Baker & McKenzie Assessment Tests

Baker & McKenzie Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a business development assistant. A directory submission is due on Friday and a client event needs its final numbers confirmed by Thursday. Both are yours. On Tuesday the partner who must approve the submission tells you she cannot look at it before Thursday evening. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Confirm the event numbers on Wednesday instead of Thursday, so that Thursday evening is clear for the submission once the partner has been through it.
   2. Ask the partner to look at the submission on Wednesday instead, explaining that Thursday evening leaves no margin if she wants anything changed.
   3. Assume the event numbers can slip to Friday morning, since the venue has always been flexible before, and keep Thursday clear for whatever the partner wants changed.
   4. Send the submission on Thursday without her approval if she has not looked at it by six, since the deadline is Friday and an unapproved entry is better than no entry.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Confirm the event numbers on Wednesday instead of Thursday, so that Thursday evening is clear for the submission once the partner has been through it.

   Least effective: C. Assume the event numbers can slip to Friday morning, since the venue has always been flexible before, and keep Thursday clear for whatever the partner wants changed.

   B: Solves it by moving the immovable: she has said she cannot, and pressing the one thing that will not move spends Tuesday on a conversation that changes nothing.

   C: Assumes without asking: the venue's past flexibility is not this week's answer, and a confirmation deadline is being moved by somebody who has not spoken to them.

   D: Sets a deadline for abandoning an approval: it decides in advance that the firm's approval rule will be dropped at a particular hour, which is not something to plan for.

   The most effective response is to confirm the event numbers on Wednesday instead of Thursday, so Thursday evening is clear for the submission. Those numbers are the only thing whose timing you control, so moving them forward buys the margin Thursday evening does not have. It beats asking the partner to look at the submission on Wednesday, because she has already said Wednesday is not possible. It beats sending the submission on Thursday without her approval if she has not looked by six, because planning to skip an approval is worse than finding time. The least effective response is assuming the event numbers can slip to Friday morning: an external deadline is moved on an assumption nobody has checked, so the event is exposed to protect the submission. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which leave the event alone. The principle: move the deadline you control, and check the ones you do not.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a billing assistant. Two fee earners have each told you the other is responsible for a bill that has not gone out, and each has asked you to say so if the month-end figures are queried. The bill is now three weeks late and the client has asked about it. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell the month-end review, if it comes up, that neither of them has taken responsibility, so that the record shows what actually happened rather than either account.
   2. Ask them both for ten minutes, put the client's question and the three weeks in front of them, and ask which of them will get the bill out this week.
   3. Draft the bill yourself and send it to both of them for approval, since the client is waiting and somebody has to break the stalemate before month end.
   4. Blame each of them to the other in front of the billing team, so that they both understand the position and can settle who is responsible between themselves.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Ask them both for ten minutes, put the client's question and the three weeks in front of them, and ask which of them will get the bill out this week.

   Least effective: D. Blame each of them to the other in front of the billing team, so that they both understand the position and can settle who is responsible between themselves.

   A: Answers a question nobody has asked yet: it prepares a position for a meeting instead of getting the bill out, and the client is still waiting either way.

   C: Works around the stalemate: the bill may go out and the question of who owns it is left exactly as it was, so the next one stalls the same way.

   D: Carries private remarks between colleagues: it makes the argument about the two of them rather than about a bill the client is waiting on, and neither can unhear what the other said.

   The most effective response is to ask them both for ten minutes, put the client’s question and the three weeks in front of them, and ask which of them will get the bill out this week. Those are facts neither disputes, and putting both in front of them together turns a blame exchange into a decision. It beats drafting the bill yourself and sending it to both for approval, because drafting round them leaves ownership unresolved. It beats telling the month-end review that neither has taken responsibility, because a bill is still not out. The least effective response is blaming each of them to the other in front of the billing team: it relays each account to the other, so a late bill becomes a quarrel. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, neither of which repeats anything anybody said. The principle: put the shared fact in front of both, and never carry remarks between them.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a bundle coordinator in a week when the team has been working late every night. You realise you indexed one exhibit under the wrong tab, and the bundle went to the court and the other side yesterday. The hearing is in twelve days. Your team leader has been holding the team together all week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell your team leader today what happened, what you propose to send out to correct it, and how you will check the next bundle so it does not happen again.
   2. Wait to see whether anybody notices, since twelve days is a long time and raising it now would land on a team leader who has had a very difficult week.
   3. Tell the other side's clerk about the misfiled exhibit so the correction is made, and mention it to your team leader when the week has calmed down.
   4. Prepare a corrected index and send it round quietly, so that the error you made is put right without anybody being told anything was ever wrong.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Tell your team leader today what happened, what you propose to send out to correct it, and how you will check the next bundle so it does not happen again.

   Least effective: D. Prepare a corrected index and send it round quietly, so that the error you made is put right without anybody being told anything was ever wrong.

   B: Waits to be found out: it makes the timing of the correction depend on somebody else spotting it, and the longer it sits the worse the correction looks when it comes.

   C: Tells the wrong party first: the other side hears about a mistake in the firm's bundle before anybody in the firm does, and your team leader learns of it second hand.

   D: Covers your own error: the correction goes out looking like housekeeping, so nobody knows an exhibit was misfiled or that a bundle left the building with a mistake in it.

   The most effective response is to tell your team leader today what happened, what you propose to send out to correct it, and how you will check the next bundle. Twelve days is enough to correct it properly, and bringing the fix and the check along with the mistake makes it a five- minute conversation. It beats waiting to see whether anybody notices, because waiting makes the correction worse. It beats telling the other side’s clerk about the misfiled exhibit and mentioning it to her later, because the firm should know before the other side does. The least effective response is preparing a corrected index and sending it round quietly: the correction goes out dressed as routine, so the misfiling never exists for anybody. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two because both of those leave it findable. The principle: a hard week is a reason to be quick about your own mistake, and to bring the remedy with it.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a litigation assistant. A client rings to ask whether the other side has filed their defence, which was due yesterday. The court’s online record is not showing anything and you know it can lag by a day or two. The client says he has a board meeting this afternoon and needs to tell them something. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell him nothing has been filed, and give it as certain, since the record would be showing it by now if the other side had done anything yesterday.
   2. Tell him the online record shows nothing yet, explain that it can lag a day or two, and say you will ring the court this morning and call him before his meeting.
   3. Tell him the record shows nothing but that it cannot be relied on, and suggest he tells his board the position is unclear until the court catches up.
   4. Tell him you will ask the fee earner to call him after the board meeting, when the record will have had another day to catch up and the position will be clearer.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell him the online record shows nothing yet, explain that it can lag a day or two, and say you will ring the court this morning and call him before his meeting.

   Least effective: A. Tell him nothing has been filed, and give it as certain, since the record would be showing it by now if the other side had done anything yesterday.

   A: States as fact something the record cannot yet show: you know it lags, and he is going to tell a board that the other side has defaulted.

   C: Passes the uncertainty on: it is accurate and it leaves him presenting a shrug to his board, when the court office could settle it in one call this morning.

   D: Answers after the deadline: the whole reason he rang is the meeting this afternoon, and a call afterwards arrives when it can no longer be used.

   The most effective response is to tell him the online record shows nothing yet, explain that it can lag a day or two, and say you will ring the court this morning and call him before his meeting. He gets the true position, the reason it is uncertain, and a commitment to resolve it before the moment he needs it. It beats telling him the record shows nothing but cannot be relied on and suggesting he tells his board the position is unclear, because the uncertainty is removable by a phone call. It beats asking the fee earner to call him after the board meeting, because his deadline is this afternoon. The least effective response is telling him nothing has been filed and giving it as certain: an unconfirmed absence is presented as a fact, and he will report a default to his board. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which are honest about what the record shows. The principle: say what the record shows and what it cannot show, then go and close the gap before their deadline.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a business development assistant. A client emails to say the firm’s seminar invitation went to a colleague who left her company two years ago, and asks how the firm still has that contact. The mailing list is maintained by an outside agency. The client is not angry but wants an answer. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Reply that the list is held by an agency and that you have asked them to look into it, and give her a day by which you will come back with what they say.
   2. Reply today confirming the contact will be removed, ask the agency how the record survived, and tell her what you find once you have it.
   3. Give up on establishing it, on the basis that the agency will pick the stale record up in its next refresh, and reply to the client to say the list is cleaned regularly and the entry should drop off.
   4. Forward the client's email to the agency and ask them to reply to her directly, since they hold the list and are the only people who can explain how the record got there.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Reply today confirming the contact will be removed, ask the agency how the record survived, and tell her what you find once you have it.

   Least effective: C. Give up on establishing it, on the basis that the agency will pick the stale record up in its next refresh, and reply to the client to say the list is cleaned regularly and the entry should drop off.

   A: Passes the timing to a third party: the commitment is real and it rests on an agency answering, so the date you give her is one you cannot actually keep.

   C: Assumes the problem solves itself: nobody has asked the agency anything, and the client is told a refresh will handle a record that has already survived two years of refreshes.

   D: Hands the client to a supplier: she wrote to the firm, and being answered by an agency she has no relationship with makes a small question into an odd experience.

   The most effective response is to reply today confirming the contact will be removed, ask the agency how the record survived, and tell her what you find. The part she cares about can be settled today and by you, and the part you cannot answer is chased in parallel without her waiting. It beats replying that the list is held by an agency and giving her a day by which you will come back, because that makes her wait before anything happens. It beats forwarding her email to the agency and asking them to reply to her directly, because she wrote to the firm. The least effective response is telling her the list is cleaned regularly and the entry should drop off: nothing is asked, nothing is fixed, and she is told a process will deal with something it has already failed twice. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which actually put the question to the agency. The principle: do the part you can do today, and chase the part you cannot without making the client hold.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a client services adviser. A caller wants to know whether her case will be finished before she moves abroad in six weeks. The fee earner who has the file is away until Thursday and you cannot see anything on the system about timing. The caller is anxious and says she needs to book flights this week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that you cannot give a date yourself, take her deadline and her number, and tell her you will have the fee earner call her by Thursday afternoon at the latest.
   2. Tell her you cannot help with timing because the file is not yours, and suggest she rings back on Thursday when the fee earner is expected to be at her desk again.
   3. Reassure her that six weeks is plenty of time for a case like hers, so that she can book her flights without worrying while the fee earner is away.
   4. Send the fee earner an email marked urgent setting out what the caller wants, and tell the caller you have done that and will chase it if nothing comes back.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Explain that you cannot give a date yourself, take her deadline and her number, and tell her you will have the fee earner call her by Thursday afternoon at the latest.

   Least effective: C. Reassure her that six weeks is plenty of time for a case like hers, so that she can book her flights without worrying while the fee earner is away.

   B: Puts the work back on the customer: it is accurate and it leaves her to chase the firm, which is the opposite of what somebody with a booking deadline needs from the people holding her case.

   C: Gives an assurance you cannot deliver: you have no information about this file at all, and she will make a booking she cannot undo on the strength of a comfort you invented to end the call.

   D: Acts without closing the loop: the email is right but nothing in it commits anyone to a time, so a caller with a booking deadline is left with a promise to chase rather than a date to expect a call.

   The most effective response is to explain that you cannot give a date yourself, take her deadline and her number, and promise the fee earner will call her by Thursday afternoon. You cannot answer the question, but you can take the one fact that matters and turn her open-ended wait into a commitment with a time on it. It beats telling her you cannot help because the file is not yours and suggesting she rings back Thursday, because that hands the chasing back to a client who is already anxious. It beats sending the fee earner an urgent email and telling the caller you have done so, because it gives her a time by which she will hear rather than an email she has to hope produces something. The least effective response is reassuring her that six weeks is plenty of time for a case like hers: it is the only response that puts information into her hands that you do not have, and she will spend money on the strength of it. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, which are both honest about what you know. The principle: when you cannot answer, commit to who will answer and by when, and never buy a quiet call with a fact you have not got.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a risk assistant. A fee earner asks whether a new client’s identity check has come back clear, because he wants to send a first letter of advice today. The system shows the check as submitted but not returned, and the provider usually takes a day. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell him the check is not back and that he will have to wait until it is, since sending advice before an identity check has returned is not something the firm does.
   2. Tell him the check is submitted and not yet returned, and that you will chase the provider this morning and let him know either way before the end of the day.
   3. Tell him it has come back clear and assure her of it, since checks of this kind almost always come back clear and the provider is only ever a day behind.
   4. Tell him it is submitted and suggest he sends the letter marked as draft advice, so that the client has something today without the firm having formally advised.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell him the check is submitted and not yet returned, and that you will chase the provider this morning and let him know either way before the end of the day.

   Least effective: C. Tell him it has come back clear and assure her of it, since checks of this kind almost always come back clear and the provider is only ever a day behind.

   A: Answers with the rule and stops: it is right about the position and it leaves him waiting on a provider nobody has chased, when a call this morning might settle it today.

   C: States as fact a result that has not arrived: he will send advice to a client whose identity the firm has not yet established, on your word that it is established.

   D: Invents a category to get round the position: a letter of advice marked draft is still advice in the client's hands, and the identity check is no further forward.

   The most effective response is to tell him the check is submitted and not yet returned, and that you will chase the provider this morning and let him know either way. He needs the true position and a route to a real answer today, and chasing is the only thing that produces one. It beats telling him the check is not back and that he will have to wait, because nobody has chased. It beats suggesting he sends the letter marked as draft advice, because relabelling advice does not change what the client receives. The least effective response is telling him it has come back clear because checks of this kind almost always do: a result that has not come back is reported, and he acts on it. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which are honest about the check’s status. The principle: say exactly where the check is, then go and move it.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a filing clerk. You and another clerk share the counter run to the court each afternoon. Last week he told your manager, in front of you, that the run is usually late because of you. Today he asks you to cover his run because he has a dental appointment. There is time in your afternoon to do it. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Cover the run without comment, and say nothing about last week because raising it now would only make the afternoon more awkward than it already is for both of you.
   2. Do his run today, then stop passing on his counter messages because he complained about you to your manager, and leave his paperwork for him to sort out himself.
   3. Agree to cover the run, and ask him afterwards for a word about what he said to your manager, so the two of you can agree what actually causes the delays.
   4. Say you can cover it only if he corrects what he told your manager, since you should not have to help somebody who has put the blame for the delays on you.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Agree to cover the run, and ask him afterwards for a word about what he said to your manager, so the two of you can agree what actually causes the delays.

   Least effective: B. Do his run today, then stop passing on his counter messages because he complained about you to your manager, and leave his paperwork for him to sort out himself.

   A: Prioritises harmony over honesty: the work gets done and the thing that will go on affecting the run is left in place, so the same remark can be made again next month with nothing having changed.

   B: Withdraws help after a disagreement: it settles a private score at the counter where the work is, so the next thing that goes wrong on the run goes wrong for the court and the clients rather than for him.

   D: Makes a condition of the work: it ties a job the court is waiting on to a personal grievance, so the run becomes the thing at stake in an argument that has nothing to do with it.

   The most effective response is to agree to cover the run, and ask him afterwards for a word about what he said to your manager. The run is covered either way, and it separates the work from the grievance while still dealing with the grievance, which is the only way the remark stops affecting the counter. It beats covering it without comment and saying nothing about last week, because that leaves an inaccurate account with your manager and the real cause of the delays unexamined. It beats offering to cover it only if he corrects what he told her, because that makes the court’s paperwork the price of an apology. The least effective response is doing his run today and then stopping passing on his counter messages: a disagreement between two people becomes a standing reduction in service, which lands on the work rather than on him. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, which both get the run done. The principle: deal with the work and the grievance separately, and never let a colleague’s behaviour change what the job gets.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a trainee solicitor sharing a research task with another trainee. You have each done half and the two halves reach opposite conclusions. Neither of you can see where the difference comes from. The note is due to your supervisor at midday tomorrow and you both have other work today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Sit down with him for half an hour today, work back through both halves until you find where the difference arises, and put the answer and the reasoning in the note.
   2. Send both halves to your supervisor now with a note that the two of you disagree, and ask her to tell you which conclusion is right before you write it up.
   3. Hand your half to someone in the department who knows the area, and ask them to reconcile the two halves while the pair of you get on with your other work today.
   4. Put both conclusions in the note with the arguments for each, so your supervisor can see the two positions and decide which one she prefers.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Sit down with him for half an hour today, work back through both halves until you find where the difference arises, and put the answer and the reasoning in the note.

   Least effective: C. Hand your half to someone in the department who knows the area, and ask them to reconcile the two halves while the pair of you get on with your other work today.

   B: Escalates before diagnosing: she is being asked to do the work of finding the difference, which is the whole task, and neither of you has yet spent half an hour looking.

   C: Passes the work to a colleague: the two people who did the research give the reconciling to somebody who did not, so the one part nobody else can do quickly is the part that gets handed away.

   D: Delivers the disagreement instead of resolving it: a research note that ends in two answers is not a research note, and the difference between them is probably one step neither of you has found.

   The most effective response is to sit down with him for half an hour today and work back through both halves until you find where the difference arises. The gap between two halves of one question is nearly always a single step, and the two people who did the work are the fastest to find it. It beats sending both halves to your supervisor with a note that you disagree, because she is being asked to do your task. It beats putting both conclusions in the note with the arguments for each, because a note with two answers has not answered anything. The least effective response is handing your half to someone in the department to reconcile the two: the reconciling goes to somebody with none of the working, so a half-hour job becomes a long one for a person who has not agreed to it. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which keep the work with people who have done it. The principle: find where two answers diverge before asking anybody else to choose between them.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a litigation assistant. At half past three you are asked to get a witness statement signed and filed before the court closes at four thirty. At the same moment a fee earner asks you to book a conference room for next Tuesday. Both will take some of your attention. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Book the room first because it takes two minutes and will otherwise be forgotten, then spend the rest of the hour on getting the statement signed and filed.
    2. Get the statement signed and filed, and tell the fee earner now that the room will be booked as soon as the filing is done this afternoon.
    3. Ask a colleague to take the statement to be signed while you book the room and deal with the rest of your afternoon, since the filing itself is straightforward.
    4. Do both at once, booking the room while you wait for the statement to come back signed, and accept that the filing may go in with a few minutes to spare.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: B. Get the statement signed and filed, and tell the fee earner now that the room will be booked as soon as the filing is done this afternoon.

    Least effective: C. Ask a colleague to take the statement to be signed while you book the room and deal with the rest of your afternoon, since the filing itself is straightforward.

    A: Clears the small thing first: two minutes is two minutes out of an hour that may not have any spare, and the room booking has nothing at stake until Tuesday.

    C: Passes the urgent task to a colleague: the one job with a deadline in an hour goes to somebody who has not seen the statement, so that the one with no deadline can be done by you.

    D: Treats a tight margin as spare capacity: the hour may all be needed, and a few minutes to spare is not something you can know at half past three.

    The most effective response is to get the statement signed and filed, and tell the fee earner the room will be booked as soon as the filing is done. Four thirty is the only fixed point, a room for Tuesday costs nothing to defer, and one sentence means he is not left wondering. It beats booking the room first because it takes two minutes, since those are two minutes you may need. It beats doing both at once and accepting the filing may go in with minutes to spare, because you cannot know at half past three how long the signing will take. The least effective response is asking a colleague to take the statement to be signed while you book the room: it moves the deadline job to somebody unfamiliar with it so you can do the one with no deadline. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which keep the urgent work with you. The principle: the fixed deadline keeps you, and everything else gets a message.