The term ‘Magic Circle’ is the informal term to refer to the five most prestigious corporate law firms in the UK legal market: Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and Slaughter & May.
Renowned for their excellence in international work and high legal services standards, these leading national law firms attract many applicants and take pride in gathering only the best of the best.
If you are genuinely committed to excelling as one of the most qualified candidates, securing a position in a Magic Circle law firm requires a strategic and focused approach to tackle their rigorous recruitment processes and challenging assessments.
On this page, you will be able to explore all the essential information about Magic Circle Firms:
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The Magic Circle Law Firms are the UK's top corporate law firms:
These five firms are prestigious law firms headquartered in London and are widely recognized for their exceptional standards of excellence in legal services and for continuously outperforming other British law firms' profits, drawing extremely competitive and numerous applicants, while maintaining a strict commitment to selecting only the most qualified individuals.
To get accepted to one of the Magic Circle Law Firms, you go through a multi-step recruitment process, which often includes an assessment test to evaluate whether you have the cognitive abilities required on the job and the personality traits that match the firm's culture.
While each Magic Circle Law Firm uses similar assessments and practice areas, they do not all look the same. However, they share commonalities in the traits actively looked for in potential candidates, such as teamwork and communication skills, a detail-oriented mindset, and robust management skills, among others.
Some of the tests that you are most likely to encounter while applying to any of these prestigious law firms are the following:
Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Tests
Most Magic Circle law firms use the Watson Glaser Test to evaluate your critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills, alongside their ability to draw sound conclusions from complex information through deduction and inference.
Situational Judgment Tests (SJT)
The Situational Judgment Test assesses your behavioral characteristics and personality traits in legal context scenarios. These questions evaluate decision-making and the way of thinking and explore how you might respond in hypothetical situations.
Assessment Centre Practice
Magic Circle law firms rely on assessment centre days to evaluate potential candidates more comprehensively for specific attributes under challenging scenarios. The purpose of these assessments, which usually appear late in the recruitment process, is to evaluate your competencies through diverse individual and group tasks.
Whether online or in person, some tasks you will likely face include competency-style questions within group exercise settings and real or hypothetical role-play scenarios that effectively display your problem-solving skills and legal reasoning.
Written Exercises
The ability to articulate thoughts, analyse scenarios, and communicate effectively are generally considered as necessary characteristics of desirable law candidates. The Magic Circle firms are no different. They are interested in understanding your ability to communicate using the written word in a clear, logical, and appropriate manner.
Written assessments will require you to convey thoughts, analyse scenarios, and communicate ideas concisely and persuasively, as you will have to compose your proposals instead of discussing or presenting them to your interviewers.
Here, you can look at an example of a question from a section of the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test. If you want to practice more, you can check out our Watson Glaser Free Practice Test Page.
Following a reduction in the number of applicants, the college has been asking students to evaluate faculty teaching performance for the last two years. The college's management announced that the purpose of these evaluations is to provide information to faculty about teachers' strengths and weaknesses and to help higher management make decisions about pay raises and promotions to reward the better teachers. Last week, Professor Burke, a recently retired senior lecturer at the college, wrote a letter in which he objected to these evaluations, claiming they compromise academic standards.
Statement: There is more to the management's announced intentions than those mentioned by them in the passage.
The correct answer is "Probably True".
The text begins by introducing the management's announcement as a reaction to a negative trend—a reduction in the number of student applications. While the announcement explicitly addresses both the college's staff and its students, it is likely that the issue at hand is not only a wish to achieve academic excellence but in fact a means to resolve the issue of reduced applications and college reputation, which has implications on the college's future. Therefore, the correct answer is "Probably True".
💡Tip: Carefully analyse the text and base your answers solely on the given information. Practice under time constraints and avoid extremes in your responses.
The following Situational Judgement test question example gives you a preview of what to expect in these evaluations. In hypothetical work-related scenarios, you can choose from a list of possible reactions and rank or rate them based on suitability. For additional practice, visit our SJT Free Practice Test Page.
Later today, Luci is meeting with Taylor to discuss Shifting Direction's possibilities for using the money raised from their fundraising event. Luci thinks Taylor should invest in online solutions to benefit the technological orientation of her clients. Luci is worried that bringing up Simone's approach (that adapting to new technology might be too hard for the clients) might deter Taylor from contemplating this choice. Luci inquired about your thoughts before the conversation.
What is your view on her question?
Please RANK the following responses from 1-5, with 1 being what you would most likely do and 5 being what you would least likely do:
The best ranking in this scenario is: A, B, E, D, C
The situation was designed to measure your integrity and communication skills. The centre of the question is to show transparency and high integrity levels in all communication – with customers and team members. You should also know how to communicate this message to your colleague
💡Tip: Learn the organization’s values and the traits needed in your position. In SJTs, there aren't definite right or wrong answers – some answers are just better. Pick the response that fits the situation and shows the behavioral tendencies required on the job.
Have you been invited to take a Watson Glaser Assessment?
Get The Most Professional Prep Course on the Market! You can rely on our Watson Glaser Test Preparation which includes focused and tailored practice drills for each of the test sections.
While these highly competitive city law firms have distinctive and specific recruitment processes, each Magic Circle Law Firm pursues a unique journey to find and welcome talented individuals to the prestigious realm of international corporate law.
Despite their differences, they share significant similarities that can be summarized as follows:
Online Application Submission
Your first step toward becoming part of a Magic Circle Firm will involve submitting an online application form tailored to each firm's requirements.
In this section, you should highlight your passion for commercial law, litigation work, attention to detail, and relevant work experience. Take this opportunity to highlight your academic achievements and articulate why you are a qualified lawyer and a perfect fit for the firm.
Cognitive Assessments
Following a successful application, brace yourself for a specific type of aptitude assessment, such as the Watson Glaser Test or the Situational Judgement Test. These evaluations assess your critical thinking skills, decision-making abilities, and problem-solving acumen under rigorous time pressure and challenging scenarios.
Assessment Day Experience
Final Interview
| ✻ Summer Vacation Scheme |
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| ✻ Winter Vacation Scheme |
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| ✻ Spring Vacation Scheme |
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| ✻ Training Contract |
Note: we recommend you verify this information on the firm's official website prior to submitting your application.
Additionally, you can visit our related Silver Circle Law Firms preparation material for the Herbert Smith Freehills assessment.
If you are still not sure of the exact test you will be taking - try our general Law Employers page, or contact us for tailored information.
The renowned 'Magic Circle Law Firms' is an informal term that includes Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and Slaughter & May.
Joining a Magic Circle law firm is an extremely competitive task for law students, aspiring solicitors, and qualified lawyers alike. These top law firms value intellect, drive, commercial awareness, communication skills, and the ability to thrive under pressure. With thorough preparation, achieving this goal is not only possible but also highly rewarding.
Magic Circle law firms have earned prestige through a history of successfully handling high-profile cases and multibillion pound transactions, maintaining a notorious international presence, and consistently providing high earnings and gratifying work experience despite working long hours.
Yes, Magic Circle firms typically offer comprehensive training programs for aspiring lawyers and newly qualified solicitors through recurrent vacation schemes and training contracts application processes, providing a robust foundation in legal practice.
Preparation involves extensive research into each firm, considering the unique aspects of each firm's recruitment process. Tailor your approach accordingly, and familiarise yourself with the format, question types, and time constraints associated with their assessments and interview formats to increase your chances of success.
