This summer Kathryn will be completing a Vacation Scheme at Taylor Wessing, before heading back to Cambridge for her final year. She secured the role after attending our Future Lawyers Top 100 event and was happy to share her thoughts on the application process and give her top tips for success.
Why did you choose this firm and this role?
The firm were so welcoming when I attended their Open Day and this really speaks volume of their overall culture. I want to experience the firm and their unique, forward-thinking areas of work and a vacation scheme is no doubt the best way to this.
What was the toughest part of the application process? And your favourite part?
The assessment centre was both a tough part and my favourite part of the process. As TW only use the online application process then the assessment centre, there were no other tricky hurdles to climb over on the way. The assessment included a group exercise, case study interview and a more general interview with a partner and, for me, senior counsel (but it could be a member of the recruitment team or senior associate). The afternoon was challenging and made me think hard about a lot of the questions I was faced with. However, it was also my favourite part as the graduate recruitment team and my interviewers were so lovely that I felt truly welcomed and like TW were invested in giving me this opportunity. This reassured me of my choice to apply to TW and I had no hesitations in accepting the vacation scheme offer.
Were you surprised by anything in the process?
I was surprised by how relaxed and straightforward the process seemed. There was nothing that I felt was thrown in to trip me up at any point and I felt at ease, allowing me to perform to the best of my ability.
What three top tips would you give your fellow Bright Network members?
Tip 1: Practice interviews - you don't know how you will react until you're sitting there being asked some quite tricky questions so practice will prepare you for this (with a careers service is best but perhaps even with peers).
Tip 2: Stay commercially aware - I perhaps considered this to be important slightly too late and found myself panic reading WSJ news the day before my interview. Be on top of current affairs especially in the commercial context and consider the impacts this will have the for the legal sector/firm you are applying to.
Tip 3: Be confident - if you have made an interview stage you've clearly done something right! Be confident that the firm cares about giving you this opportunity and let this allow you to relax.
What was the toughest question you faced at interview?
I was asked what areas of the firm in particular would be helpful for the issues raised in the case study I had been given. I had no idea!
