Mishcon de Reya – an honest opinion and reflection after an insight day

I recently had the privilege of attendig Mishcon de Reya’s insight day in London and I would like to share my insight and things that impressed me, or did not on that day. 

The office was genuinely very impressive, although I thought I went to the wrong place as Mishcon shares the same building as a massive Wetherspoons. When I walked in, I was greeted by a grand lobby with a chandelier hanging elegantly above a marble floor that might prove to be hazardous on a windy day.  

Mishcon de Reya is a full-service law firm that provides an interesting range of services across different sectors. Spanning across media, entertainment, betting and gaming, and sport. Their clients include Sky, HP, UBS, Chanel, Prada, Deliveroo, and O2. Training-wise, they offer a four-seat training contract, each lasting six months.  

When we arrived, we were treated to tea and coffee. What I was most impressed by was the very high-tech coffee machine. It was a dispenser that dispensed customisable coffee through a touch screen, sitting at the back of every room. A wide range of teas was also presented in a bougie burgundy red box for those who do not prefer coffee.  

To start, Elliot Moss, the partner of Mishcon, a very nice and funny guy who does a good Trump impression, talked to us about the firm’s vision in the next five years. He emphasised the importance of clients to them and that they treat all of their clients as individuals, even large corporate businesses.  

He also outlined three important values that guide the firm: being inventive, resourceful, and broad-minded. 

One thing about Mishcon that he mentioned that struck me was the fact that they actually worked on the Miller cases! The two cases of the most constitutional significance and impact which affect all our day-to-day lives.  

After that, we moved on to a commercial awareness workshop. We were first introduced to three frameworks to tackle commercial questions, which were SWOT, PESTLE, and MECE. We then used a fictional case study and applied the frameworks to the facts. Our workshop leader, Shaun, mentioned that there is no need to read the FT every day and understand every intricate economic theory to excel. What matters is that we are able to analyse a business within the wider market context. For example, it is helpful to know the likely impact of an increased interest rate on a business.  

We then had a lunch break. It was a very typical corporate lunch, consisting of cold sandwiches and bottled drinks. And of course, a coffee from the fancy machine was necessary after lunch.  

Then we had our application workshop, which focuses on Mishcon’s unique way of selecting applicants.  

The way Mishcon pick its applications is, well, unique. They use an AI chatbot, think ChatGPT, to mimic an interview. Of course, they still have an assessment centre that includes a partner interview, but this AI aims to obtain further elaboration from the work experience section of the application form.

As this is still in its infancy stage of development, the script of the chat will be screened by humans. However, when the recruitment team become more familiar with the tool, it will generate a score for each participant, and that will be referenced in the application.  

In all honesty, I am a little sceptical of this, but at the same time, impressed by the fact that a mid-sized firm like Mishcon is moving so quickly with the rapid growth of AI and adapting to changes.  

Overall, I am impressed by the firm’s innovative and client-first mindset. What truly sets them out from their competitors, I think, is their willingness to take risks. They are not afraid to get their hands dirty and use everything they have to win, and that is what has drawn me further to this firm. Regrettably, I did not get the chance to witness their rooftop bar that overlooks the city of London, maybe next time.