Mishchon de Reya Vacation Scheme - February 2025
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application
2. Video interview
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.. Case study interview: oral presentation on advice I would give a client based on a fictional transactional scenario (~45 minutes reading and preparation time, ~35 minutes with 1 partner)
2. Competency and motivation interview: competency, motivation and commercial awareness questions (~35 minutes with 2 senior associates)
Case study interview
I was first given an 11-page bundle of documents relating to a store selling organic produce. The documents included background information, the key terms of the expansion of the company, market research and the financial data of the company for the last five years. I had 30 minutes to read the information and prepare an oral presentation that covered the following questions:
The partner also asked follow-up questions based on my presentation, including:
The prep time places you under real-time pressure; make sure you at least skim-read everything, and try to pick up on all the key issues. Plan your oral presentation using very brief and clear notes (to save time) whilst making sure the notes/presentation plan allow you to systematically address every issue the client has raised/the case study questions.
Competency and motivation interview
Competency questions
Motivation questions
Legal and scenario-based questions
What was the outcome?
The firm emailed me two weeks after the assessment centre to tell me I had been successful.
Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?
The competency/motivation interview is very straightforward. They really go through your work experience and application, so it is important to know your experiences inside out. Although they have scripted questions, they just want to know you as a person.
The case study interview can be tricky. Use the 25 minutes well to understand the material. Prepare the basics in competition law, market structures and stakeholders.
The ‘scenario’ interview question was the most challenging, as you cannot really prepare in detail for it. It can be on any topic, so the best you can do is be attentive and understand what the partner is explaining. Ask questions if you do not understand and think of the most basic or logical steps/answers. Sometimes, they only want to see if you know your basics. I suggest explaining your thought process in making decisions as they are trying to understand how you would go about a scenario.
Mischon de Reya Vacation Scheme - January 2024
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application
2. Video interview
3. Assessment centre
4. Vacation scheme
Which aspect does this report cover?
Vacation scheme assessment centre
Where did the assessment centre take place?
Microsoft Teams
What did the assessment centre involve?
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:
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:
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?
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 (~20 minutes with a member of HR)Video interview
I had to pass a video interview before progressing to the main assessment centre. For this, 3 questions appeared on a screen. For each of the first two questions, I had 60 seconds to prepare, then 60 seconds to answer. I then had 90 seconds to prepare for the third question and 90 seconds to answer it. I was asked:
1. What other passions and interests do you have aside from law?
2. Tell us about a time when you went above and beyond expectations.
3. Describe the firm and how we’re unique.
Note that I know another candidate who faced four questions instead, so you may well face totally different questions in your video interview.
Case study
Preparation
I was given access to an online portal containing the case study background information, and told to prepare answers to 3 questions relating to the materials provided. During this time, the HR team member turned off their camera and audio, but asked me to keep my camera on.
The case study was business based, and designed to test whether candidates could think commercially (an understanding of company law wasn’t necessary). For example, you may be told that a fictional company is looking to incorporate new technologies into its business, then asked to discuss the commercial risks and benefits of the company doing so (based on background information about those new technologies).
You may also be given background information about the company and some financial information, then be asked to analyse this information to ascertain whether the company is experiencing growth compared to a previous year. If reviewing such information, don’t just identify the financial metrics and trends; consider what might be driving those trends and what further information you might need to assess the information more thoroughly.
I was told which 3 questions I needed to consider, so made notes relating to these questions when reviewing the information. I didn’t need to submit a written answer however; instead, I had to present my answers orally in the subsequent interview.
This was quite a time-pressured case study, so keep this in mind from the outset. You are probably going to be juggling multiple documents containing background information, so try to extrapolate key points as you go along (write notes, either by hand or into a Word document). I would recommend writing out the 3 questions they want you to consider (as headings), then add relevant points under each heading as you progress through the materials.
They are assessing your ability to review and process data (including quantitative and qualitative data), then distil this data into a well-structured presentation. I think they also want to understand your logic, so clearly set this out during and after your presentation. Communication skills are also key, so make an effort to maintain eye contact and speak at a reasonable pace.
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. I wasn’t given steer on how to structure this; they leave it to you to decide. Be sure to keep an eye on the time, as I believe it’s better to finish earlier than to run over or miss the opportunity to raise any key points.
After my presentation, I was asked follow-up questions for another 10 minutes (it was actually more of a discussion than a strict Q&A session). These questions expanded up the 3 main questions, for example “You said X innovation is a good investment because it opens up opportunities in international markets; how else could this benefit the business?”. In this example, you might then want to talk about aspects such as diversity of the workforce, greater profits, potential for collaboration with other companies or brands, and so on. 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 access to in order to make your decision.
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 legal advice to identify and mitigate potential risks etc.
Note that I was only asked one competency question during this interview, which was something like “why is teamwork important for efficient working and across different departments?”. I then returned to the main (virtual) room and had a general chat with HR about how I think it went.
What was the outcome?
The firm emailed me 10 days after the assessment centre to tell me I had successfully progressed to the final interview.
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:
I found “All You Need To Know About Commercial Awareness” by Christopher Stoakes helpful, but this is not absolutely necessary.
Additional notes from other candidates
Case study - March 2022
This was about a kitchen installation company that wanted to adopt two technology innovations. I was asked questions about the background information, including:
The additional information I was provided part way through the case study related to data protection and ethics.
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