winston & strawn training contract prep

INTERVIEW PREPARATION

PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PRESERVE THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF THE

APPLICANT

TCapp © 2015 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1

Small London Office = small teams of partners and associates in a highly integrated way. This will ensure that I receive highly focused personal training by gaining a hands-on experience on important matters.

Global Capabilities = 15 offices + cross-border deals + work with colleagues from other offices across the world + privy to new ideas, approaches and culture + see new perspective to cases. Desire to work at international office to view the legal industry from another jurisdiction + learn about local conditions.

2 TCapp © 2015 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Collegiate culture: work personally & prof. Rewarding/support during tc

Emerging markets: challenging and developing markets + navigate difficult landscapes & deal with novel and complex problems + utilise my knowledge of Russian markets acquired during employment and my language skills to + constantly push borders & set new standards + stimulating

Leading energy practice: having worked on several high-profile energy matters, I developed a strong interest in this sector because it is of paramount importance in today’s world and is influenced by many factors including commercial, political, environmental just to name a few, which will effectively present me with constant challenges and expose me to different areas of law.


Career as a solicitor- varied, challenging and engaging. Uni- enjoyed applying and manipulating law to hypothetical scenarios during my modules and mooting competitions because it stimulated my intellectual curiosity since every situation was never the same and required a different approach.

Teamwork- globalisation of commerce + novel and complex problems + in integrated teams with a commercial focus on the problem in a quick-paced environment with approaching deadlines. At [intentionally omitted], I especially enjoyed working with my colleagues from the Moscow and New York offices as this exposed me to new ideas, allowed me to view case from different jurisdiction and allowed me to forge new contacts.


Initiative, drive and commitment

‘[intentionally omitted] Club’ in 2010 and was the president of the society.

People and the Planet Society, I helped to introduce and develop social responsibility initiatives at University. I had successfully organised and developed a scheme whereby all unused desktops in the library were turned off during the vacation breaks to help reduce the University’s carbon footprint.


Commercial acumen: I learnt how businesses operate and their requirements which has enabled me to produce pragmatic solutions that are in tune with clients’ requirements ([intentionally omitted] - central point of contact, constantly dealing with the client and took part in BoD EGM which enabled me to understand how a businesses operate and their requirements, deliver effective and pragmatic solution)


Organisational and time-management skills, I am able to work in a quick-paced environment to meet tight deadlines and prioritise my workload ([intentionally omitted], when finalising a memorandum for an IPO, I updated the memorandum in real time to incorporate the comments of different parties to the discussion, which required me to be well organised and prioritise my tasks)


I like to ask questions that go outside the scope of a task I am working on because I like to learn new things.

Can’t resist a caramel Sundae at Macdonals.


At [intentionally omitted], I worked in a group of solicitors when preparing an Initial Offering Memorandum for a luxury goods company. I was required to proofread and amend the Memorandum once new comments have been inserted. Having received handwritten mark-ups from several associates, I have noticed overlaps and inconsistency in commentary between the solicitors. In order to save the memorandum from going back and forth and save us time, I devised a global list of standard terms and sent it out to each solicitor. The list of terms helped us to avoid duplication, saved us time and allowed us to meet the deadline.


In my second year at university, I was invited by a friend to polo lessons. I have not done it before and found lessons daunting and sometimes even painful. For example, I found it very difficult to keep my balance on the horse and at the same time manoeuvre the mallet to hit the ball. To improve, I watched others play and asked my coach to teach me how to ride first. After each lesson, I identified my weak areas and took additional lessons in order to improve on them and progress. During chukkas, made progress and learnt new skills. After about six weeks, I was selected to represent my university at the National Polo Championships.


At [intentionally omitted], I assisted the senior partner on a cross-border case comprising of a shareholder dispute in a joint venture vehicle. As the client could only speak Russian, I was the first point of contact. The client requested that I attend the Board of Directors EGM of a natural resources joint venture in Amsterdam. At the EGM, I acted as an interpreter between the Russian shareholders and English and Dutch solicitors. I maintained a thick skin and resourcefully tailored my communication for diverse audiences. I applied a sharp analytical mind to explain complex issues in a simple language and made sense of a complicated situation. I was required to think on my feet and see things from a business perspective and always align myself with client’s commercial objectives whilst managing to remain robust and calm under pressure. This is an important achievement for me because I performed well under pressure and successfully applied problem-solving skills to produce real-time answers to complex questions. I have become more commercially astute and developed my organisational and team-work skills.


A good commercial lawyer should possess strong teamwork and communication skills because they will be required to work in teams on common projects. At [intentionally omitted], I operated in a team when conducting document review during the disclosure stage. In order to meet a tight deadline, I was required to closely collaborate with others to gauge our progress and prioritise tasks. I was always forthcoming with ideas on how to streamline our operations and re-allocate work according to skill sets within the team. I demonstrated a capacity to lead and motivate the team whilst taking into account the views of team members.


A good commercial lawyer should be commercially aware and have strong problem-solving skills in order to be able to offer solutions to most complex commercial problems facing their clients. At [intentionally omitted] I attended a Board of Directors EGM in my capacity as an interpreter between a Russian client and English and Dutch solicitors. At the EGM, I was required to think on my feet and see things from a business perspective and always align myself with client’s commercial objectives. By the end of the meeting, the solicitors had a clear understanding of the needs of the client and were able to proceed to the next stage.


A good commercial lawyer should have good attention to detail and organisational skills because they will be required to perform multiple tasks accurately and to tight deadlines. At [intentionally omitted], I demonstrated meticulous attention to detail and organisational skills when cross-referencing expert valuation reports against the court’s database. I was very discerning and structured and prioritised my work because I had to sift through a vast amount of technical information and ensure that all references corresponded to the content of the report.


Outside work, I have a real passion for business, [intentionally omitted], reading and travelling. Recently, I founded a business in the [intentionally omitted] industry with a pioneering concept that is helping to transform the events management landscape. I am currently overseeing staff at all levels and working closely with a range of businesses in integrating this concept into their operations. Similarly, I am working with a company specialising in innovative payment systems in the UK to introduce this model to countries in the emerging markets, notably Eastern Europe and Russia. With a passion for [intentionally omitted], I am running training sessions at [intentionally omitted] gym where I teach [intentionally omitted] techniques and help people achieve their personal goals through sport At university, I helped to develop an innovative initiative to reduce the university’s carbon footprint by switching off all unused desktops during vacation breaks. In the past, I won a gold medal for England and had over fifty [intentionally omitted]. I was awarded the [intentionally omitted] for academic excellence at GCSE and A-Level.


During my employment with [intentionally omitted], I was asked to accompany the client and solicitors to a board of directors EGM in Amsterdam in my capacity as an interpreter. Contrary to our expectations, the shareholders were intent on passing a resolution that would have severe implications for the client. During our short strategy meeting new information came to light which added to the complexity of the client’s matter and baffled everyone. Having built up a good working knowledge of the client’s business and the market they operate in, I quickly took initiative and went directly to the heart of the client’s problem by clearly explaining how the new information ties in with the commercial context and its likely effects on the client’s position. In the process, I managed to demonstrate strong leadership skills and a propensity for lateral thinking which enabled us to devise a successful strategy which in the end protected the client’s position and resulted in a favourable outcome.


THINGS TO NOTE [Tcapp]:

AT THE INTERVIEW, THE INTERVIEWERS ARE LIKELY TO START THE INTERVIEW BY HAVING A QUICK GLANCE OVER YOUR CV AND SPOTTING SOMETHING THEY KNOW, SUCH AS A FIRM FOR EXAMPLE. I.E. “SO, HOW DID YOU FIND YOUR TIME AT CLIFFORD CHANCE? I WAS A PARTNER THERE PRIOR COMING TO THIS FIRM”. THIS WILL CALL FOR A NATURAL ANSWER BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE.

DO NOT OVER-EMPHASISE YOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS AS PER MY COMMENT ABOVE. PREFERABLY, TIE IT IN WITH ANOTHER POINT FOR ADDED EMPHASIS AND SAY WHY THIS WILL BENEFIT WINSTON.


IF YOU ARE GIVEN A VERY DIFFICULT QUESTION OR SOMETHING YOU CANNOT ANSWER, DO NOT BLAG YOUR WAY THROUGH. TELL THE INTERVIEWER YOU DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION ON IT TO PROVIDE AN ANSWER. WHEN A CLIENT ASKS A LAWYER A QUESTION TO WHICH THE LAWYER DOES NOT HAVE AN ANSWER, THE LAWYER SHOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ANSWER TO A CLIENT AS THIS CAN HAVE SERIOUS LEGAL IMPLICATIONS IF A CLIENT RELIES ON IT TO THEIR DETRIMENT. FOR EXAMP-LE, IF YOU ARE GIVEN A QUESTION ON THE CURRENT AFFAIRS AND YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT, JUST SAY THAT YOU HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT YET AS YOU HAVE BEEN BUSY ON A CASE FOR EXAMPLE AND THAT YOU ARE CURIOUS TO GET THE INTERVIEWER’S PERSPECTIVE ON IT. THIS SHOWS YOUR INTEREST AND WILL HELP YOU TO FORGE A POSITIVE CONTACT WITH THE INTERVIEWER.


IF YOU ARE ASKED WHAT OTHER LAW FIRMS YOU HAVE APPLIED TO, TRY TO MENTION A COMPETITOR OF WINSTON STRAWN AS THIS WILL SHOW THAT YOU ARE COMMITTED TO A CERTAIN CLASS OF COMPANIES. WINSTON MAY FEEL IN COMPETITION WITH THE OTHER FIRM FOR YOU!

SPEAK CLEARLY AND LOGICALLY- THIS IS WHAT BEING LAWYER IS ABOUT.

I HAVE NOTICED THAT YOU HAVE A TENDENCY TO USE COMPLEX WORDS THAT SOMETIMES DO NOT FIT INTO THE CONTEXT. IF YOU CAN FIND A MORE SIMPLE WORD, USE IT INSTEAD.


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