Jones Day Vacation Scheme - November 2024
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application
2. Interview
3. Assessment centre
4. Vacation scheme
Which aspect does this report cover?
Interview and assessment centre
What did the interview involve?
The interview lasted approximately 45 minutes and was conducted online with one partner and one senior associate. There was an opportunity to speak with a trainee for 15 minutes prior to the interview.
The interview had fairly standard questions such as:
Overall, the interview was very laid-back, very conversational and very enjoyable. I was able to build a rapport with my interviewers quite quickly and just have a normal conversation. I think they genuinely were interested in me as a person and want to see if I was someone they could work with.
Where did the assessment centre take place?
The firm's London office
What did the assessment centre involve?
1. Group exercise: a group debate in a team of 3 against another team of 3, supervised by 2 partners (~30 minutes preparation time and 40 minutes for the debate)
2. Case study interview: case-study preparation followed by a one-to-one interview with a partner (~15 minutes preparation time and 30 minutes interview with 1 partner)
3. Trainee Q&A: this was an opportunity to ask questions in a group to a panel of approximately 4 trainees, which lasted approximately 1 hour
Group exercise
With this exercise, I was in a group with two other candidates. We were given a topic for debate which was ‘The voting age should be lowered to 16’ and had to argue for this statement. We were given 30 minutes to prepare our arguments, and the instructions specified that each of us should speak for equal amounts of time. This included and introduction summarising our argument, 3 points for our argument, 1 rebuttal argument and concluding remarks. During the preparation time, we were being assessed by a partner.
We were then given 40 minutes to debate with another group who were arguing against this statement. When presenting our arguments there was a strict time limit of 2/3 minutes per point.
This task essentially assessed how we worked in a group and our oral communication skills. The debates do not typically require any legal knowledge, however if there was something we had read in the news recently which was relevant to our debate then we were encouraged to bring this in.
Case study interview
This case study was not a typical case study as seen in previous years. This year it was a commercial question: ‘What role do you think law firms play in promoting sustainable business practices among their clients?’
We were given 15 minutes to prepare some points for discussion individually. This was then followed by a 1-1 discussion with a partner. That partner did challenge me in places asking if lawyers should be promoting these business practices and if it is really their job to do so. I was also asked what impact this would have on the firm who were advising a major oil/gas company and would this conflict with all the sustainable work the firm is doing. I was also asked what events had happened in the past week (referring to the US presidential election) which would impact this area.
There was then an opportunity to ask a few questions to the partner at the end.
Trainee Q&A
The assessment day ended with a Q&A session with a trainee panel for approximately 1 hour. This part of the assessment was not assessed, and graduate recruitment were not present during this. I asked the trainees a few questions regarding their experience with the non-rotational aspect of the training contract and any challenges they had faced.
What was the outcome?
The firm emailed me two days after the assessment centre to tell me I had been unsuccessful.
Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?
Prepare the initial interview as you typically would for any other interview as there was nothing unusual about this interview. The interview is very conversational so don’t be afraid to build a rapport with your interviewers. Make use of the 15-minute trainee discussion prior to the interview as this may be useful in the interview (i.e. understanding the challenges of the non-rotational TC).
The case study this year was unusual compared to previous years but don’t let this throw you off. Try to answer the question directly but also think about broader implications such as understanding the role of a law firm. Should the firm be advising major oil/gas companies? Do lawyers necessarily promote sustainable practices?
Have a few questions prepared in advance to ask the partner and trainees throughout the day.
Jones Day Vacation Scheme – February 2024
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application
2. Interview
3. Assessment centre
4. Vacation scheme
Which aspect does this report cover?
Interview and assessment centre
What did the interview involve?
This was an interview with two partners (45 minutes long), and we had the opportunity to speak 1-1 with a trainee for 15 minutes beforehand. This was conducted online.
The interview was very fluid and heavily based on my work experiences. It started with the regular why law and why Jones Day. They pressed on this quite a bit. For example, when I mentioned the 'one firm worldwide' ethos, they asked what benefits I think this actually has. They also asked if I think clients actually care about this.
I had spent some time running my own business and I was asked if I had considered just being an entrepreneur instead and why I want to be a lawyer more. The more general questions (which weren't personal to me) were:
Other questions I have been told they ask (but wasn’t personally asked) include:
Where did the assessment centre take place?
Jones Day’s London office
What did the assessment centre involve?
1. 1-1 discussion with a partner: case-study interview (15 minutes preparation and 20-minute discussion).
2. Lunch and opportunity to speak with trainees: this lasted for 1 hour and took place in between the 2 exercises.
3. Team exercise: this consisted of a 3v3 group debate (30 minutes of team preparation, and ~40 minutes for the debate, with two partners).
1-1 discussion
Speaking to other candidates on the day, it seems that there are four different case studies which candidates could be given, including case studies based on Real Estate, M&A, and Banking & Finance. I was given the Real Estate scenario.
In the case study, I was advising a client who wanted to purchase an apartment block with 1,500 units, and then renovate it into one with 1,650 units. I had to prepare answers for two questions which the partner would then discuss with me:
1. What further due diligence would you recommend that we undertake?
2. What contractual provisions would you recommend using to solve any issues?
My interviewer kicked off by immediately saying something to the effect of “pretend I am the client and tell me what issues might come up”. The partner in the discussion really let me take lead of the discussion and it ended up being closer to a presentation – with me explaining my findings.
Issues I was expected to pick up on related to planning permissions (given they wanted to increase the number of units), ensuring the seller had the right to sell the property, whether the seller had the IP rights for the brand on the building (the seller was a subsidiary of a larger company), potential competition issues, and due diligence into a tenant’s lease agreement (the tenant was still living in the property but the client wanted them removed before the deal completes).
The contractual provisions they were looking for were conditions precedent and indemnities (as far as I am aware).
Team exercise
Based on my conversations with people, it seems the debate topics are all ethical, and no prior knowledge is needed for them. One example that came up was ‘Should free speech be regulated?’.
In the preparation period, I had the opportunity to plan my arguments and assign roles within my team of 3. There was a partner present during this period, and they were happy to help answer any questions the team had and give advice.
Each person had the opportunity to speak twice, with there being 1 opening statement, 2 main arguments, 2 rebuttals, and 1 closing statement.
What was the outcome?
I received an offer for the vacation scheme by email the next day.
Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?
There is no need to prepare for the actual debate (knowledge-wise). However, they will be testing your ability to formulate arguments, respond to the opposition’s points, and communicate clearly. Therefore, potentially just practicing articulating arguments could be helpful. During the preparation period be sure to contribute, but also let others speak (don’t overly dominate the conversation). Here, your ability to work with others and operate in a team is what is being assessed.
The 1-1 discussion was purely case study based so you do not need to worry about practicing your motivational or competency answers. Preparing commercial awareness and business acumen is most important. Jake Schogger’s ‘Commercial Law Handbook’ was very helpful for this, clearly setting out the role of different practice areas and all the relevant contractual/M&A provisions which you would need to know at this level. Finally, just make sure you read everything on the sheet (every detail is written for a reason), and attention to detail is another big skill being assessed here.
Jones Day Winter Vacation Scheme - October 2023
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application
2. Online interview
3. Assessment centre
3. Vacation scheme
Which aspect does this report cover?
Online interview and assessment centre
Online interview
1. Trainee chat: informal and unassessed chat during which I could ask questions (one trainee for ~15 minutes).
2. General interview: motivation and competency questions (~40 minutes with two partners)
The interviewers then delved into my work and what I do in full-time employment. They’re genuinely interested in getting to know you!
I was also tested on a basic commercial scenario involving a client wanting to acquire significant real estate, then probed on basic potential contractual protections and solutions (i.e. indemnities, negotiating the purchase price etc.)
Where did the assessment centre take place?
Jones Day’s London Office
What did the assessment centre involve?
This is the first application cycle with an Assessment Centre, so candidates were going in slightly blind regarding what the day entailed. My consisted of the following:
Case study
All candidates were given a different business scenario relating to the firm’s various practice areas (e.g. Real Estate, Corporate).
I received a case study detailing a straightforward acquisition scenario involving a multinational US company interested in acquiring a specific asset (innovative material to be used in glasses) from a very early stage start-up. The scenario - only two pages long - included basic information about both companies, including their motivations, as well as potential commercial issues.
I had ~15 minutes to read the scenario and organise my thoughts. I was then asked questions such as:
The interviewer thoroughly questioned all my answers and challenged my thinking. I often found it difficult to gauge what the interviewer was seeking. Additionally, the interviewer will alter certain facts in the scenario to assess your flexibility of thought and how well you can think on your feet.
Debate
We were organised into teams of three, each assigned either for or against a controversial topic ("should animal testing for medical purposes be legal?"). Prior to the debate, we were provided materials outlining the structure for presenting our arguments and rebuttals. With approximately 30 minutes allocated for preparation, we had to choose our roles and collaboratively discuss our key points.
During the debate, each team had the opportunity to present its arguments according to the predetermined structure. Following each team's initial presentation, there was a 5-minute break allotted for devising rebuttals. It's important to be strategic about which section of the debate you participate in, such as the introduction or closing remarks – identify in advance where you think you'll be strongest.
You are given ~3 minutes x 2 to speak. However, it's not necessary to use up all this time so do not ramble. Instead, it's crucial to structure your key points in advance so your arguments are clear.
What was the outcome?
I was notified a day later that I was unsuccessful and given brief written feedback.
Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?
Case study
We weren’t given much time to read the scenario, but it was fairly straightforward. The interviewer is assessing your flexibility of thought and your ability to think on your feet. Practise as many case studies as possible and analyse news articles to enhance your commercial awareness and your ability to draw implications for the business.
My advice is not to be too rigid with your answers and to vocalise your thoughts to showcase your line of thinking, even if you're unsure or think it might be wrong. This allows the interviewer to guide you towards the answer they're looking for.
Debate
The preparation section felt time-pressured. While it's important to support your other teammates, ensure you have a clear structure and written points for your own rebuttals. Even if you have no debating experience, practise speaking your thoughts out loud and developing the ability to persuade, influence, and articulate arguments clearly.
Jones Day Vacation Scheme - January 2023
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application
2. Interview
3. Vacation scheme
Which aspect does this report cover?
Interview
Where did the assessment centre take place?
Microsoft Teams
What did the assessment centre involve?
1. Trainee chat: informal and unassessed chat during which I could ask questions (one trainee for ~15 minutes).
2. General interview: motivation and competency questions ~40 minutes with two partners)
Interview
I was asked questions including:
What was the outcome?
I received an email a week later to inform me that I was unsuccessful.
Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?
The interview has no set structure, so it really depends on your interviewer. You answers regarding the non-rotational TC must be well thought out (the partners were interested in how much I knew about the firm’s approach to training). Finally, know your CV and cover letter inside out. The interviewers had read my CV and cover letter, and focused some of the questions on my experiences.
Jones Day Vacation Scheme – January 2023
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application
2. Interview
3. Vacation scheme
Which aspect does this report cover?
Interview
Where did the assessment centre take place?
Via Zoom
What did the assessment centre involve?
An hour-long interview with a partner and a senior associate.
Interview
Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?
Understand the firm’s non-rotational TC structure. Think about the pros and cons (from a trainee’s perspective and also the firm’s), and how it actually pans out in practice.
The firm recruits on a rolling basis and invites a lot of candidates to interview. By the time I interviewed, the firm had filled out most of its places. I learnt about this through some people who had offers. After my interview week, the firm apparently ended up cancelling the interviews they had scheduled with other candidates (a couple of my friends didn't even get a chance to interview). So, if Jones Day is one of your top choices, make sure to apply early and select an early interview slot.
What was the outcome?
The firm emailed me a week later to tell me I was unsuccessful.