Slaughter and May |
Advice featuring Slaughter and May
5 minutes with Alison Peyton, Early Careers Recruitment Marketing Manager
What really stands out in an application?
Our application process is very straightforward – we just ask for a CV and a cover letter, submitted through an online form.
In a good cover letter, the candidate has clearly and succinctly explained why they are interested in law and commercial law, and why they are applying to Slaughter and May. It’s also personal to them – they have provided context to the factual information provided on the CV, and have expanded on different experiences and/or skills to explain their clear reasons for wanting to apply to us.
A good CV is clear and concise. The academics are in chronological order, with most recent first, and the CV is divided into different sections, so it’s easy to for the recruiter to find out all the relevant information on academic achievements, work experience, other responsibilities and extra-curricular activities.
We also recommend including both legal and non-legal work experience on your CV, as both can be used to demonstrate your interest and skills for a career in law, and keep the work experience sections factual – tell us about the role and your responsibilities, but you don’t need to explain the skills you gained.
A good CV is also ideally two sides of A4 maximum.
You can find more information on what we are looking for on the CV and cover letter on our website
What key skills do you look for in candidates when they apply?
Excellent analytical ability makes up a big part of the key skills we look for in candidates. It’s also important for them to be able to think on their feet and persuasively discuss their ideas and arguments.
We want candidates to demonstrate that they would work well in a team because Slaughter and May has a very collaborative culture. There is no room for competitive personalities. Interpersonal skills are essential – we want to feel confident that we can put our lawyers in front of our clients. This is incredibly important because the clients are essentially our business.
In terms of attitude, we look for resilience, drive and a sense of humour.
How can candidates get across their commercial awareness in an application?
Candidates must show that they have an interest in the commercial world because they will be working with businesses as a commercial lawyer. Candidates can demonstrate their commercial awareness in their cover letter by talking about a deal they found interesting and why that was.
At interview stage, candidates are given a news article 15 minutes prior to the interview and are required to discuss this article with the partners during the interview. Having a general awareness of what is going on in the world and how businesses work is important to demonstrate during the interview.
Vacation schemes and other work experience
How do you assess vacation scheme students?
A key aim of our work experience schemes is to give candidates the opportunity to get a taste of life as a lawyer at the firm and use their time with us to find out as much as they can about working here – without feeling the pressure of assessments throughout - so our work experience schemes are not formally assessed.
During our three-week summer schemes, candidates share an office with an associate in one of our legal groups. The associate involves them as much as possible in their work, so the candidate is able to get involved in real legal work and hands-on legal research. We also want the candidates to have many opportunities to talk with partners, associates and trainees from across the firm, so we organise a range of workshops, interactive case studies and different social activities.
At the end of the summer schemes, all candidates are offered the opportunity to interview for a training contract.
How can people make up for the fact that they haven’t done any work experience at a law firm?
Legal work experience is not a requirement to apply for a training contract with us. Candidates do need to demonstrate an interest in a career in commercial law and an understanding of what this involves, but there are many ways that they can demonstrate this on an application.
Many firms, including us, now offer free virtual internships, which are open to all candidates and can be completed in their own time. Our internship is designed to give candidates an insight into some of the types of work our lawyers and trainees do on a daily basis, so it’s very useful in building up an understanding of what lawyers do.
We also run a series of virtual presentations throughout the year, which focus on a number of different topics from CV and interview skills to case studies on recent deals the firm has worked on. Attending virtual events is also a good way for candidates to demonstrate their interest in law and a firm, particularly if they mention the event on their application.
Law fairs
How can somebody make the right impression at a law fair or in-person university event?
We are really looking forward to hosting and attending in-person events at a number of universities in the autumn. For us, it’s important that candidates have the opportunity to get a good sense of what it’s like to work at the firm at these events by hearing from different representatives and asking any questions they may have.
It’s not about a candidate making the right impression – what’s more important for us is that candidates come away from our events feeling that they have a more detailed understanding of what working at Slaughter and May is like, and have felt comfortable to ask our representatives any questions they had.
Assessment days and interviews
What skills and competencies do you look for candidates to demonstrate during training contract interviews?
We place great value on individuality and diversity at Slaughter and May, and our application process echoes this approach - we want to get to know the candidate and the qualities they can bring to the role.
Our training contract interviews consist of a written exercise, a partner interview, and a HR interview with a member of the trainee recruitment team.
For the written exercise, we are looking at a candidate’s written communication, ability to persuade, judgement and problem analysis, and innovative ideas and commercial knowledge.
For the partner interview, candidates are given a short current affairs article to read in advance. During the interview, the partners will discuss the article with the candidate and they will be testing whether they can assimilate information quickly, identify the relevant issues and articulate and defend their point of view.
During this interview and the HR interview, we are also looking for candidates to be able to clearly explain their motivations for law and for the firm.
You can find videos on all the different interview stages on our website.
Meet Sally - a trainee solicitor
Why did you apply to Slaughter and May?
Completing Slaughter and May’s Virtual Insight Programme influenced my decision to apply as it exposed me to the firm’s unique and agile approach to work. As a law student at the time, I remember feeling that most corporate firms were the same, but I was most intrigued by Slaughter and May’s lack of internal billing targets and multi-specialist approach. The multi-specialist approach means that trainees are encouraged to undertake a variety of work, which is helped by the variety of hubs and streams that we have internally, such as the private equity hub in corporate and the Infrastructure, Energy and Natural Resources cross-stream. Similarly, the non-billable hours means that the firm focuses on quality, which has helped me become accustomed to efficient working and pragmatic solutions.
How did you find the application process?
I applied to the firm through a direct training contract and felt that the process was straightforward, yet thorough. I was required to submit my CV and a cover letter, which gave me the freedom to demonstrate my interest in the firm and my skillset in a way that I felt best. The interview was surprisingly enjoyable. I was asked questions about why I was interested in a career in commercial law, questions on my CV and cover letter and about my academics. The most stimulating part of the interview was when I was invited to discuss a current affairs article. The focus here was for the partners to hear how I articulate my views, and to gauge how well I can respond to challenging questions and difference of thought when pressed. The overall interview was conversational in nature, and I appreciated that the partners were genuinely interested in what I had to say.
What is a typical day like as a trainee solicitor in your current seat? What are typical trainee tasks?
I am currently in my first seat in one of the firm’s Corporate groups. No two days are the same, but some examples of work that I have been involved in includes verifying a prospectus, leading a VDR [virtual data room] process and drafting documents. Trainees at the firm also attend a host of training sessions throughout each seat which prepare us well for the work that we are given. Notably, the work is always varied, and departments are receptive when trainees express a preference to engage in particular areas of work.
What has been a highlight of your experience so far during your training contract?
A key highlight for me so far was being a trainee buddy to some work experience students at the firm this summer. It was a full circle moment, as I had been submitting training contract and vacation scheme applications not long before that. It was a reminder that I had come a long way and refreshing that I was able to share my advice and insights with these students.
Jasmine - Trainee solicitor
Why did you apply to Slaughter and May?
During my second year at university, I attended the ‘A world of difference’ presentation and networking event. The presentation explained the firm’s multi-specialist approach which was something that really appealed to me. At school and university, I always preferred studying a range of subjects (I did the IB for this reason) and I knew I wanted a job that would be extremely varied. Everyone I spoke to at the networking event was approachable and friendly, and I met a lot of people from non-law backgrounds, which made me feel that I wouldn’t be at a disadvantage in that regard.
How did you find the application process?
Refreshingly straightforward – the application process here consists of submitting your CV and cover letter, followed by an interview. I felt the cover letter allowed me to express more naturally why I was interested in the training contract here, compared to the more rigid application forms with specific questions at other firms. I did a summer work experience scheme in 2020 and interviewed for the training contract afterwards.
What’s a typical day like as a trainee solicitor in your current seat?
I generally get to the office around 9am and grab a coffee before going through my emails to see what I need to do that day. I am currently sat in the Competition team as my second seat, so no day is the same and the tasks are very matter dependent. I am working on a merger investigation at the moment, so tasks can involve assisting with RFI [Request for Information] responses, researching our client’s products to help with other submissions to the regulator or researching relevant case law. On a different matter, I have been researching the merger control regimes in various countries to assess whether we would need to notify there. Other typical trainee tasks which you might do in any seat include document review, proofreading and admin tasks like updating and circulating trackers.
On average, I probably log off around 7pm but the hours can vary. There is flexibility to relocate home so I usually use that as an opportunity to make some dinner and continue working afterwards if necessary. There have been busy periods where I have had to work long hours; in Competition this is usually because there is a tight deadline for an RFI response or similar. However, after that is submitted, you tend to get a bit of time before the next deadline, so the busy periods balance out. I sat in our Corporate team as my first seat, and similarly I found that the busy periods were always balanced out by quieter periods, and there was no pressure to stay late in the office if you didn’t have to be there.
What part of your job do you enjoy the most?
I really enjoy how social the job is in the sense that you are constantly working with and meeting different people. So far, I have sat with two partners and a senior counsel, and I feel incredibly privileged to be able to learn from people at the very top of their game. By sharing an office with someone so experienced you learn a lot about how to handle different scenarios with clients or the other side. Everyone I have met so far has been approachable and willing to make time to explain concepts to me, no matter how busy they are.
What has been a highlight of your training contract so far?
As I am currently sitting in the Competition team, I have had the chance to go on a three-month secondment to our Brussels office. It has been great experiencing a different office culture; the Brussels office is smaller than the London office, so the atmosphere is different. Brussels is also a great base for travelling around Europe, so I am very grateful to have had the chance to spend the summer there.
Diwankar - Trainee solicitor
Why did you apply to Slaughter and May ?
I immensely enjoyed studying law at university and was largely set on pursuing a career in the field. After attending a few recruitment events, I found myself increasingly drawn to commercial law. Slaughter and May stood out to me because of its multi-specialist approach, which enables the firm to offer more telling advice built around a deeper understanding of the client’s long-term objectives.
How did you find the application process ?
Overall, I found the application process refreshingly straightforward: I didn’t feel like I needed to jump through a dozen hoops. The simplicity of the CV and cover letter gave me the flexibility to shape my application to best reflect my journey and personality. The interview, too, was unlike any other I had experienced. It was clear the partners conducting the interview were not working through a list of questions. Instead, it felt more like a conversation with two people who were genuinely interested to get to know me and understand my motivations.
What’s a typical day like as a trainee solicitor in your current seat? What are typical trainee tasks ?
My daily routine has varied considerably across seats. However, broadly speaking, and in keeping with the role and responsibilities of trainees generally, I spend most of my time supporting a team of partners and associates prepare, finalise and execute transactions and ancillary documents. On a day-to-day level, my tasks range from proofing key documents and searching for helpful precedents, to preparing first drafts of ancillary documents and researching focused legal questions.
One particularly interesting task involved poring through the UEFA rules to determine the various permutations where two football clubs could end up in the same UEFA competition, and designing a chart to illustrate this information!
What part of your job do you enjoy the most ?
My favourite part of the job is the variety of work to which I am exposed. While in Disputes, for instance, it was not uncommon for me to begin the week by drafting a letter for an arbitration, then move on to assist a team with document review for a High Court case, and end the week by researching procedural points on greenwashing investigations. The breadth of work keeps my days engaging and challenging.
What has been a highlight of your training contract so far ?
One of the first transactions I worked on was the acquisition of a pub group. The nature of the target’s business added a degree of complexity to the deal and, we were asked to deliver to a relatively intense timetable, so there were a number of long evenings as we negotiated and finalised the various transaction documents. The night before the announcement of the takeover was undoubtedly the longest and most exhilarating to date and culminated with an early morning ‘go/no-go’ meeting before the market opened. As I journeyed home a few hours later, I couldn’t help but beam at having experienced an episode that rivalled the very best of legal dramas. And reading about the transaction in the FT later that day made the satisfaction ever sweeter – undeniably the highlight of my training contract so far!
Megan - Trainee solicitor
Why did you apply to Slaughter and May?
One key feature of Slaughter and May which stood out to me, and which led me to apply to the firm, is their multi-specialist approach; having studied law at university, there were multiple areas of law that I knew I wanted to experience and the broad practice areas at Slaughter and May appealed to me as an opportunity to explore my interests and work on a wide range of matters. I was fortunate enough to have been able to speak to some current trainees when I was applying, and they agreed that the multi-specialist approach allowed them to find areas of law that they really enjoyed and gain a unique type of training.
How did you find the application process?
The application process was straightforward as it primarily involved submitting a CV and a cover letter. Whilst I did initially find it hard to keep the cover letter to one page and strike a balance between sufficiently explaining my interests and yet keeping it concise, the ‘top tips’ section of the Slaughter and May website was particularly useful at telling me exactly what I needed to include.
My training contract interview consisted of a written exercise and two interviews, the first with two partners and the second with a member of the recruitment team. Whilst I was nervous, I found the interviews to be far more conversational than I had expected and we discussed my academics, legal and non-legal work experience and my wider interests. There was also a news article discussion during the partner interview which was initially daunting but the partners were friendly and made me feel comfortable, despite challenging me on my points. Overall, it was a positive experience!
What’s a typical day like as a trainee solicitor in your current seat?
I am currently in my first seat in the Financing team and have been fortunate enough to work on a range of deals already within my first four months at the firm, so my day-to-day tasks have varied a lot. For example, one of the first tasks I did for my supervisor was drafting the first version of a Facilities Agreement. Whilst I found this challenging, it was also a great learning opportunity and led to other opportunities to contact the clients myself to confirm certain aspects of the Agreement. It was great to see how much responsibility you can be given just off the back of one task!
I have also been working on a large acquisition project, reviewing key documents and feeding this into the Due Diligence Report. This transaction has allowed me to work closely with the Corporate team and, although it has occasionally required a few late nights, it has been exciting to watch the deal progress - I am hopeful I will get to see it sign before I change seats.
What part of your job do you enjoy the most?
One aspect of my job that I really enjoy is working with a range of people every day, whether that's other trainees, associates or partners within the Financing team or other people across the firm. There are lots of different people here at Slaughter and May, all of whom are incredibly friendly and supportive.
