Linklaters Vacation Scheme - January 2025

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Short application: no written questions

2. Cappfinity blended assessment and Watson Glaser

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. Watson Glaser: re-taking the Watson Glaser in timed, invigilated conditions (30 minutes)

2. Written case study: writing an email response to a Heads of Terms document, pointing out potential issues (35 minutes)

3. HR interview: competency and motivation questions (45 minutes with 1 member of the HR team)

4. Case study interview: discussing the written response to the case study followed by some commercial awareness and motivational questioned (interviewed by 2 managing associates)

Written case study

The case study was based around a transaction. Our client was a bank trying to acquire a small, high growth fintech company.

The task involved reading through the background information on the deal and emails from the client. You then had 35 minutes to review a Term Sheet drafted by the other side and respond to the client with three main points which cause you concern.

The Term Sheet is drafted to benefit the seller, so there are a lot of points to pick from. You are asked to pick at least one legal and at least one commercial issue.

HR interview

A 45 minute interview with one member of the HR team, who asked motivation and competency questions.

Competency questions 

• Tell me about yourself.
• Tell me about a time you worked in a successful team.
• Tell me about a time you have built a positive relationship with someone in a senior position.
• Tell me about a time you have led a team that underperformed. What did you learn from this?
• Can you think of a time you used the lessons you learned from your underperforming team?
• Tell me about a time you have had to stand up for your integrity and values.
• Tell me about a time in your life when you have had to balance multiple commitments.

Motivation questions 

• Why do you want to work in commercial law?
• Why Linklaters?
• How have you gone about finding out more about the legal profession?
• What types of tasks do you think trainees complete?
• How would you deal with the challenges of this profession?

Case study interview         

The interviewers went through the Term Sheet and asked me to point out any potential issues I saw and how I would redraft the clause. There were several points I missed that they pushed me to discuss which I will go into below.

• When discussing the due diligence process, I said that I would want access to more documents than the sellers were currently willing to give access to. The interviewers pushed me to be more specific. Eventually, they suggested that the seller should give access to all contracts with a value above a certain monetary threshold.
• Also, when talking about due diligence, they pushed me to talk about the regulations that banks are subject to. 
• They also pushed me to discuss the risk that the target company was lending money to criminals or sanctioned individuals.
• When talking about the founders of the target company, the interviewers suggested that it would be a good idea to retain the founders as they were valuable to the business. They suggested that our client could pay the founders a percentage of the price on completion and pay the remainder once they had worked for the business for five years.

They then went on to ask me some strategic / commercial awareness questions about the firm:

• What practice area or sector should Linklaters develop further?
• Where should Linklaters open an office?

What was the outcome?                                                  

The firm called me a week after the assessment centre to tell me I had been unsuccessful.

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?

The HR interview is very straightforward. They ask a lot of questions so you will need to have multiple experiences you can draw from (and some strong stamina!). Although it is a blind interview, they began by asking me to introduce myself so you need to be prepared to confidently introduce yourself and your experiences. Your reasoning for “Why Linklaters?” will need to be detailed and specific to the firm.

The case study interview was tricky. The associates who interviewed me didn’t give much away with their reactions so it’s hard to tell if you’re on the right track. DON’T say “I don’t know” – that’s the mistake I made! Just keep thinking out loud and trying out different ideas.

Linklaters Training Contract 2024-25

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application

2. Psychometric test and Watson Glaser

3. Assessment centre

4. Vacation scheme

5. Final interview

Which aspect does this report cover?

Vacation scheme and final interview

Where did the final interview take place?            

The firm's London office

What did the interview involve?      

This interview lasted an hour and was conducted by two partners from different departments (Corporate and Private Equity, though this will vary). 40 minutes was spent going through the case study task that we had to complete during the vacation scheme. The remaining 20 minutes was more generally focused on my experience on the vacation scheme and my motivations for working at Linklaters based on this experience.

Case study     

On the first day of the vacation scheme, we were given a case study exercise based on a beverage company looking to acquire a company in the same industry, which had recently acquired a tech start-up. I received a lengthy (40-50 page) bundle of documents, including background information, draft terms of agreement, email communications between the client and target’s in-house counsel, and around 30 pages of articles of association. 

The task that formed the basis of this part of the interview was to draft an email (no more than one page of A4) to the client’s in-house counsel in preparation for a meeting with this counsel (the “meeting” was then the first 40 minutes of the final interview), answering the following questions:

• (Regarding an ongoing dispute between the target and one of its distributors) how could this be dealt with in the SPA?
• How could this deal be financed?
• Are there any other issues that you think we should discuss with the in-house counsel regarding the deal?

During the interview, I was first given 5-10 minutes to quickly summarise what I had written. I was then asked the following follow-up questions based on my presentation, including: 

• What contractual assurances could the client use to protect themselves from the ongoing dispute?
• Do you think a share purchase or asset purchase would be better? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?
• How does bond financing work?
• What are the key terms of a loan agreement?
• What do you think the key issue with using equity financing would be?
• Why may an IPO not be the best way of financing this deal?

This part of the interview is much more technical than the initial assessment centre interview. The interviewers push you more to come up with alternative answers, so try to take your time and think logically rather than trying to pose the same answer in a different form. For example, my lack of understanding of the key terms of a loan agreement was pointed out to me in my feedback as to why I was unsuccessful, but considering what the key terms of any agreement are rather than a loan agreement specifically would have been more helpful, so try not to think too linearly.

General, competency and motivation questions      

After the first 40 minutes had passed, the partners moved on to ask me the following general questions:

• What were your highlights and lowlights of the vacation scheme?
• What did you find most challenging about the vacation scheme? How do you think this could be addressed as a trainee?
• Why would you like to work at Linklaters now?

What was the outcome?                                                  

My early careers contact called me two days after the assessment centre to tell me that I had been unsuccessful and provide feedback on my performance.

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?

The M&A part of the interview is quite technical – make sure that you know not only what you have written about in your answer, but also try to understand key terms such as different types of financing, different deal structures, assurances. etc. 

In the interview you are only given your written answer (none of the background information or other reading materials from the vacation scheme) so make sure you note key facts such as who the client is, what type of company it is (Ltd, Partnership, Inc etc.), and other relevant information that may inform your answers. 

For the general part of the interview, practice the STAR method and general motivation questions based on your experience. Make sure that you write down and remember what you did on the scheme that most impacted you, and the names of people you spoke to.

Linklaters Spring Vacation Scheme 2024 

What was the recruitment process? 

1. Application: online application (no written application, only personal details, summary of your education, and work experience) 

2. Psychometric tests: Bespoke CAPP Assessment and Watson Glaser test (untimed) 

3. Assessment centre

Which aspect does this report cover?

Psychometric tests and assessment centre

Psychometric tests 

The CAPP assessment takes around 70-90 minutes to complete (although it is untimed). I would advise doing it in one sitting. 

You have to complete ~6 modules with realistic scenario-based and preference questions. Some questions ask you to rank what action you would most likely and least likely take, others rate your working style and approach. A few other firms use the same platform, but Linklaters’ is by far the longest I’ve done. The final module includes a critical thinking test, which is similar to a condensed Watson Glaser. Look closely at the wording of these questions/answers and don’t doubt your first instinct. The assessment is based on behaviours and skills from Linklaters’ Agile Mindset Framework, which you can find on the firm’s website. 

I gained access to the Watson Glaser test once I completed the CAPP assessment. I believe you need around 34/40 to pass and it is untimed! 

Advice 

• When completing the CAPP assessment, have the Agile Mindset Framework in front of you and ask yourself: what competency are they looking for in this question? I colour coded mine for greater clarity. For all scenario-based questions, focus on the following: 
  • What action would you take?
  • Why would you take it?
  • In what order would you take these actions?
  • Prioritise your actions accordingly.
• To prepare for the critical thinking tests, practise verbal reasoning tests online.

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

Linklaters’ Office.

What did the assessment centre involve?      

1. Online assessments: multiple choice contract review (four questions), situational judgement test, multiple choice e-tray exercise, written exercise (25 minutes to review background information, 30 minutes to write an email highlighting three challenges) 

2. HR interview: competency and motivation questions (~45 minutes with HR)

3. Written exercise: email to a partner (~20 minutes reading time, ~30 minutes writing time)

4. Case study interview: discuss a written email of recommendations, case study background information, and thoughts on a ‘surprise situation’ (~45 minute interview with a partner and associate)

Online assessments

The assessment centre began with all candidates completing the online assessments. There were 16 questions in total to complete in ~30 minutes. Six of us were in a small room together, with a computer each.

The first task consisted of reviewing a contract (a non-disclosure agreement) where I had to answer four multiple-choice questions on issues covered (e.g. the consequences if an employee were to leak information on social media). Given the similarity of some questions, pay attention to the specific wording and quickly scan the contract to locate the relevant clause and interpret its implications.

The situational judgement test was straightforward, including questions on ethics, values, and responses to various scenarios one might encounter as a trainee (e.g.  what would you do if you received an email with confidential information that was not intended for you?).  The background information relating to each question was more detailed than expected, which slightly hindered my timing. 

Following the online assessments, we were divided into three groups to attend either the case study interview, HR interview, or trainee lunch. There was approximately 20-30 minutes between each assessment, which was the ideal amount of time to decompress and prepare for the next stage.

HR interview                

Overview

The interview is based around Linklater’s Agile Mindset Framework. Keep this at the forefront of your mind when answering questions. This is an application-blind interview, offering a genuine opportunity to showcase who you are, and it felt like the interviewer was genuinely interested in getting to know me.

The interviewer was incredibly friendly and clearly laid out what was expected during the interview; they had a long list of set questions. Most answers were followed up with a question to really delve into my motivation, values, and working style. Some of these questions sound similar, so don't be afraid to ask for clarification to gauge what competency they’re looking for. After the interview, I was given key advice for the case study interview: “always say out loud your line of thinking”. 

Competency questions 

• Tell me about a time where you worked in a team? 
• In your opinion, what makes an effective team? Why was [my example] the best approach to teamwork? 
• When have you made a mistake? How did this make you feel/how did you respond? 
• Tell me about a time when you’ve had to motivate a team? How did you specifically do this? 
• Tell me about a time where you dealt with someone difficult.
• How do you deal with pressure? 
• What do you do to de-stress in busy periods? 
• Tell me about a time when you’ve had competing priorities? 
• How do you manage your time? 
• Tell me about a time when you’ve had competing priorities and had to deal with a really pressurised event/challenge? 

Motivation questions

• Why specifically commercial law? 
• [given a non-law student in full-time employment] How have you actively developed skills/knowledge relevant to commercial law? 
• Why Linklaters? 
• How have you gained knowledge about the firm? 
• Can you tell me about a recent matter we’ve worked on (and why that interested you?) 

Commercial awareness questions

• What is your understanding of the role of a trainee? 

Written task 

Preparation

Following the online assessments, I was provided with background materials relating to an acquisition between a major bank and an early-stage Fintech company. I initially had 25 minutes to read through these materials.

I was advising the buyer (the major bank) and had been provided a Term Sheet from the seller, internal emails with key information on our client’s objectives and concerns, a diagram highlighting the market share of both parties in the retail banking sector, and an article outlining consumer appetite and concerns relating to Fintech.

Written email

I then had 30 minutes to outline my advice in an email, which I kept concise and relevant, and ensured it had a strong structure. This was a simple note to a partner outlining three key potential challenges/issues that I thought the client should be aware of, based on my reading of the materials (one issue has to be commercial) .

Case study interview 

My email from the written task was printed out to form the basis of the subsequent case study discussion. I had this to hand, as well as the background materials, during the case study discussion.

The interviewers probed me in detail on the key issues I wrote about, including why I chose them, how the issues could be resolved, and what the client would likely think about the proposed solutions. When I mentioned something, the interviewers questioned what I said to understand my foundational knowledge and line of thinking (e.g. how would you value the company? Is there anything else that our client would be cautious of in this section?). At times, I should have more openly discussed my line of thinking, as this demonstrates one of the key competencies they’re looking for: critical thinking.

The surprise scenario was straightforward, with the interviewers seeking logical and practical next steps (e.g. securing insurance, issuing a public statement, and determining how the firm could help). 

The interviewers guide you through the case study and aim to steer you in the right direction. The key feedback I received was to always aim to add value to the information provided, analyse it, and discuss it logically. Instead of viewing it as an interrogation, approach this interview as a session to think out loud and consistently clarify your thoughts.

What was the outcome?                                                  

The firm called me two days after the assessment centre to inform me that I was unsuccessful. One key piece of feedback was that even if you don’t perform well in the online assessments, this won’t matter if you excel in both the HR and case study interview. 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?

HR interview 

Prepare for a wide range of competency questions by thinking about examples that you can draw on across different areas of your life (it is highly likely that you will run out of prepared competency examples). Take your time answering and ask the interviewer to repeat the question if needed. Often, my best answers were those that I hadn’t prepared, because they felt honest and genuine. The interviewer is really looking for a clear structure and genuine enthusiasm for a career in commercial law and at Linklaters. Speak to as many people as you can at the firm to gain a deep understanding of Linklaters’ culture and work. 

Case study interview 

Build a strong foundational knowledge of commercial processes (e.g. concepts, deal structures, common risks during the M&A process), by practising as many case studies as you can and analysing news articles. You need a deep understanding of why companies engage in M&A transactions rather than just having a surface-level understanding of e.g. contractual protections. When revising, delve deeper into why a solution might be the best option for a company in a given situation. The interviewers will pick up on any terms you mention, so it's crucial to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding and articulate your reasoning effectively.

Online assessment 

I recommend going through some Forage examples of contracts to get used to the language and format, which will help put you at ease. The first assessment may feel slightly pressured as you're taken straight into it. However, don’t let the timing of the assessments or other candidates put you off. Once you concentrate on your own test, you'll find that the questions are not that difficult. 

Linklaters Training Contract (International) - February/March 2022

This was an assessment process for a direct international training contract (e.g. Middle East/Asia). I am not specifying which, as I want to retain some degree of anonymity.

What was the full recruitment process?         

The recruitment process was the same as for a London training contract or vacation scheme, although we also had to go through language exams and a final interview with the local team.

1. Application: online application, only 3 work experiences inputted

2. Psychometric tests: situational judgement test and Watson Glaser test

3. Language tests: 2 language tests (specifically for the international training contract)

4. Assessment centre 

5. Final interview for international training contract: with partners from the relevant local region.

Which aspect does this report cover?

Assessment centre and final interview

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

Via an online platform called Webex

What did the assessment centre involve?      

1. Online assessments: e-tray exercise, contract review and situational judgment test (~30 minutes)

2. General interview: competency questions and motivation questions, (~45 minutes with HR)

3. Case study: written exercise and case study interview (~20 minutes reading/writing time, ~45 minute interview with 2 partners or managing associates)

Online assessments

The e-tray exercise involved sifting through fictional emails and deciding whether to defer, delegate, or immediately deal with the tasks contained in each, or to simply delete the relevant email.

The contract review involved reviewing a contract (such as a non-disclosure agreement), then answering fairly straightforward multiple choice questions about the issues covered and issues that were not covered (e.g. did the contract include a dispute resolution clause, does it include a clause covering x situation etc.).

The situational judgement test was pretty basic. It included questions on ethics and what you would do in certain situations as a trainee (for example, what would you do if you received an email with confidential information that was not intended for you?).  

General interview                

Competency questions

• Tell me about a time where you demonstrated excellence.
• Tell me about a time where you worked in a team.
• Tell me about a time where you dealt with someone difficult.
• How do you deal with pressure?
• What would you do if you were under pressure as a trainee?

Motivation questions

• Why law?
• Why commercial law?
• Why this firm?

Commercial awareness questions

• What is your understanding of the role of a trainee and in particular, a trainee at our firm?

Case study

I was initially provided with background materials, which related to a fairly basic acquisition involving banks and insurance companies. I was advising the buyer, and had been provided with information including a table with some details relating to due diligence, as well as a number of emails from the fee earners working on the deal (these provided information about the deal and details of my task).

I was given ~20 minutes to read the materials and write an email to a partner highlighting 3 key issues to discuss in a subsequent meeting. In then had an interview with two fee earners, during which we discussed the 3 key issues, including why I chose them, related risks, how the issues could be resolved, and what the client would likely think about the proposed solutions. At times, the interviewers asked follow-up questions.

The documents weren’t as long as I had expected and seemed fairly straight forward, so I read through everything and took my time. The interviewers were also super friendly. I would recommend that you treat the interview like a conversation rather than an interrogation. The interviewers guide you through the case study and try to push you in the right direction. They want to see you do well. Perhaps take a break before hopping on the call and chat with them as if it were a ‘thinking out loud’ session between friends (although remain professional, of course). This approach put me at ease, which helped me to clarify my thoughts.

End of internship interview

Anyone who applies to the Middle East or Asia training contract faces an additional interview with the relevant regional team after the assessment centre. This was quite a short and basic interview, during which the team assessed commitment to a career in law in the region and my commercial awareness relating to that region (e.g. testing my knowledge current disruptors in the business/economic scene that could affect clients).

What was the outcome?                                                  

The firm called me the day after the assessment centre to tell me I had progressed through to the final interview. I then received a call 4 days after the regional interview offering me a place on the international training contract.

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?

If possible, speak to people who have been through the process before. Also learn the commercial law jargon, read the news frequently and prepare HR interview answers in front of the mirror as much as possible. However, don’t simply memorise answers, as this could come across as too rigid/formulaic.