Laytons Interview Questions

Laytons Graduate Interview and Application Process

The application and interview process for Laytons is as follows:

• Online application
• Assessment day
• Individual interview

First Interview

The first interview stage at Laytons lasts five hours in total and is led by three partners, who are your assessors. The first interview stage consists of:

• Group exercise
• Case study
• Individual presentation
• Discussion question

Group Exercise

This consists of a bridge building task. Candidates will be separated into small groups of three to four people. Each group will then have 10 minutes to build a bridge out of A4 paper and paper clips. The winner will be the group whose bridge is still standing after a further 10 minutes.

Winning this exercise is however, far less important than how you come across in group discussion. Assessors are looking for evidence of team working skills, analytical minds, confidence and intelligence.

Case Study

You will be given 50 minutes to write a reply in test conditions (with no notes to help you) to a letter from a 'client'. The letter will be a request for advice on a contract law issue. You are being tested on both legal knowledge and your writing style.

Presentation

You will be asked to prepare a five-minute presentation on a topic of your choice and given 20 - 30 minutes to do so. You will then present this to your assessors and the other candidates attending the assessment day. At the end of your presentation you will be asked questions for five minutes. Your assessors will ask most of the questions, but other candidates may also be allowed to ask you about your talk.

You will listen to all the other candidates' presentations. It is important to appear interested and
attentive throughout this section of the assessment, even if other candidates' presentations
are boring.

Discussion Question

After your individual presentation you will be given an individual question and asked to prepare an answer to this. You will then be asked to present this answer to the other candidates, within a time limit of one minute. You will then discuss the question, your answer and other possible answers with the rest of your candidate group.

Second interview

If you are successful at the assessment day you will invited to an individual interview. This will once again be with three interviewers (who will most likely be partners).

This interview lasts between 45 minutes and one hour. You will be asked about your CV, application form, work experience (including vacation schemes), University choice and module choices at University.

Previous candidates have also been asked about:

• Current issues in the news
• Your motivation for a career in law
• Why you applied to Laytons
• What you think you can bring to Laytons
• Which other law firms you have applied to

In preparation for your interview make sure you read the general news as well as commercial /business news. It is very likely your interviewers will ask about current affairs, and importantly your reaction to them.

Spend time re-assessing your CV and original application form before your interview. Your
interviewers will spend a lot of time finding out about you, and why you have followed certain educational/career paths. Think about why you chose your University, your degree and why you want to be a lawyer. Think about what motivates you as a person, and talk about these things at interview.