Weil, Gotshal & Manges

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grad2009

Hi there,

I am interested in WGM. Alot of u guys on this thread seem to have accepted a place for their vac scheme. Do you have any idea what they make us do during the vac scheme? What sort of a preparation can one do to do well as i was reading that the scheme is assessment for the training contract?

Thanks alot! any help would be appreciated :-) Please reply soon.........

Reply 61

TommehR

I did a Vac Scheme last year. As far as the assessments on the scheme go (copied from a message I sent to a fellow forumer):

- A bloody difficult four-way negotiation exercise

- An exercise where we were given a little paragraph about a new product that we had developed, and then had 15 minutes as a group to put together a pitch which we then delivered to two Partners who were acting as investors and who kept asking questions.

- Another exercise where we were given ten statements about law firms and had to rank them in order of how research has suggested they are important to clients (e.g. expertise, value for money, communicative, etc.). This was more like a big discussion with a senior associate and wasn't particularly difficult.

- A written exercise which involved writing an email/letter to a Japanese client explaining some situation and giving legal advice in as clear language as possible. Like most written exercises, it wasn't particularly easy, nor was it particularly hard.

- The centrepiece of the assessment exercises was a pitch presentation to a couple of Partners who were acting as the management of Fat Face. Basically we were trying to persuade them to use Weil as their legal counsel. We got given this on the first day and had a week or so to prepare it. This was actually pretty difficult as we weren't given a great deal of information and there were quite a lot of hidden issues and they expected quite a lot of technical details. We did this in pairs.

- Then on the last day there was an interview which was virtually identical to the VS interview, just with different partners and a different commercial scenario.

There isn't really anything you can do to prepare for them before you're actually on the scheme. Once you're on the scheme, they'll tell you about the Pitch Presentation and then you'll have about a week to prepare for it. Don't leave it until the day before. It takes a lot of preparation to do it right and can get quite technical.

Again, that was last year. It may be different this year, I don't know.

Reply 62

grad2009

Thanks soo much TommehR... That is a BIG help!!!! This is my first vac scheme and I am actually a non-law student so really was not sure what to expect....and WGM seems to be the friendliest firm I have met so far so super duper excited about doing a placement with them!!!!
Did you get a training contract with them subsequent to the VS with them?
And also do they make us do research on law-related issues? If so, should I start reading some law journal or something? Any other tips on the socials or general attitude of the people and what they expect us to do??

Thanks again for the prompt help!! :-)

Reply 63

TommehR

grad2009

It is a really nice firm. Pretty much everybody was really friendly. I didn't get the TC, which was a shame, even though I'd already decided I didn't want to go US.

I think it's inevitable that you will get asked to do some research at some point, but they provide a bit of training on how to use some of the search facilities, and you can always ask a trainee for a pointer. I'm not sure there's much to be gained from reading Law Journals, but you might want to have a bit of a practice with Lexis Nexis Butterworths, which is one of the main databases of journals/cases/legislation/etc. Your university should have a subscription to it so have a look for it. If you can't find it, don't worry. They'll give you a bit of training on it.

The socials were all pretty good, although the fact that there were only four of us might have detracted from it a bit. A lot of trainees came along to the socials though, so it wasn't that big a problem. I can't remember exactly what socials we did and for all I know they'll have changed them by now. Also, if I don't tell you it's more exciting on the first day of the scheme when you get your timetable!

You're not expected to be a legal genius or to know how to do everything they ask you to do. Inevitably there will be a bit of time when your immediate supervisor doesn't have anything for you to do. If the happens, pop around to the nearby offices and introduce yourself and ask if there's anything for you to do. Don't push too hard though if they don't have anything as you might come across as irritating. Just try and have a go at everything they ask you to do and do your best. If you're really stuck then ask for clarification. Most of all, try and be as enthusiastic as possible (without being irritating), really act like you want to be there, and try and ask interesting, not obvious, questions.

Hope that helps.

Reply 64

metaphoreus

does anybody know if they interview before or after the deadline for TC?

Reply 65

Redeyejedi

I was told that all interviews (for those not having done a vs) take place in Summer. I've got one on the 26th June.

Reply 66

metaphoreus

When did you apply? I applied in December and still haven't heard anything.

Reply 67

Redeyejedi

Applied for a Summer Vacation Scheme. Got rejected, but was told I was "extremely close" and subsequently offered a training contract interview. So I applied around December as well.

They felt that I lacked the commitment to justify a spot on the vac scheme, and said they wanted to see how I felt after my vac schemes elsewhere.

Reply 68

grad2009

Thanks TommehR :smile:

That is the most useful advice I have gotten from anywhere so far!!

Hopefully the vac scheme will be an enjoyable experience and I will be able to perform well.

Btw I found Lexis Nexis Butterworths website and am learning to navigate through its various law journals and resources etc.... :biggrin: