start.
- Keep definitions concise. If you make them too long or complex, you’re more likely to say the wrong thing (and the interviewers might then latch onto that mistake).