1. Welcome and introduction: we were given an introduction to the assessment centre, and myself and 3 other candidates introduced ourselves and explained what we were studying (~30 minutes with a member of HR)

2. Case study preparation: 25 minutes in the main Microsoft Teams meeting room. I was allowed to switch off my camera and microphone but was monitored by HR. 

3. Case study interview: presentation and follow-up questions (10-minute presentation, 10 minutes of follow-up questions, then 10 minutes to discuss newly introduced information, with 1 member of the HR team)

3. General interview: asked a combination of scenario, motivational, competency, and skills-based questions (60-minute interview with a managing associate and a partner).

4. Debriefing with HR and brief chat with a current trainee: not necessarily assessed but the conversation with the trainee is monitored (10 minutes with HR then 30 minutes with a trainee).

Video interview 

I had to pass an automated video interview on the TalentSee platform before progressing to the main assessment centre, which centred on three questions. For each question, I had 15 seconds to prepare, then 60 seconds to answer. There was no opportunity to re-record.

The questions were:

1. What differentiates you from other applicants, and how would this make you a good fit for Mishcon de Reya?

2. Acting with integrity is a core value of Mishcon de Reya. Please describe a time where you stood up for what is right and demonstrated integrity?

3. How does Mishcon de Reya's client offering give the firm a competitive edge?

Case study

Preparation

I was given access to an online portal containing case study background information. The case study was business based, and designed to test whether candidates could think commercially (an understanding of the law wasn’t necessary). The background information included information about the business (1-1.5 pages), financial data (basic balance sheet metrics, including information on profit and revenue), recent updates at management level that may impact performance, and some other qualitative data.

I was asked to role play as a business consultant working in the consultancy practice of a fictional law firm. In particular, I was told to prepare answers to 3 questions relating to the materials provided. The questions related to business performance (including financial performance), identification of the business’ key strengths and weaknesses, and strategic recommendations for improved performance in the following year. 

Note that I didn’t need to submit a written answer; instead, I was told I had to present my answers orally in the subsequent interview.

As a general tip, if reviewing such information, don’t just identify the financial metrics and trends; consider what might be driving those metrics and trends and what further information you might need to assess the information more thoroughly. 

Consider researching the SWOT and PESTLE frameworks in advance, just to give you a broader understanding of the elements that help businesses establish their USPs, as well as factors that businesses can take advantage of to stay competitive in the market. Having this list in front of me during the preparation period really helped me to stay focused when answering the three questions.

This was quite a time-pressured case study, so keep this in mind from the outset. You are probably going to be juggling multiple lengthy documents containing background information, so try to extrapolate key points as you go along. To that end, consider your presentation structure at the start. I would recommend writing out the 3 questions they want you to consider (as headings), then adding relevant points under each heading as you progress through the materials. 

I used the final ~7.5 minutes of the prep time to tidy up my notes. I recommend highlighting certain sentences/phrases and formatting bullet points in a way that best showcases your logic. As I was allowed to take these notes into the presentation, these notes gave me a high-level structure to follow whilst guiding my assessor through my answer. 

Presentation and questions

After the preparation time, I was moved to a breakout room with an assessor. I then had 10 minutes to present my answers to the 3 questions. Although I wasn’t given a steer on how to structure this, I would suggest starting the presentation with a brief introduction to the company and an explanation of your role as an advisor. I would also suggest opening the clock app on your phone and starting a timer to help you keep track of time.

After my presentation, I was asked follow-up questions (it was actually more of a discussion than a strict Q&A session). These questions expanded upon the 3 main questions, targeting areas or aspects covered in the background information/financials. For example “You said X strategy is an effective one because it opens up opportunities for streamlined web-enabled services, yet the business is struggling with cash flow; how and where could it release cash to launch this new strategy?”. If you are not able to reach a full conclusion in relation to one of the questions, they may also ask you what further information you would have liked to have had access to in order to make your recommendation.

The assessor then shared their screen and provided an additional piece of information relating to the case study, and asked how this could impact the case study. I was given a couple of minutes to read through the information and answer two specific questions on this. I also needed to propose the next steps that the business should take, for example: carry out further market research, discuss the new technology with clients, seek professional advice to identify and mitigate potential risks, and so on.

General interview

I was asked the following questions:

• Why commercial law?
• Why Mishcon above other firms?
• Tell me about your past and current experiences
• Which of the firm’s core values most resonates with you?
• Cite three practices at Mishcon that could be cross-sold to a TMT client.
• Three situational questions:
  1. What are the steps you would take to prepare for a conference? What resources will you draw on internally to do this?
  2. You’re working on a settlement agreement, and it becomes clear that your client can negotiate a better deal. However, this only becomes clear because of something communicated by the opposing counsel to their client at the very final stages in a foreign language (which they don’t realise you understand). 
  3. It transpires that the fees accumulated in respect of a particular client project are twice as much as had originally been estimated to the client at the outset. You want to keep the client happy. How would you approach this? I was then asked how I would approach this with (i) a start-up client; (ii) a longstanding client; and (iii) a new client, taking into account the firm’s break-even point.
• I was then asked about my answer to the final question on the application form (which was “If we were to invite you to interview, what issue would you most like to talk about and why? This can be a non-legal issue and should be something you genuinely feel passionate about”).

What was the outcome?                                                  

Unknown at the time of writing this. 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?                                               

It can be helpful to have a firm understanding of Mishcon’s 6 core values and to refer to these in your answers where possible. I would also recommend acquiring a basic understanding of how businesses operate, as you might need to answer questions relating to:

• Commercial risks and opportunities.
• Whether a company should invest in X innovation (new technology, another business, an acquisition etc.).
• Financial data, including profits, losses, and what financial performance can mean for the business.
• Competition in the market.
• Business ethics, particularly in relation to emerging technology such as AI.

Mischon de Reya Vacation Scheme - February 2022 

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application

2. Video interview

3. Assessment centre 

4. Final interview

5. 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?