I applied online. I interviewed at Sidley Austin (London, England) in Jul 2021
Interview
Given an article 30 minutes before the start of the interview.
Asked to comment on the commercial and legal issues present in the article for the first half of the interview.
During the second half of the interview, I was asked to expand on my motivation for applying to the role and my experience more broadly.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What departments of the law firm would be involved in this business transaction? (regarding the article)
Written assessment. The secretary led me to go into a room. There were several candidates. All candidates needed to complete several questions in English within limited time. Those questions are common ones.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
First round is written assessment. I needed to complete several essays within limited time.
Interview interview with HR
Two panel interviews
The whole process took about 2 months. The questions are extremely technical in the partner interviews, definitely one of the hardest I have ever attended
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why the firm
Why law
What is an NDA? (then discuss the major clauses and what are their purposes)
Tell me about a commercial issue that interests you
The partner will then drill you on the commercial issue you talked about. If you talk about a deal, be prepared and know it inside out. Whatever you say you must be able to explain it.