Trainee Solicitor
Interview process
With Clifford Chance there is no initial telephone interview stage or online tests after you submit an application. They invite to an assessment centre based solely on your answers and experiences detailed on your application form.
Most difficult question
What do you find unique about the recent deals we have completed?
Interview tips
Prepare answers that show you are committed to a long term career in law and be able to show examples of steps you took you further your ambition of a career in law - especially if you are a non-cognate graduate like I was.
Experiences at the assessment centre
The assessment centre itself started with a tour of the building with a recent graduate entrant and then an informal chat with them about their experiences of the firm.
This was followed by a presentation and senior partner interview. You were given 15 minutes to prepare for the presentation which was around the issues you would consider when Clifford Chance is deciding if it should advise a controversial client which in my example was a bio-tech firm that tested on animals and was recently fined for fraud.
The presentation itself formed the first part of the interview and lasted about 60 minutes. I was asked questions about my motivation for a career in law and why I had chosen my specific university followed by several competency questions.
After the interview we were served lunch and were joined by current trainees and a partner so that we could ask additional questions about the firm.
After lunch there were 3 verbal reasoning tests. The first was a standard SHL verbal reasoning test. The 2nd was an SHL test but one which Clifford Chance had commissioned themselves so was slightly different from previous tests I had completed. The third was a verbal reasoning test completed online. With this test the next questions changed depending on how you had answered previous questions.
The final stage of the assessment centre was a further interview with 2 different partners and was more focused on the specific areas of the firm that I wanted to work within and my knowledge of recent transactions the firm had concluded; as well as my understanding of the processes involved in completing such a transaction.
This was followed by a presentation and senior partner interview. You were given 15 minutes to prepare for the presentation which was around the issues you would consider when Clifford Chance is deciding if it should advise a controversial client which in my example was a bio-tech firm that tested on animals and was recently fined for fraud.
The presentation itself formed the first part of the interview and lasted about 60 minutes. I was asked questions about my motivation for a career in law and why I had chosen my specific university followed by several competency questions.
After the interview we were served lunch and were joined by current trainees and a partner so that we could ask additional questions about the firm.
After lunch there were 3 verbal reasoning tests. The first was a standard SHL verbal reasoning test. The 2nd was an SHL test but one which Clifford Chance had commissioned themselves so was slightly different from previous tests I had completed. The third was a verbal reasoning test completed online. With this test the next questions changed depending on how you had answered previous questions.
The final stage of the assessment centre was a further interview with 2 different partners and was more focused on the specific areas of the firm that I wanted to work within and my knowledge of recent transactions the firm had concluded; as well as my understanding of the processes involved in completing such a transaction.
Interview steps
Interviews:
- Phone
- 1:1
- Group / Panel
- Senior Management
- Video
Tests:
- Numerical
- Personality
- Verbal reasoning
- Psychometric
Other:
- Assessment centre
- Group exercise
- Background check
- Presentation
- Competency based questions
