To save you time . Opens the Fishbowl by Glassdoor site in a new window. We are a distinctive London-based law firm with a unique combination of services built and shaped around the needs of our clients. For the first year insight scheme, you need to apply online as well. Programmes The application form Interview and assessment Application deadlines Meeting Macfarlanes - Campus events, workshops and fairs Inclusion and CSR Health and wellbeing Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) Share FAQs Experience Macfarlanes Training programme Lawtech graduate programme Paralegals Apply FAQs Inclusion and CSR The written exercise is probably the most difficult (see below). How many first year scheme participants do you recruit each year? I interviewed at Macfarlanes (London, England) in Jul 2022, Introduction We are members of the Business Disability Forum and work closely with the Forum to ensure our processes remain accessible and fair to all candidates. a written exercise. Before this we had fifteen minutes to read over a scenario involving the ethics of coming across inside information and whether or not to use it. There was a group negotiation task (nothing too complicated, just about showing you're a team player) followed by a written assessment (quite time pressured) and then an interview, half of which is a case study and the other half about you. 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. Over at @macfarlanesgrad, they're challenging the Instagram vs reality stereotypes and laying bare what makes the firm #meaningfullydifferent. Any insight would be appreciated! Yes, in 2021 we launched the Macfarlanes Legal Academy. They can advise you on the best course of action. Its very difficult to prepare for the quick scenario to discuss, but think about privileged information and codes of ethics for solicitors. The hardest part of the day was definitely the written exercise. Thoughts on Wilson Elser? However, they are not a requirement for the training programme. The one-on-one partner interview involves the usual competency, motivation, and strengths based questions. The grad rec partners was reassuring in telling us that we had done very well just to get there, and assured us that there were enough places for us all to go through. For instance, we were a lawyer and a client was asking for advice, but we werent qualified in that area. I am a career changer. Do you have a multifaith prayer room at your office? To find out what it is like to work at Macfarlanes read the firm's Meet the Lawyer profile. Are you supportive if they have forgotten their point/are being brutally questioned by the other side and do you bring in quieter members of the group if they are struggling? For the written exercise, focus on the details and dont make silly errors. It may not display this or other websites correctly. How many vacation scheme participants do you recruit across your three schemes? Commercial litigators represent and advise commercial clients when disputes arise from joint venture projects, civil fraud, commercial and banking transactions, corporate governance, financial services regulation and professional negligence. Around 15% of direct training programme applicants are invited in for an assessment day, which lasts from 9am until 2pm. It supports and educates staff about ethnic, religious, faith and cultural matters. The early legal careers team will arrange a follow up call with you before your assessment day to discuss any adjustments further. We understand that not every candidates achievements look the same on paper, and we are a firm that believes in fairness and diversity. You should therefore not worry about applying to us as soon as the applications open. Full instructions are given by the early legal careers team before the exercise; an interview with a partner and a senior associate. If I have a disability or long-term health condition and need the application form in an alternative format, can you provide this? Charities lawyers advising the not-for-profit and social enterprise sector cover a vast area of legal ground, from wills and trusts to commercial and real estate law. Our Environmental Sub-Committee, made up of people from across the firm, leads the firms sustainable business agenda. 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. Many of our trainees and associates applied for our programmes after they graduated. 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. Vacation scheme assessment days consist of the following assessments: All assessment exercises during the assessment day are application blind, so your assessors will not have seen your application form. 1 partner interview - standard interview, cv and commerciality based. Even though I didn't get the offer I enjoyed the day and the feedback they gave afterwards was helpful. And in June 2020 we adopted an ambitious new environmental policy. There is a great deal that students can be doing while at university to position themselves as candidates that are serious about a career in law: Attend in-house events We have a real range of events that will allow you to meet our team, gain key insights into our work and build essential skills. 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. The scheme is a great opportunity to find out whether Macfarlanes is right for you. Remember that a lawyer can only give advice on things they have expertise in or they will face liability for incorrect advice. Any thoughts on working at Twitter as counsel? Interviewers were polite and asked not too hard questions. This details practices from mainstream religions that could affect individuals at work. The amount is reviewed annually and is within market range. Commercial lawyers focus on trade, from commercial agreements about supply, manufacture and distribution to identifying the best routes to market. Please contact the graduate recruitment team. Apply. Our spring vacation scheme often takes place during Ramadan, so this is something we consider when organising the programme of events. Second: split into two pairs and negotiating four terms (each had to win two points). Social Welfare Solicitors Qualification Fund returns for second year in a row. Pleasecontact the early legal careers team. If you would like to apply for both, we suggest applying for the vacation scheme first, wait to hear the result of your application and then apply for our training programme if necessary. We recruit 1520 participants for our first year insight scheme. We do, however, give feedback to candidates who attend an assessment day. I interviewed at Macfarlanes. You will also be assigned a partner who will act as your mentor throughout the training programme. Lunch, then work shadowing with an interview scheduled at some point in the afternoon. Applications open on 26 September 2022 online via our website and will close on 27 January 2023. Theinsight scheme willtake placefrom 3 April 2023 6 April 2023. Firm Profile . The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience. The interview is 40 mins in total: 20 mins in-tray exercise and 20 mins competency based Qs. Biomedical Science: 2023/24 Applicants Thread. No. Discover anonymous reviews now! Please get in touch with the Inclusion and CSR team if you have further questions. City firms announce partner promotions despite pandemic pressures. Can I still apply? Very friendly and relaxed. good questions and very good structure . We wanted more transparency and better training. Pensions and Pensions De-risking. SQE 2 tests some of the professional skills required for practice, such as client interviewing, advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research and legal drafting, among others. Written exercise They discuss adjustments required by our employees and ensure these are implemented. Make sure you complete the exercise in the time available, and just be clear in giving your advice. The firm will do this as part of its bulk renewal process. Think about how you would structure a letter to a client, but otherwise its difficult to prepare for the written exercise as its just applying facts to the contract to see what can be done. What advice would you give to future applicants for the Macfarlanes interview? You are also invited to social events at the firm so you can start building your network before you join us. Meanwhile, Irwin Mitchell is expecting to open its 15 offices at 50% capacity from 21 June. A long application followed by an assessment centre with a case study, partner/associate interview and written exercise. Why do you want to become a solicitor? They also encouraged me to apply for a TC next year which I think bodes well as I think they thought I was a strong candidate who just lacked a bit of experience at this stage. On Fishbowl, you can share insights and advice anonymously with Macfarlanes employees and get real answers from people on the inside. Sessions start on the week of the 13th March! Applications will close on 6 January 2023. We had certain goals to achieve from the negotiations, and time to prepare amongst ourselves. 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. They kept dragging out the time before they sent me the assessment, and then decided not to hire me. If I need additional support during the assessment process, who should I contact? Our inclusion team regularly share invitations to firmwide religious and cultural events, and they created a document called Working with colleagues of different faiths. You complete modules that are bespoke to Macfarlanes. Aimed at school and college students, mainly years 12 and 13, it provides guidance, materials and interactive exercises designed to help build the skills needed if you are considering a career in law. 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. Do you review the applications as and when they are submitted (on a rolling basis) or after the deadline? 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. All other questions have a limit of 300 words. SensitivePedant. A number of our current trainee cohort and associates had another career before applying to our training programme. ", Opens the Fishbowl by Glassdoor site in a new window, motivations for law, about you, and competency on resilience. All Rights Reserved. Body language and speech are important: don't slouch or mumble and avoid verbal tics such as 'like', 'you know' and 'sort of'. Was very interesting . However, if you need additional support throughout the assessment process or there is anything else you wish to discuss, please contact the early legal careers team. Restructuring and Insolvency. Quite standard Any thoughts on working at Twitter as counsel? 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). However, you will need to complete the Professional Skills Course (PSC) during your qualifying work experience. On Fishbowl, you can share insights and advice anonymously with Macfarlanes employees and get real answers from people on the inside. Coming up with solutions to current legal issues was a bit tricky. They will work with you to understand the changes you need and ensure these are put in place. 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. 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. Unless the partner proves you're wrong, this is usually an opportunity for you to hold your ground and show your potential as a future lawyer, Written exercise suggested to be the hardest because of time constraints. Maintenance allowance for PGDL students, 13,000. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. Nepotism always wins it seems. How would you deal with a disruptive associate when you are giving presentation ? These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information. It also looks into your motivations for pursuing a career in commercial law at Macfarlanes; and. We also use a contextual recruitment tool to understand each applicants achievements in the context they were gained. You get as much hands-on experience as possible, to gain a real understanding of the firms culture and work. This depends on your degree subject. Vacation students will spend each week in a different practice area working alongside a partner,solicitor ortrainee. I have some legal work experience already, and I know I want to be an associate at Macfarlanes. All content 2023 Macfarlanes LLP. Group exercise: split intotwo parts, first all four int he group discussing a scenario with the assessor (speak up but dont dominate). We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. If you studied a non-law subject at undergraduate level, you have to complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) at BPP. A. Continue Reading Interview Questions Q: Why you choose Macfarlanes? However, the firm will provide study leave at the discretion of the practice area head. REACH (race, ethnicity and cultural heritage) is a forum for networking and peer support. Well rounded candidates who will make the most of our varied seat rotations. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. Was very interesting . Glassdoor users rated their interview experience at Macfarlanes as 87.5% positive with a difficulty rating score of 3.38 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty). Banking and finance involves many financial products, from bank loans to companies to highly structured financing arrangements across multiple jurisdictions. The first was a written exercise which was a letter to a client, a holiday company, about a complaint they had received by one of their customers, with advice about their liabilities and what they should offer by way of compensation. There is an about you section in both the vacation scheme and the training programme application forms, each with four questions. Spring/Summer 2022 - Receive your training programme offer from Macfarlanes. Exeter Assessment Centre. 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. Our selection process includes a range of assessments. Intellectual property is an umbrella term for a variety of different rights which protect intellectual creations, such as inventions, brands, designs, and literary and artistic works. Anyone else 12 weeks behind with uni work? Presentation from trainees Do you cover the cost of travel for candidates? Work can include being asked to draft a real letter and then working through the draft with a solicitor or trainee or carrying out some research on a live issue for a client. That was helpful for sharing the opportunities to speak. The maximum word count for each of these questions is 300 words. We are a distinctive London-based law firm with a unique combination of services built and shaped around the needs of our clients. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. The process took 2+ months. Revenue: $100 to $500 million (USD) Competitors: Unknown. The format at the Assessment Centre was as follows: Negotiation exercise Presentation from trainees Written exercise Interview + case study Work shadowing For the negotiation exercise, just be yourself ensure you speak and make valid points as they assess everything you say. Overall good questions ! Saw the below headline today in The Lawyer. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. 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). 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. These include team working, communication, time management and analytical skills. Discover the most relevant business news, access our law firm analysis, and receive our best advice for aspiring lawyers. Online application. 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. Theyre not out there to assess the quality of your questions or anything. Read the Financial Times and The Economist An excellent way to develop your commercial awareness - be sure to consider how these major events may have a practical, commercial impact in the legal sector. Can I apply for both the training programme and a vacation scheme? During your SQE preparation course you also attend regular seminars from the firm, where you hear from associates in our practice areas. . Corporate finance lawyers advise companies on all aspects of the buying and selling of whole businesses or business assets. Generally, we progress applications from candidates who have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2.1 in their degree. Share Plan Lawyers Group; ESOP Centre. They can be invaluable in helping you decide whether a career in law is right for you. 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. To apply for a vacation scheme you will need to be in at least the penultimate year of your degree. If your questions are not answered above, pleasecontact the early legal careers team. Catherine Morgan-Guest Senior manager, early legal careers There's surprisingly little info on the internet. I am a qualified lawyer in an overseas jurisdiction. Law firms in profit despite pandemic; firms reinstate NQ pay. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. Balance is a forum for all staff managing careers and home lives. At Bright Network we use cookies and similar technologies to help deliver you the best possible experience. 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. 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