Problem Solving Competency STAR Example

Situation

I was a second-seat trainee within a mid-tier firm's corporate team acting for the buyer in a share sale of a group that owned a retail property. Completion was due in five business days because the buyer's bank required drawdown to meet its fiscal quarter covenant. During pre-completion checks, it became apparent that one of the target company's leases contained an absolute restriction on assignment without landlord consent. The landlord had earlier refused consent verbally and indicated it would not sign before the bank's deadline.

Task

My task was to find a legally sound way to enable completion on the scheduled date while protecting the buyer against the risk of an unauthorised assignment and any related losses. I needed to present options to the partner and client within 36 hours and, if we proceeded with a workaround, prepare the necessary documentation.

Action

I first mapped the legal risk by reviewing the lease, the share sale agreement and the bank's facility terms to understand the precise covenant triggers and remedies. I identified three viable approaches and modelled the pros and cons and likely timing for each:

• Seek expedited landlord consent with a commercial inducement.

• Complete subject to an indemnity and escrow arrangement pending landlord ratification.

• Postpone completion until consent obtained (not feasible given bank covenant timing).

I recommended the indemnity-plus-escrow route as it balanced speed with enforceable protection. To implement it, I:

• Drafted an escrow agreement to hold the portion of consideration attributable to the leased store until either landlord consent was obtained or a dispute process concluded.

• Prepared a bespoke seller indemnity limiting exposure to proven losses and including a cap aligned with the escrow amount.

• Drafted a short-form letter to the bank explaining the mechanism and providing confirmations the buyer would retain title-related protections until consent was obtained.

• Coordinated negotiations between the client, seller and bank, feeding updates to the supervising partner and revising documents to reflect counterparty comments.

Result

Completion proceeded on the scheduled date. The escrow held £250,000 (the agreed allocation) pending landlord review. The buyer avoided a covenant breach with the bank and obtained a contractual indemnity and escrow security protecting potential losses. The landlord provided formal consent four weeks later, at which point the escrow funds were released. The partner commended my drafted documents and timeline; the client estimated the arrangement avoided at least £60,000 in potential financing penalties and business interruption costs.

Why this works

Clarity and relevance: The Situation sets a concrete commercial context (share sale, bank deadline, lease restriction) so assessors immediately grasp the stakes. The Task is specific (enable completion and protect buyer) and time-bound (36 hours), which demonstrates pressure handling.

Demonstrable legal skillset: The Action emphasises legal analysis (review of documents, identification of options), commercial judgement (weighing options against bank covenants), drafting and negotiation (escrow agreement, indemnity, bank letter), and stakeholder management (coordination with partner, client, bank and seller). Each action is tangible and uses active verbs: reviewed, identified, drafted, coordinated.

Quantified and meaningful Result: The Result gives measurable outcomes (completion on time, £250,000 escrow, landlord consent in four weeks, avoided £60,000 cost). Quantification makes the achievement believable and shows commercial impact. The partner's commendation adds credibility to the candidate's role.

Attribution and role clarity: The account carefully uses "I" for the candidate's direct actions (I drafted, I recommended, I coordinated) and situates those actions within team supervision (supervising partner). That balance shows initiative while acknowledging senior oversight.

Annotations on language and structure

• Specificity: Naming documents (lease, facility terms, share sale agreement) demonstrates familiarity with transactional work.

• Option appraisal: Presenting three options and explaining why one was chosen shows structured problem solving rather than a single-shot solution.

• Risk mitigation: The use of escrow and indemnity highlights a layered approach to managing legal and commercial risk.

Common pitfalls avoided

• Vagueness: The example avoids generic phrases like "helped with" and instead states exact deliverables.

• Overclaiming: It does not imply solo responsibility for firm-level decisions; it notes partner oversight.

• Lack of outcome: It provides a clear, measurable result rather than a soft outcome like "client was happy."

How to adapt this example to your own experience

• Keep the structure: Start with a concise Situation, state a clear Task, list the Actions you personally took, and end with a measurable Result.

• Use numbers where possible: Timing, financial figures, percentages or weeks add credibility.

• Show judgement: If you considered alternatives, briefly list them and explain why you chose one - this evidences analytical thinking.

• Be honest about team involvement: Use "I" for your actions and acknowledge supervision; interviewers value responsible initiative.

• Tailor the technical detail: For a litigation role, emphasise evidence review and procedural options; for a commercial role, focus on drafting, negotiation and client/bank liaison.

Useful resources for practising and refining STAR examples

• YourLegalLadder (for mock interviews, TC/CV reviews and competency libraries).

• LawCareers.Net (articles and example answers relevant to training contract interviews).

• Legal Cheek (insights into firms and interview trends).

• Chambers Student (commercial awareness and firm research material).

For practice, write two STAR examples for each competency: one from paid work or legal clinic experience, and one from academic or extracurricular activity. Use mentors (e.g., on YourLegalLadder or through university careers) to give feedback and to role-play interview scenarios.