Application Process & Interviews at Arnold Bloch Leibler

No formal assessments. One or two interviews and an informal coffee with a junior lawyer

Hired through seasonal clerkship program and priority graduate offer scheme. Clerkship application process involved cover letter, CV, transcript --> interview --> cocktail night --> offers.

Followed the seasonal clerk guidelines for interviews which was professional but also comfortable and interesting

I am a market graduate (not from the clerk intake) and so cannot speak for the clerkship experience. My interview process involved a two-stage interview. The first with HR, second with HR and two partners from the team I had expressed interest in. I had to complete a written exercise prior to the second interview (writing a memo to a partner applying certain principles of law/commerce to a factual scenario). No other assessments (e.g. psychometric). Following the second interview there was a coffee catch-up with a junior on the team.

I loved the fact that there was no psychometric assessment, which I am convinced is an awful way to assess candidates. There were 3-4 rounds of interviews, all of which were really friendly, and a 500 word research project which was a really interesting problem.

One interview with two partners and someone from HR. If successful, a four-week internship with the possibility of being offered a graduate position.

In my opinion, ABL has the best interview process because there is a "getting to know you side" and also a technical side. I have never done a technical style interview for a law firm before, and it really helped me get to know my practice area a lot better.

My interviewer made an effort to make me feel as comfortable as possible in my interview so that I was able to display my best qualities. Some of the questions were challenging, but they were not designed to throw me off. Rather, they were designed to understand how I would fit into the firm culture and how I would respond to some of the challenges that I could face at ABL in the future.

There were two rounds of interviews, the first with HR and the second with HR and two Partners present. In the second interview we had to prepare an answer to a commercial law question and be prepared to discuss it in person.

Three personal interviews with all partners

As a foreign graduate, I was very impressed. Team fit was very important and the firm flew me over and put me up for a night to make sure I had an opportunity to meet the team before I was offered a position or made my choice. Those conducting the interview were friendly and professional and easy to work with throughout the entire process.

An impressive online application with cover letter and academic transcript gets you in the door. Then you have two face-to-face interviews, one of which will require a pre-prepared written advice to a hypothetical client. The questions are not there to trick you. The interviewees just want to know what kind of a person you are - what you are passionate about, where your interests lie etc.

Very straightforward. Relevant questions. No useless psychometric testing. Candidates who progressed to second-round were provided with a legal problem-solving task, which was discussed at the second round interview.

There were two interviews. The first stage was with HR and the second is with two partners and HR.

I only had a clerkship interview for the position, but the interview was by far the best of all the firms I interviewed at. The ABL interview was quite early in the process. There was an HR representative and two partners from different practice groups. The round table setup made me feel less stressed and like it was more of an informal conversation. After the interview, which went for 30-45 minutes I met with a law grad to have coffee and discuss what it was like working at the firm. There was no testing during the interview process. ABL ended the clerkship application process with a cocktail evening to reconnect everyone.

Interview and clerkship program - I think compared to many other firms the hiring process is straightforward and respects that the applicants are people not robots. I think it favours those who demonstrate interest in ABL and show interest in being more involved before the process (it might not suit so much those who apply everywhere).

The recruitment process involved a written application, phone interview, first interview with an HR manager, second interview with an HR manager and two partners and a written case study. It was an intense process but HR kept me informed every step of the way and was very personable.

Mostly conversational, with a couple of generic behavioural-type questions (e.g. name a time you responded to criticism)

Questions not focused only on law which is good, more personal questions based on resumes and cover letters

Why the firm? Why law? Why the team I had expressed interest in? Questions about my background and CV generally (previous roles). In the second round interview I was asked to prepare a case study about a topical issue for the legal industry and the partners in the interview asked me questions about that case study.

Why commercial law? Why this firm? A legal topic/case you are interested in?

Questions about why I wanted to work here, my interest in the practice area, why I wanted to study law and where I saw myself in the future. In the more technical section of the interview, I was asked about my answer to the assessment and my thought process.

I was asked questions about my past employment, such as skills I had learnt or challenges I had faced. I was also asked questions about how I managed to balance my commitments during university.

Questions about my background and personality, including why I chose law, why I wanted this specific role, why I wanted to work for ABL, etc

General interests, background, education, particular interests in law and advocacy

Questions around my experiences in professional service firms, specific areas of interest within my practice field, hobbies and how I spend my time when not at work, the learnings and experiences I have taken from university and how they will set me up for my career.

Why would you like to pursue a career at [the firm]. - Which of our practice areas interest you the most and why? - Tell us about a recent legal issue that's caught your attention in the media, law journals, newspapers etc

Both interviews were more like engaging conversations rather than rigid Q&As. The first interview involved going through my CV and past achievements along with some typical interview questions. The second interview included a case study discussion, short spiel about a legal issue that I am interested in, and a deep conversation about my goals, career, what I want in a firm, and what I can bring to the table.

During the interview, I was asked typical questions about why I studied law, why I wanted to work at ABL, situations where I had faced challenges in previous work and details about some of the more unique things in my resume. Then I had to discuss a legal issue that I was interested in or had read about recently (we were told to prepare for this before the interview). I spoke about a story in the news and the legal background to that story.

Asked about challenges, interests - standard interview questions nothing too out of the box.

Do your research on what makes ABL different. It is vastly different to the larger firms and you should understand this.

Read up on a couple of matters ABL has acted on, but otherwise just demonstrate your natural personality and your interests, both legal and in everyday life.

Try and understand how the firm is different from others and why this would suit you!

Don't waste time memorising every deal the team/firm has participated in so you can parrot this knowledge back in the interview. I would instead suggest trying to get an understanding of the type of clients/industries that the firm (or if you have expressed an interest in a team, that team) engages with. Once you know who your interviewing partner/lawyer will be, try and see how much you can find out about their practice. Try and prepare by formulating 'answers' (do not memorise a script!) that you can adapt to the questions you know that the interviewers will ask you (why law, why the firm, why the team/practice area?). Remember the golden structure of question answering (if there is such a thing?). E.g. Q: "Tell us about your time volunteering at XYZ". A: "I found my time at XZY to be.... I learnt about ... I developed these skills... I can bring these skills to this role by ..."

It sounds cliched, but be yourself. I was a totally left-field candidate, and I made no secret of it in the interview. I explained how I was "not your usual candidate", and I think they appreciated they candour.

Have a good answer to the above three questions, but not a scripted/pre rehearsed one. Look into the work the firm has been doing recently and throughout its history. Relax and be yourself - they like to see your individuality and quirks.

I recommend that any person looking to apply really understands why they want to be lawyer, why they want to work in their chosen practice area and why they want to work at ABL. For the technical assessment, I recommend doing thorough research and treating it like you are studying for a university exam.

Know the firm and prepare.

Try to draft your cover letter to really show why you'd be a good fit at ABL and why they're a good fit for you. Don't just list the cool stuff they've done, but why those cool things really resonate with you/your experience/the type of firm you want to work for in the future. In your interview, be prepared to talk about really practical things (e.g. not just the black letter law in your commercial law response)

Know what the firm does and how your interests and skills can/will align

For kiwi grads: take the shot! The firm is fantastic and has genuine interest in the what graduates can offer, regardless of whether you studied in New Zealand. It dwrfs the experiences my friends back in New Zealand went through Be prepared and be curious. Look to learn and ensure that the firm is the right fit for you , not just whether you will be successful in an interview. Also make sure that if you are a foreign law student, that you are prepared and know what it means to move to another country and are prepared to work hard to understand what is likely to be a significantly different legal regime. But rest assured in knowing that ABL is committed to ensuring that you succeed.

Don't be a robot! Have a laugh, bounce questions back to your interviewees.

Every firm claims they are different, find out something unique about ABL and discuss that in your application.

Be yourself and genuine. The interview is more of a conversation that enables interviewers to figure out whether you're a good fit.

I would recommend reading about the firm. ABL has some unique qualities so being aware of these is important to find out if the firm will suit you and also show that you're interested in the firm. I'd also recommend trying to engage in a bit of informal conversation with the interviewers before the interview formally commences, it will help you feel more confident.

Be interested in at least an area of law and able to speak to it.