The assessment process for our vacation schemes and training contracts is broadly the same. For our workshops however, you will go through a slightly shorter assessment process. In all cases the emphasis is very much on looking at your motivation to become a first-class lawyer and evidence of our key competencies. Non-law students will not be at a disadvantage during the assessment process.

First stage - Application >>

Second stage - Online verbal reasoning test >>

Third stage - Assessment day >>

General information

We will be recruiting about 120 trainee lawyers and 130 vacation scheme and workshop attendees. Typically we receive more than 4,000 applicants each recruitment year. We select students for our vacation schemes and training contracts using a four-stage process. Selection for our workshops uses only the first three stages of this process.

If you require additional assistance or a reasonable adjustment of the process at any stage, please do not hesitate to contact our graduate recruitment team using the details below:

Graduate Recruitment Tel: +44 (0) 20 7006 3003

First stage - Application

Please complete the online application form with care and detail making sure to check and recheck your answers for errors and clarity. Review the Who are we looking for? section considering how you can demonstrate these qualities and attributes for each of the competencies. You are eligible to make one application to either a workshop or a vacation scheme - unfortunately you may not make applications to both however you can make an application to one of these and a training contract in the academic year. If you are considering making an application for a vacation scheme or workshop, we suggest you do this before making your application for a training contract.

Applications for all our vacancies are extremely competitive and the selection process is designed to be challenging, thorough, but also informative. If you are unsuccessful in your application for a training contract, we would normally discourage you from making a further application within 12 months. If you have been unsuccessful in your application to attend a vacation scheme or workshop, you may still apply for a training contract.

Hints and tips

How to approach the application form

• In the application form, you will be asked to provide examples that demonstrate the competencies we are looking for. Take your time and think about examples that might illustrate these competencies - they can be from your academic life, work experience, extra-curricular activities, or general life. You may use bullet points in your answers if you're requested to list dates or activities.
• You must be able to demonstrate your motivation for applying to Clifford Chance and pursuing a career in law. We are looking for individuals who can express a genuine interest in the field of commercial law. We receive a lot of strong applications and this is one of the key areas in which you can differentiate yourself from other applicants.
• Pay attention to detail. Written communication skills are very important, particularly in the field of law. Spelling and grammatical errors can easily be avoided by carefully checking your application form. Applications which show poor attention to detail will be rejected. Re-read your application before submitting it and remember to keep a printed copy of the form - you will need to revisit your answers if you are selected to progress to the assessment stage.
• When asking you to fill in your further education, we require your full academic history, including module scores for all years of study, even if they do not relate to your overall degree score. If further information is required, this will only delay the application process and as a standard will be request this is returned in a three day period.
• Ensure that you complete all sections and use all the word count provided for the competency questions.
• If your academic results fall below the minimum academic requirements and you have mitigating circumstances, we will take these into consideration. We will however, only consider mitigating circumstances that have been submitted and approved by your exam board or relevant body. Please provide full details in the relevant section at the end of the application form. Please note, we will request proof of this in writing from your exam board and verified by a third party such as your doctor or tutor. As a standard we would generally request this returned within a three day period.
• Ensure your contact details are correct and check your email and communication centre regularly. Check that you have junk mail filtering disabled so that you receive all communications in relation to your application - you may be able to reset the filter to allow specific emails through.

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Second stage – Online verbal reasoning test

Following successful completion of the situational judgement test, you will then be invited to complete the online verbal reasoning test. You will have 15 minutes in which to complete the test. Candidates who meet the required benchmark for the online verbal reasoning test will then have their application reviewed before potentially being invited to an assessment day.

Hints and tips

Practising the online verbal reasoning test

Make sure you practice. To help familiarise yourself you can try our practice verbal reasoning test and visit sites such as www.shldirect.com - or contact your university careers advice service for further help. When completing the test, do ensure you have uninterrupted access to a computer in a quiet area.

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Third stage - Assessment day

We will be running assessment days at our office in London, Canary Wharf and regionally for the summer vacation schemes. Invitations for the assessment days will not be sent until after the deadline.

There are three elements included in our assessment days:

Competency interview and commercial question


The interview as a whole will give you the opportunity to demonstrate how you meet our competencies, demonstrate your career motivation and allow you to find out more about us. The interview will include a commercial question, based on a business scenario. You will have 15 minutes prior to your interview to prepare a brief written answer to the question. This is not a test of your legal knowledge and there is no right answer. Candidates from non-law backgrounds are not at a disadvantage. Instead, it is designed to make you think on your feet and demonstrate your applied intellect, whether you can provide practical solutions, as well as your commercial awareness.

We regularly run commercial awareness skills sessions on campus to help candidates prepare for assessment centres and provide you with an opportunity to try one of our commercial questions.

Paper-based verbal reasoning test


The paper-based verbal reasoning test is timed. You will have the opportunity to do some practice questions before the actual test commences. To help familiarise yourself with this kind of test before your assessment day you can complete our practice test please click here.

Group Exercise


 

The group exercise will involve another business scenario in which you'll be asked to work with a group to achieve a common objective. You will be assessed on your individual contribution, as well as how you interact with others.

Hints and tips

The interview

• Read through your initial application form before your interview to refresh your memory.
• Consider the obvious questions you are likely to be asked. For example, where does your motivation to work in law come from? Why this type of law firm in particular? If you are applying for a vacation scheme and are not yet 100% sure that law is the career for you, be prepared to explain why it is an area you are interested in exploring as a potential career option.
• When preparing examples of competencies, have a variety of examples ready from all areas of your life; structure your thoughts and responses. Be prepared to substantiate your points.
• Aim to structure your responses clearly. Always remember the STAR technique for your responses: S - Situation, T - Task, A - Action, R - Result
• Do your research. What deals are we currently working on? What could you expect from this role? Read our graduate recruitment brochure and this website. Explore the corporate website. Keep an eye out for recent news of relevance - not just about the firm but also our clients, competitors and the areas in which we work.
• Arrive early. The last thing you want is to be flustered from a last-minute dash or to start your interview with an apology for being late.
• Be confident and enthusiastic throughout the interview.
• Relax. The interviewers are not there to try to catch you out but to learn about you and your motivations. They will try to give you every opportunity to succeed with the commercial question by discussing and working around the issues raised with you.
• Ask questions. The interview is a two-way process and you should make the most of it to find out more about the firm. This is as much an opportunity for you to see if you want to work with us, as it is for us to assess you.

The group exercise

• Be focused and listen. Be careful to focus on the key issues as we will be assessing not only your ability to work in a team and how you interact with others, but also your strengths in evaluating and problem solving. Listen to others but be assertive in getting your ideas across.
• Think on your feet. This is not a test of your legal knowledge but how you absorb key data and reach a commercial conclusion. We want to see how you identify and express key issues that may need further consideration or exploration.

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