Bristows Training Contract (Direct) - January 2023 

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application: questions with small word counts

2. Video interview: 3 questions (each with 15 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to respond)

3. Live online interview: motivation and competency questions.

4. In-person interview: short problem exercise, discussion with partners including further competency and commercial awareness questions, then a chat with a trainee

Which aspect does this report cover?

Video interview and live online interview

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

The video interview took place via Shortlist.me and the live interview was on Microsoft Teams. 

What did the video interview involve?

I was asked the following: 

• Why do you want to become a commercial lawyer at Bristows? 
• What have you done this year to show you want to become a solicitor?
• Please give an example of a time where you have been under considerable pressure. How did you react?

The questions were randomly generated from a bank of questions, so other questions can come up. For each question, I had 15 seconds to prepare my answer and 60 seconds to respond (questions could only be recorded once, and the timer to record started automatically after the 15 second prep time had ended). 

The platform was shortlist.me, which offers free practice interviews that you can do ahead of the real thing – I would recommend doing this to get a feel for how the platform works and how it feels to answer within the given time.

I prepared for commercial questions relating to the firm’s particular strengths and how those related to me; questions that tested my understanding of the firm and its strengths vis-à-vis other firms; and generic competency questions. To prepare for the latter, I made sure I had a bank of experiences that I could draw on for multiple competencies. The time to prepare is incredibly short, so it is essential to have brainstormed potential questions in advance – the 15 seconds of prep time are only enough to gather yourself; not enough to plan how you will answer a question.

The firm contacted me two weeks after the video interview to invite me to attend a live interview.

What did the live online interview involve?      

The live interview consisted of a one hour interview with two partners hosted via Microsoft Teams. The interview wasn’t rigidly structured; the interviewers ran through three general types of questions in a friendly, chatty way. 

Commercial/quick-thinking questions        

These questions were quite varied, and included:

• Imagine you’re a professor at a university with a promising cancer research project which has already shown results. Your university will no longer give you money. How do you get funding?
• Explain to your great grandmother who knows nothing about the internet what the internet is, using an analogy.
• What kind of work do IP lawyers do? 
• What is IP?

Rather than simply wanting a concise, correct answer, the firm wanted me to show my thought process and how I got to each answer I gave, so I ensured I considered different alternatives and weighed up the pros and cons of each. 

Other questions related more to IP-related issues, testing my understanding – at a high level – of what IP is and what IP lawyers do. I had prepared for potential questions relating to data protection, AI, and commercial news stories, but was not asked anything on these matters. The most unusual questions I was asked were the questions that aimed to test my thinking on the spot, such as “explain to your great grandmother who knows nothing about the internet what the internet is, using an analogy”. The trick with these questions is not to stress out – be creative and explain your thought process.

Firm-related questions

There were further questions relating to the work that the firm does, including:

• What seats would you be interested in doing and why?
• What are Bristows’ strengths?
• Why would you work for Bristows and not a firm with multiple overseas offices?
• What kind of work do we do in X department?
• What makes Bristows stand out from its main competitors? Name two competitors and compare them to the firm.

These questions tested my understanding not only of the firm’s specialisation, but also how the firm differs from its competitors. Make sure you have a good understanding of what makes Bristows stand out, and be able to name some of its competitors with a clear understanding of where the differences are and why your strengths make you suitable for Bristows. 

To prepare for this section, I made sure I had a good understanding of the different departments in the firm, which seats were offered during the training contract, which seats I would apply to sit in, and why these were my priorities. I also prepared to speak about two of the firm’s recent deals, but was not asked any questions about these in the end.

In addition, I made sure to make a note of things I had been told about the firm previously by current trainees so that I could use these as relevant examples when answering questions about my knowledge of the firm, particularly with respect to firm culture.

Competency and motivation questions         

The competency and motivation questions were fairly straightforward. These included:

• If you couldn’t become a lawyer, what would you do?
• Why do you want to become a commercial solicitor?
• Why do you want to work for Bristows?
• What relevant IP experience do you have?
• Why did you choose to study in X country?
• Why did you decide to change careers?

The interviewers seemed to take a genuine interest in my experiences, so the questions were heavily tailored to the specific experiences I had mentioned on my CV and during the interview itself. Make sure you are able to speak about and justify anything you mention in your application, as well as anything you bring up during the interview itself, as you could be asked to speak about anything. 

I would recommend preparing to answer the usual questions about your motivations and experience relating specifically to the TC at Bristows – make sure you are able to explain why you are applying for a firm that specialises in IP, and why your specific experience makes you suitable for such a firm. I drew on a wide range of examples from work, study and even travel. 

Group exercise  

Format

We were split into two groups of 4 or 5, then sent into separate rooms with 1 assessor per group. Each group had 40 minutes to discuss the background information and prepare a presentation, then 10 minutes to deliver the presentation.

Task

We were given a piece of paper that set out a business proposition. We were to act as if we were setting up a café in Leeds city centre, and our task was to pitch for a bank loan of £50,000 to help set up the business. As part of this, we were asked to draw up a list of key considerations that should be brought to the bank’s attention during that pitch.

Approach

Our discussion focused on various considerations, including:

• Location: our business would need to be in an area which would capture the most footfall (e.g. between the city’s main universities).
• Confidence: to demonstrate commitment and give the bank confidence, we would invest our own capital in the business too.
• Costs: we would keep costs low by employing students.
• Target market: we would be targeting the student population, given that there are 5 universities in the city (meaning we would focus on low-cost sandwiches). We felt this would be a good market to target, as word of mouth could spread rapidly amongst this very socially active group
• Marketing: some of the £50,000 investment would go into marketing, including posters around campuses, free sample sandwiches and so on. Social media would also be an important part of our marketing strategy.

What was the outcome?                                                  

I mentioned during the interview that I had already received two TC offers, so the firm got back to me quickly (they emailed me within 4 days of the live online interview inviting me to the final round interview). However, I withdrew from the process because I decided to accept one of my existing offers. 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?                                                       

Spend time brainstorming potential questions and how you would answer them. To prepare for my interview, I prepared pages and pages of potential questions and answers, which meant I had prepared for most of the questions I was actually asked in my interview. It also helped to have a specific list of experiences that I could draw on for competency-related questions. 

It helped that I had engaged with the firm on previous occasions, as this enabled me to refer to specific experiences and conversations that I had had with people at the firm. I would recommend applying for one of the firm’s IP workshops if you are eligible, as this workshop helped me to gain insight into the firm that I would not have otherwise had.