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2020/21 First Year Schemes (HSF, A&O, etc.)

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Allen&Overy: phone interview (but I did it in person as I’m deaf)
CC: full assessment centre (competency interview then case study interview inc written exercise)
Weil: video interview then phone interview (again in person)
Clydes: phone interview (in person)
HSF: video interview
Simmons: video interview

all the others didn’t have interviews and were just the written app when I did them

Thank you so much for sharing!! For the video interviews, were they more like competency interviews or were there exercises to complete? Thanks!

Reply 21

miinatoes

Original post by karo.xx

Hi everyone!
Guess I’ll share my apps too :smile:

Insight schemes: Clifford Chance (rejection), Taylor Wessing (offer), Simmons & Simmons (rejected), Macfarlanes, White & Case, Linklaters, Allen & Overy, Norton Rose Fulbright, Osborne Clarke, Freshfields, Cleary Gottlieb, Baker McKenzie.

Open days: Shearman & Sterling (offer), Baker McKenzie (offer), Slaughter and May, Vinson & Elkins, Stephenson Harwood, Gibson Dunn.

Still waiting on most, hopefully we'll get some feedback soon! Good luck!

When did you hear back from Simmons & Simmons? Was it after completing the SJT or after completing the logic tests and written exercise? Also what insight scheme does Taylor Wessing have? Is it the trailblazing insight day? If so, when did you apply and hear back from them and is it this current application cycle?

Reply 22

coffeeneeded27

Original post by yuki1201

Thank you so much for sharing!! For the video interviews, were they more like competency interviews or were there exercises to complete? Thanks!

video interviews are pre-recorded questions that pop up on your screen and you get a fixed amount of time to prepare your answer and then a fixed amount of time to give your answer. They tend to be competency questions and also things like why law, why the firm, tell me about a recent news story/matter involving the firm, why commercial law and not the bar etc. they don't ever really tend to be exercises so to speak - or at least I've never come across this anyway.

Reply 23

karo.xx

Original post by Itsxhcllyy

Have you heard anything from white, baker and macfarlanes? I applied to those back in December but haven’t heard anything at all!

Congratulations on the offers too!

Thankyou <3 And unfortunately I haven't, sorry :/ All I know is that white allocates their insight scheme places only after their deadline (31/03) based on the application alone, so we might have to wait a bit more. BM and Macfarlanes do rolling & have assessments so I expect them to update us this month x

Reply 24

karo.xx

Original post by miinatoes

Heyy, I heard back right after the SJT like a week after taking the test :smile:

Regarding TW - yes, I mean the Trailblazing (still confused as to whether they treat it like an open day or an actual one-day insight scheme). I applied in early December this year and heard back on the 14th of Jan (3 days after the application deadline).

Reply 25

Zahra_2001

Original post by Itsxhcllyy

Hi! I applied to Latham, White&Case, Baker, Linklaters, Clifford Chance, Macfarlanes, Osborne Clarke and Herbert Smith Freehills.

Got rejected for CC and Links but waiting on all the others!

Got onto the first year open day for Baker McKenzie but am still waiting for the insight scheme results. Haven’t heard back from any of the others

what now im confused doesn't links reply only after the deadline???

Reply 26

Itsxhcllyy

Original post by Zahra_2001

what now im confused doesn't links reply only after the deadline???

I think I might have got an automatic rejection bc I’m a first year on a four year course and I think your supposed to apply in second year for four year courses. I checked the portal and it said I was rejected but haven’t got an email so it was probably an automatic rejection!

Reply 27

Zahra_2001

Original post by Itsxhcllyy

ah ok makes sense. But that means you can still apply next year, it's good you got to experience their application process :smile:

Reply 28

Itsxhcllyy

Original post by Zahra_2001

ah ok makes sense. But that means you can still apply next year, it's good you got to experience their application process :smile:

Yeh that’s why I applied so hopefully next year my application is stronger so I stand a better chance! At least on a four year degree I get two shots at the first year schemes!

Reply 29

username5272488

Here are the firms I applied to:

Clyde and Co (rejected)
CMS First Steps
Clifford Chance Spark (rejected)
White and Case
Taylor Wessing (rejected)
Ashurst (rejected)
Baker Mckenzie
NRF First Steps
Linklaters (rejected)
A&O First
HSF

I wasn’t really shocked by the majority of rejections since I had applied to them early on when I didn’t know what made a good application, etc. However, the Linklaters one was kinda surprising I thought I did good in that one but oh well.

Reply 30

yuki1201

Original post by Hassan116

first-year schemes are just sooo competitive :frown:

also i heard that Linklaters' selection process is honestly unpredictable, many who scored high in WG with strong grades got rejected...
when did you hear back from links if you don't mind me asking?

Reply 31

Itsxhcllyy

For people who applied to Freshfields, did you submit your alevel grades? When I put that I did alevels the form didn’t let me list the grades I got? It only had an option for IB.
Not sure if I should send grad recruitment an email?

Reply 32

username5272488

Original post by yuki1201

first-year schemes are just sooo competitive :frown:

also i heard that Linklaters' selection process is honestly unpredictable, many who scored high in WG with strong grades got rejected...
when did you hear back from links if you don't mind me asking?

Honestly I used to think not many people applied to first year schemes but oof i was so wrong hahah. I actually didn’t hear back from Linklaters but I saw a post above that logged in and checked on the application website and I did the same it said my application was unsuccessful.

Reply 33

pukka130

Original post by Hassan116

Can I ask what your highest/lowest scoring attributes were?

Reply 34

username5272488

Original post by pukka130

Can I ask what your highest/lowest scoring attributes were?

Yeah, my highest were respect and resilience and my lowest was critical thinking. Wbu

Reply 35

yuki1201

For links' CAPP i got motivation, working with others the highest and resource management the lowest
honestly curious abt what they're gonna do with it

Reply 36

karo.xx

Original post by yuki1201

For links' CAPP i got motivation, working with others the highest and resource management the lowest
honestly curious abt what they're gonna do with it

Oh woww I got almost the same thing :smile:

motivation and resilience as highest, resource management as lowest. I suspect the low resource management was the outcome of me agreeing to take on all the extra work in the SJT scenarios, which I guess showed that I don't really manage my time & resources realistically hahah but then again, I do think motivation may be one of their targeted strengths.

Reply 37

pukka130

Original post by Hassan116

Yeah, my highest were respect and resilience and my lowest was critical thinking. Wbu

Thanks! I got respect and working with others for the highest and leadership preference for lowest. I haven’t completed the Watson Glaser yet but will be so interesting to see how they use the capp assessment.