Morrison Foerster Vacation Scheme - February 2025
What was the full recruitment process?
1. Application
2. First-stage interview
3. Assessment centre
4. Vacation scheme
Which aspect does this report cover?
First stage interview and assessment centre
First stage interview
Mine took place online via Zoom (but there was an option to do it in-person if preferred)
This was a 1-hour interview with a combination of motivation, competency and commercial questions asked by two members of graduate recruitment and two associates at the firm.
Motivation questions
Competency questions
Commercial/legal questions
Knowing your experiences and your application in depth and inside out is really important because they might ask about anything you mention in a lot more depth. For example, I mentioned one aspect of law that I worked on in my legal experiences and they asked me more about that and whether I could discuss it. Otherwise, I think being confident and friendly will go a long way, in addition to knowing what kind of work the firm does on a more detailed level.
I received a call from graduate recruitment around a month later to invite me to a second-stage interview.
Where did the assessment centre take place?
In-person at Morrison Foerster’s offices.
What did the assessment centre involve?
1. Pre-prepared presentation + Q&A: I had prepared a 5-10 minute presentation on a topical issue before the assessment centre, which I then presented, before answering questions about the presentation (5-10 minute presentation, 10-15 minute Q&A, with a partner, an of counsel, and a trainee).
2. Competency and motivation interview: this covered my application, interests, motivation to join the firm, and understanding of being a trainee solicitor (45-minutes with 1 partner, 1 of counsel and 1 trainee).
3. Case study interview: oral discussion about a commercial/legal case study brief (45-minutes reading and preparation time, 45-minute interview with 2 associates).
Pre-prepared presentation + Q&A
3 days before my interview I was instructed to prepare a 5–10-minute presentation from a choice of 4 presentation topics:
This presentation was delivered to a partner, an of counsel, and a trainee at the firm, who then quizzed me for 15 minutes after my presentation about the content.
Competency and motivation interview
This interview was directly after the presentation and lasted ~45 minutes. I was interviewed by a partner, an of counsel, and a trainee (the same interviewers who I delivered the presentation to). It felt much like a panel of interviewers who asked questions whenever they came to mind.
Competency questions
Motivation questions
Case study interview
During the preparation time, I was given a case study brief about a fictional company with a product similar to ChatGPT which was looking to buy a company that manages data centres and produces computer chips.
I was provided with various pieces of information (1 page worth) about the buyer and the target in addition to a few questions to consider that would guide the subsequent discussion. I was provided with pens and a highlighter, and I was not allowed to use any technology in the preparation time.
The questions I was then asked included:
What was the outcome?
Graduate Recruitment called me a week later to tell me I had been successful.
Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?
For the presentation I would say you just need to prepare well and try to pick a topic you have been following in the news recently, because having wider knowledge will be super helpful for putting the issues in context and answering the questions critically.
The motivation/competency interview is fairly straightforward, but just make sure that you know your experiences really well and that you can explain how you have developed certain skills. I would try to practise answering in front of people because with 3 interviewers it can feel quite daunting, yet it is important to speak confidently and naturally.
The case study interview is really technical but the Commercial Law Academy courses on Mergers and Acquisitions and case study examples cover lots of the important information so I would definitely check those out because they helped me a lot. It requires both technical legal and wider commercial knowledge and it’s really important to demonstrate how well you can apply it to a real commercial scenario so I would also try to practise that.
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