Cookies enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. The last interview was an in-tray exercise, basically. Work shadowing. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Macfarlanes is unlike any other law firm. I did 4 partner interviews over a period of 6 weeks, only for them to suddenly ask me to do an assessment. What to expect from Macfarlanes LLP training contract. Does Macfarlanes have any staff network groups? On Fishbowl, you can share insights and advice anonymously with Macfarlanes employees and get real answers from people on the inside. First commercial case study with 3 parts, then a partner interview on the case study followed by a group presentation task to a partner, a one-on-one partner interview and a written exercise (a letter responding to a claimant who is suing your client). Be the first to find this interview helpful, Why Law Why Macfarlanes Describe a time when you overcame an obstacle, "Are you resilient?" My partner is letting her friend sleep in her bed, am I overeacting? Partner and associate are friendly and very nice. Private Client. The written task was the hardest as there was a lot of time pressure. The written exercise is probably the most difficult (see below). Anyone else 12 weeks behind with uni work? Presentation from trainees Then we negotiated with the team opposite. Restructuring and insolvency lawyers are necessary when a company, individual or other organisation is in financial difficulties. How does Macfarlanes support trainees with disabilities and long-term mental health conditions? You can also arrange a call with the early legal careers team to discuss further. Why do you want to become a solicitor? Some common areas that lead to applicants not passing the application stage include lack of research on the firm, poor spelling, grammar and punctuation, not meeting the minimum requirements, not fully articulating your motivations, needing more complete or more succinct responses to questions, poor example choices and repetition of ideas. a group negotiation exercise with five or six other candidates, assessed by an associate. We accept applicants from all UK and international universities. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information. 1st stage interview, behaviour questions Two people from the lawtech group Copyright The Student Room 2023 all rights reserved. "Why law/Macfarlanes? How would you deal with a disruptive associate when you are giving presentation ? Any insight would be appreciated! Lawtech. Do you accept applications from people like me? No. What kind of technology are you interested in most? Interview with a partner: 20 minutes, first 10 on an ethical scenario leaving a VERY short time for personal questions. . I applied for a Training Contract directly. for recruitment purposes, (including via virtual assessment centres and virtual trainee experiences); to promote our legal services, including . Banking and finance involves many financial products, from bank loans to companies to highly structured financing arrangements across multiple jurisdictions. Sponsored by Lewis Silkin. A number of our current trainee cohort and associates had another career before applying to our training programme. Balance is a forum for all staff managing careers and home lives. Yes, but any training programme offer would be subject to your having the right to work in the UK for the duration of your training programme. Social Welfare Solicitors Qualification Fund returns for second year in a row. At the assessment centre I did a written exercise, an interview and a group exercise. We are committed to reduce any negative environmental impact from our business operations and to continually improve our environmental performance. Can I send in a copy of my CV and a covering letter instead of completing an application online? How would you implement a process. That said, everyone is encouraged to keep business attire at the office in case they need to attend an event or meeting where dress down would be inappropriate. Can I still apply for a vacation scheme or the training programme? Your choices regarding cookies on this site. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Qualified Lawyers Assessment QLA (Re-qualifying in Scotland), Norton Rose Fulbright - Business and Legal Operations Graduate Scheme, Starting new training contract, I need all the advice possible, MOJ Trainee Legal Advisor - Magistrates Court - 2022, Law career advice for 2nd year LLB student with a flimsy CV. How many vacation scheme participants do you recruit across your three schemes? These sessions help build your legal knowledge and inform your seat choices. I attended the assessment center, which consisted of one timed written exercise, one group exercise focused on negotiation, and one commercial case study with a partner and senior associate followed by the interview. The format at the Assessment Centre was as follows: I attended the assessment center, which consisted of one timed written exercise, one group exercise focused on negotiation, and one commercial case study with a partner and senior associate followed by the interview. JavaScript is disabled. They can be invaluable in helping you decide whether a career in law is right for you. We are Macfarlanes LLP, the City of London based, international law firm, and entities controlled by Macfarlanes LLP through which it carries out its business ("Macfarlanes", "we", "us" or "our"). Biomedical Science: 2023/24 Applicants Thread. We take extenuating circumstances seriously and would encourage you to be as open with us as you feel comfortable. The one-on-one partner interview involves the usual competency, motivation, and strengths based questions. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. Apply. Written was the hardest as it was very time pressured but even though some of us didn't finish on time, still managed to get onto the scheme. Thoughts on Wilson Elser? We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Candidates can choose whether to join the evening social events, and we try and make sure that events are not centred on food or drink. a written exercise. Anyone else 12 weeks behind with uni work? On Fishbowl, you can share insights and advice anonymously with Macfarlanes employees and get real answers from people on the inside. Large listed and private companies, trustees and start-ups turn to Macfarlanes LLP for assistance with the design, implementation and operation of employee share plans and incentive . It was about different categories of shareholders and shares, (apply the companys articles to a problem scenario) and needed a numerical answer for the value the company could recover (no calculator but very basic maths, e.g.dividing by 10). Find out about the work she gets up to on a daily basis and the early responsibility on offer in this practice area. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Has anyone here used upwork or other similar sites to initially get work to start your own firm? Found out from the recruiter that they hired the daughter of a friend of a partner instead - who had been interviewed, offered and accepted in the two weeks theyd been delaying on sending me the assessment. What I would say is so make sure you finish the letter, even if it isnt your best! You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. This combines the knowledge you gain from a law degree or law conversion course in the fundamental principles of law with the knowledge you gain from the Legal Practice Course (LPC) in the basics of legal practice. Remember that a lawyer can only give advice on things they have expertise in or they will face liability for incorrect advice. The exercise was really short, ten mins on a case study you are given to read beforehand which is based on assessing your commercial awareness, and the interview is really a conversation about that, and then ten mins of questions about you. You need a 2.1 degree or above, though we do take account of extenuating circumstances. Macfarlanes LLP Training Contracts & Work Placements - LawCareers.Net If you gain a place on one of our assessment days, you will find out more about the firm during the day. If successful at the screening stage, we will invite you for a telephone interview. City firmHerbert Smith Freehillshas elected 26 partners worldwide its biggest partner promotions round since 2012 and four more than 2019 despite coronavirus concerns. Anonymous Interview Candidate in London, England, I applied online. I've been invited to an assesment Day following my application. Body language and speech are important: don't slouch or mumble and avoid verbal tics such as 'like', 'you know' and 'sort of'. Assessment Centre: 1: Group Negotiation - Testing communication skills largely 2: Written Exercise - time pressured - right or wrong answers - bit of basic maths 3: Interview - mostly competency - some commercial awareness. Rene Lai on LinkedIn: I'm thrilled to share that I have accepted a Try and maintain eye contact when appropriate. Our Environmental Sub-Committee, made up of people from across the firm, leads the firms sustainable business agenda. What is it like? Robert Collard > Macfarlanes LLP > London > England | Lawyer Profile My interviewer was very friendly and put me very much at ease when I was very nervous going into it. Please visit the Apply page on our website to watch avideoabout our training programme assessment day. Pretty straightforward, nice talking to the recruitment managers. We recruit people to build careers for the long term. I applied through a recruiter. Macfarlanes - Cheeky Little Careers The second element was an interview with a partner about competencies. It also details the support available to employees. Does Macfarlanes partner with any external diversity organisations? The first half of the interview is the business case study exercise where you are asked about a case study that you will have had 15 minutes to prepare for before the interview. As regards the former, in my case it involved basic questions such as tell me about a time you faced a challenge how did you overcome it and tell me about a time you showed initiative. Please visit theeventspage on the website to find out about our latest events. See what employees say it's like to work at Macfarlanes. When is the deadline for the vacation scheme? Private Equity. Then we were split into two groups of three, representing each side of the acquisition. Insurance and reinsurance is an integral part of commercial activity throughout the world. Tech and the future of legal services: implementing change. good questions and very good structure . Spring 2024 - Sit the SQE2 examination. Immigration lawyers deal with all legal matters relating to immigration and nationality. Weinvite up to 15% of applicants to attend one of a series of assessment days held at the firm's office to assess them for a place on one of our vacation schemes. I interviewed at Macfarlanes (London, England) in Apr 2021. Spring/Summer 2022 - Receive your training programme offer from Macfarlanes. If you have completed the Graduate Diploma in Law/Postgraduate Diploma in Law, the Legal Practice Course/Solicitors Qualifying Examinations or both, you are required to have achieved at least a commendation. There are changing rooms in our office for employee use. What advice would you give to future applicants for the Macfarlanes interview? At first there was a list of potential issues and we discussed as a group, led by two current trainees, how serious each would be, which were the most serious etc. Brain power - clever people who can think on their feet. They kept dragging out the time before they sent me the assessment, and then decided not to hire me. I graduated some years ago. The exercise is about understanding the roles of lawyers and commercial awareness. You are also invited to social events at the firm so you can start building your network before you join us. Please prepare each case study equally and expect to discuss all three in a similar level of detail; an application interview with a partner and a member of our HR team. On the whole there wasnt really a way you could have prepared for it though. Copyright 2008-2023, Glassdoor, Inc. "Glassdoor" and logo are registered trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc. Sessions start on the week of the 13th March! Full instructions are given by the early legal careers team before the exercise; an interview with a partner and a senior associate. Are you allowed to take tracing paper into the Maths GCSE? Qualified Lawyers Assessment QLA (Re-qualifying in Scotland), Norton Rose Fulbright - Business and Legal Operations Graduate Scheme, Starting new training contract, I need all the advice possible, MOJ Trainee Legal Advisor - Magistrates Court - 2022, Law career advice for 2nd year LLB student with a flimsy CV. We run campus and in-house events during the academic year. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. Thoughts on Wilson Elser? How to apply www.macfarlanes.com Follow us on /MacfarlanesGrad /company/macfarlanes/ /macfarlanesearlycareers Applications to Yes. We had certain goals to achieve from the negotiations, and time to prepare amongst ourselves. Copyright The Student Room 2023 all rights reserved. Several law firms, including Clifford Chance and Macfarlanes LLP, have launched a leadership-led, cross-firm collective developed to improve the representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in the UK legal profession. Any insight would be appreciated! Common stages of the interview process at Macfarlanes according to 24 Glassdoor interviews include: Glassdoor has millions of jobs plus salary information, company reviews, and interview questions from people on the inside making it easy to find a job thats right for you. A national fund designed to boost social mobility within the legal profession, address the recruitment and retention crisis, and ultimately improve access to justice has been launched. It also looks into your motivations for pursuing a career in commercial law at Macfarlanes; and. The form is designed to give you every opportunity to tell us about yourself and show your interest in Macfarlanes. Apply. 1st stage interview, behaviour questions Two people from the lawtech group Do not feel pressured to respond too quickly, but take time to give considered answers. Do you only accept applicants from certain universities? Our unrivalled blend of expertise, agility and culture means we have the flexibility to meet their most challenging demands and adapt to the changing world around us. But note: some of your interviewers may dress down. This includes using contextual recruitment and running diversity-specific open days and mentoring programmes. The day on the whole is quite, usually from 9-4:30- but the rest of the activities are not assessed so it does allow you to relax and meet the trainees! These give us insights into how we can develop and expand our diversity and inclusion initiatives in the firm. Macfarlanes | The Lawyer Portal Training programme assessment days consist of the following assessments: All assessments on the assessment day are application blind except for the application interview. If I choose an alternative route to qualify than the training programme will the firm pay for the cost of me sitting the SQE? Industry: Legal. Macfarlanes | The Corporate Law Academy Because we respect your right to privacy, below you will find descriptions on the types of cookies used on this site and options to opt out where preferred. Make sure you keep an eye on the time, though the other people in the exercise made a big show of checking their watches and announcing how long we had left, clearly trying to earn points with the assessors. A big thank you to the graduate recruitment team for delivering such a memorable Assessment Centre and . Absolutely, yes. Don't be afraid to be nervous - if you're shaking you won't necessarily be judged on it! We are Macfarlanes LLP, the City of London based, international law firm, and entities controlled by Macfarlanes LLP through which it carries out its business ("Macfarlanes", "we", "us" or "our"). Commercial property lawyers work on a wide range of transactions including offices, retail developments and infrastructure projects. Discover anonymous reviews now! We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves. Apply - Macfarlanes Each of your seats will feature a mid seat and end of seat review during which you can discuss your progress and which areas need focus. For us to accurately assess your potential, we want to see your achievements in context and ensure you are set up in the right way to perform at your best. Biomedical Science: 2023/24 Applicants Thread. Theyre not out there to assess the quality of your questions or anything. And in June 2020 we adopted an ambitious new environmental policy. Yes, in 2021 we launched the Macfarlanes Legal Academy. Its very difficult to prepare for the quick scenario to discuss, but think about privileged information and codes of ethics for solicitors. My partner is letting her friend sleep in her bed, am I overeacting? It was relatively straight-forward. Then we had lunch with trainees and partners, which was a little intimidating at first but fine once we were going. I have had a bad experience in the past and feel it is safer not to disclose my disability. Has anyone here used upwork or other similar sites to initially get work to start your own firm? Draw upon what other people say, expanding on their points. As a trainee you could be working on major corporate transactions or commercial litigation, and then working for private clients on their most sensitive affairs. The actual exercise is not difficult usually it is based on an M&A scenario, and you will just have to negotiate the terms of the agreements. Diversity Schemes. You then meet a partner and a senior associate who ask you several questions about each case study. We reimburse reasonable travel expenses for candidates who attend an assessment day for our vacation scheme or training programme. Sessions start on the week of the 13th March! We recruit people to build careers for the long term. 30/04/2023 Ashfords Exeter Summer Scheme 1. Can trainees get involved in pro bono work at Macfarlanes? I am not yet at university. All Rights Reserved. If we have not yet reviewed your application, we may be able to add the missing information. Yes, we do. I am worried that if I tell Macfarlanes about my disability this will be seen negatively. While many of our practice areas can be found at other firms, the mix cannot. Anonymous Interview Candidate in London, England, I applied online. Macfarlanes LLP 20 CURSITOR STREET LONDON EC4A 1LT England Email firm Visit website 020 7831 9222 020 7831 9607. Technology, media and telecommunications is one of the fastest-developing sectors of the legal market. Joining the law societies These societies have access to many city firms and will often host events that enable you to meet the firms in person and gain essential insights into the sector. The written exercise was fairly straightforward if you read ALL the information thoroughly and applied it exactly. Privacy policy - Macfarlanes It was a different kind of awards ceremony last night as hundreds of viewers stayed at home to watch the 17th annual LawCareers.Net Training & Recruitment Awards streamed live on Facebook and Instagram. You complete modules that are bespoke to Macfarlanes. Pleasant. This part of the day is not assessed, but we encourage you to have questions prepared. SensitivePedant. Private client solicitors looks after the affairs of individual clients and trustees, managing all aspects of their personal wealth. We have no minimum requirements for A level results. Winding-up petitions: whats the impact on companies and creditors in financial distress? Copyright 2008-2023, Glassdoor, Inc. "Glassdoor" and logo are registered trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc. Scheme launched to improve social mobility and access to justice in legal aid sector. You are using an out of date browser. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. We're delighted to announce the launch of the Macfarlanes' trainee experience, allowing you to complete mock trainee tasks whilst gaining an insight into our unique culture. The Social Mobility Foundation revealed its top 75 UK employers for social mobility earlier in the week, with law firms making up 30% of the listed employers. There is a guidance document on our intranet detailing this. Elizabeth Fielding is in the real estate group at Macfarlanes. These programmes are geared towards people who are not yet qualified. It didnt matter too much what result you achieved; it was more about how you did it, whether you were calm, cordial but stern, didnt back down too easily, showed commercial awareness in your arguments, and reached an agreement before the time limit. Firms reinstate NQ pay and tell staff they can choose how and when to work. Interested in a future career as a lawyer? Corporate finance lawyers advise companies on all aspects of the buying and selling of whole businesses or business assets. If you are studying a non-law degree, you can only apply for a place on our vacation schemes from your penultimate year onwards. It supports and educates staff about ethnic, religious, faith and cultural matters. Around 15% of direct training programme applicants are invited in for an assessment day, which lasts from 9am until 2pm. Are you allowed to take tracing paper into the Maths GCSE? Great teamwork skills, which include being kind and considerate. Please ensure you re-familiarise yourself with your application before the day. Initial greeting with HR (claim to fame or claim to shame icebreaker), then a group exercise, a talk from a trainee and an NQ and a written exercise. We also continue to provide additional financial assistance in the form of a 13,000 grant during this time. International students looking to apply for our first year insight scheme and vacation schemes must ensure that the dates of the scheme are outside term time. Each year, we complete submissions for the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme as well as for the Social Mobility Employer Index. Make sure you have convincing answers to questions like why law, why Macfarlanes, why haven't you done vac schemes, what other firms have you applied to, how have you demonstrated resilience etc. A firm handshake is best, but try not to break any bones. These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. Bar Course /BVS / BPTC 2023-2024 : what are everyone's plans? Aspiring Solicitors Sindhuja SAspiring Solicitors The Student Room and The Uni Guide are trading names of The Student Room Group Ltd. Register Number: 04666380 (England and Wales), VAT No. We recruit 1520 participants for our first year insight scheme. Please note blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. The Pupillage Interview/Acceptance/Rejection Thread 2023 Watch, Got offered Clifford Chance interview etc and don't know what to do lol. What is the interview process like at Macfarlanes. However, they are not a requirement for the training programme. To understand more about how we use cookies or to change your cookie preferences, click on Showsettings. How many first year scheme participants do you recruit each year? Because we respect your right to privacy, below you will find descriptions on the types of cookies used on this site and options to opt out where preferred. Who can apply for the training programme? Macfarlanes Career: Working at Macfarlanes | Glassdoor Leadership skills. We discussed this in the interview for about ten minutes, and it seemed mostly about how we thought about the issue. Macfarlanes First Year Skills Development Week 2023. Finally the day ends with lunch and networking with some trainees. Just really know what you are good and bad at. We also run a practice area open day where you can meet representatives from every practice area. Pride is a forum for LGBTQ+ staff and allies. The interview is 40 mins in total: 20 mins in-tray exercise and 20 mins competency based Qs. Nepotism always wins it seems. Regarding the interview, this is split in two parts one focusing on personal experiences (mostly competency questions) and the other on a case study, which you will have already had the chance to read before the interview. Written exercises: Attention to detail, true or false logic, and conditionality Get in touch with the Early Legal Careers team Thats what our team is there for, we can answer your questions and give you guidance with your application. Privacy policy - Macfarlanes For the online form its essential that you have really researched our firm consider why you want to build your long-term career at Macfarlanes specifically. data centres and large residential and commercial developments. All other questions have a limit of 300 words. Pensions and Pensions De-risking. I applied through a recruiter. I achieved lower grades at A level than I had hoped for. Can I still apply? How far before the deadline should I apply? Pleasecontact the early legal careers team. 2nd stage interview, a presentation on legaltech followed by a Q and A. If you are unsuccessful at an assessment day, you should discuss reapplying with a member of the graduate recruitment team. We take extenuating circumstances seriously and would encourage you to be as open with us as you feel you can. I interviewed at Macfarlanes (London, England) in Jan 2021. When is the deadline for direct training programme applications? We do not recruit on a rolling basis for our early legal careers opportunities, so will not screen applications until after the deadline. Make the most of their events and skills building workshops. The second half of the interview assesses whether you possess some of the important skills needed to be a successful trainee. Time management is key for this; I only just finished in time.