TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Zaraa.x]

Anyone know what a good score for the NRF Arctic Shores Feedback is?

For anyone interested the tests that came up were:
1. Tickets
2. Directions
3. Patterns
4. Emotions

Emotions had some nightmarish AI-generated eldritch horror faces to figure out.

I passed the test for their open day majority of my qualities were on the right with the least on the left.

 

[billyonthespeeddial]

Reed Smith VI - are the questions motivation, competency or commercial awareness? Working out what to practice and whether I need to do research prep first (I know the prep time is unlimited but assume I can’t be on other windows researching)

I don't remember the questions from last year but you can absolutely be on other windows. It'll keep recording you.

 

[Zaraa.x]

For AG = Completed the Voice Interview on the 10th of Jan. Went much better than I expected but it is so up in the air. Been waiting since May last year for this one application so if I don’t make AC that’s so disappointing😭.

For CMS = Completed the WG on the 18th of Oct. Honestly not to fussed. It’s at the bottom of my list. I only want to see what stages I need to improve on for other apps.

For DAC = Completed the VI on the 3rd of Dec.

I have heard nothing from Bates Wells - applied on the 10th of Oct; they are supposed to be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. The one I’m most nervous about because of the size of the firm and their communication style. There is very little I can assume reliably.


Similar with Lewis Silkin who I applied to on the 23rd of Oct.

Lewis Silkin is non-rolling and in the confirmation email after submitting your application it states they’ll be in touch with an update on applications no later than week commencing 17th February - and they will only review applications after the deadline (15th Jan). This is the reason why you haven’t heard from them.

 

[ren1110]

Has anyone done the Bakers or White & Case AC?

Have u received a response from bakers?

 

[CG_101]

Just did my NRF Artic Shores-
4/4 in Emotional Understanding
4/4 in Patterns and rules
3/4 in Responding to change
1/4 in Attending to tasks and decisions

Is that good enough to get through? I think I have a strong written application.

 

[James Wakefield]

Just did the OC verbal reasoning test and not happy with it. Wondering if anyone has had a similar experience in a previous cycle.

I’m very happy with my written application, one of my best, and they say they view applications holistically. Do I stand any chance?

 

[MV340]

Hey guys, I did my W&C VI on the 2nd Jan (9 days ago). I've seen some people have heard back but no clue when they did their VIs. I'm going out of my mind having heard nothing (also didn't get a confirmation email to say I'd completed it but it says it's completed on their AllHires website). Is it normal to not hear back this quickly or should I expect a PFO by now?

 

[Bread]

Hey guys, I did my W&C VI on the 2nd Jan (9 days ago). I've seen some people have heard back but no clue when they did their VIs. I'm going out of my mind having heard nothing (also didn't get a confirmation email to say I'd completed it but it says it's completed on their AllHires website). Is it normal to not hear back this quickly or should I expect a PFO by now?

What I’ve learned from this forum is that there is no point stressing about W&C because they take “taking their sweet time” to a whole other level

 

[mariistm]

Just did the OC verbal reasoning test and not happy with it. Wondering if anyone has had a similar experience in a previous cycle.

I’m very happy with my written application, one of my best, and they say they view applications holistically. Do I stand any chance?

I would say not to worry. You may not be happy with it but graduate recruitment may see positives where you see negatives

 

[nazk01]

If I haven't heard back on my VI yet and the first bookable assessment centre date is next Wednesday should I expect a PFO?
(realistically)

 

[tosin4774]

Just got sn invite to Discovering Linklaters event 💃💃

 

[isTeapp]

Have u received a response from bakers?

Yes, on 03/01.

 

[sapphireoreos]

Did anyone get a PFO from Taylor Wessing? Or are they just sending the test invites? I just want to know if I should assume it is a PFO for me since I have not heard back from them.

I applied within a week before the deadline and got a PFO immediately after doing the test (everyone has to do the test alongside their application). Heard they're sending out written exercise invitations (Stage 2 of the application), so it depends on when you applied? Maybe check your spam emails too, I've had PFOs go there sometimes

 

[ren1110]

Yes, on 03/01.

when did you apply?

 

[Amma Usman]

@Amma Usman @Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu

What is the best way of approaching answers to why law vs why commercial law? I did law undergrad and had debated changing careers until I decided to pursue masters degree in international commercial where I took a practical M&A module which made me realise i wanted to go into commercial law. This is what I have talked about in my applications/VIs and have given this answer regardless of whether I was asked why law or why commercial law. If asked in an interview to elaborate on the difference between the two, how would you suggest approaching an answer to this?

thank you so much in advance!

Hi there,

Thanks for the question.

As you can imagine, the difference in why law and why commercial law lies in the commerce part. This is a difficult distinction to employ, largely because you need to know your experiences in and out to effectively draw a distinction that shows specific interest In CL particularly. You not only need to know your experiences well , but your journey actually. For me, taking the journey approach in interviews enabled me to show my truth - tell my story. I was able to start off by saying okay I explored this area of law, didn’t like it. I explored this next area of law and liked this and that, but not that. Then I explored business law and liked it more combined than the other areas of law. For me, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer regardless of specialisation. Studying a law degree certainly helped, but it was not the deciding factor.

Your inclusion of the mergers module course is good, but you need to be more specific. What did you learn and how did that differ from your past legal experiences. Further, why is it that one that appealed more? You may have learnt about a certain type of law, say competition law, through learning about how the Commission or CMA in the context of the UK may stop mergers due to the potential to lead to the abuse of a dominant position. As competition law is a practice within a commercial law firm, you can certainly expand on this in interviews. This is just one of the many examples on how you can go further into what you learnt to distinguish the business side of law from say… immigration or family law.

 

[tisha.patel_]

Anyone still waiting on Latham? Or should I just assume PFO?

I'm still waiting! I know a few people who have been rejected so hopefully, no news is good news?

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

I don't remember the questions from last year but you can absolutely be on other windows. It'll keep recording you.

I thought it might flag as suspicious activity or something lol

 

[lawyersum]

Is anyone else still in limbo for Addleshaws? Not received a PFO or a voice interview yet?

 

[Amma Usman]

Akin Telephone Interview!

Reed Smith AC (update: I was told I was fast tracked as I completed the insight scheme). There were two tests for that one but not sure it is similar to the VS on.

Literally shaking. Please anyone with tips on interviews and what questions to ask partners and GR, I will gladly appreciate @Amma Usman @Jessica Booker

Hey @Amakaa ,

Very well done on getting to both stages. My tips are more on soft skills.

For the telephone interview, I recommend knowing your competencies very well and avoid preparing too heavily on verbatim answers. This is because you want your answers to sound very natural. The best way to do this is to know your passions for commercial law and Akin well, such that any question you’re asked would not necessarily trip you off.

For the AC with RS, perhaps I’ll be able to provide more guidance on that once they inform you what the AC is comprised of.

My general few interview tips are as follows;

• Smile and be confident. At the end of the day, law firms are not just hiring for lawyers, they are hiring for people.
• Keep building your commercial awareness up until then. As you would have heard many times, this is a skill that needs constant developing. You do not need to spend hundreds of hours every week doing this as that would even be counter-effective. Take little strides every day to learn something knew. It would amaze you how those little industry trends or buzz words would be weaved into your interview by you, without you even knowing it. You want your commercial awareness journey to be a natural one, not a forced one as this is what would help out more through the process and beyond.
• With regards what you can ask GR, provided you have any questions on the specifics of the stage or are not clear about anything, GR would be the best to speak to. Don’t hesitate to reach out when in doubt.
• With regards what to ask Partners, don’t ask questions just for the sake of it as most times such questions tend to be those you can easily get by deep-diving into the firm‘s website. The best questions at the end of interviews are those which talk about a topic discussed in the interview itself, or an area of your interviewers specialisation you want to learn more about and why.

Hope this helps, and best of luck!

 

[g.cl.2020344]

Just did my NRF Artic Shores-
4/4 in Emotional Understanding
4/4 in Patterns and rules
3/4 in Responding to change
1/4 in Attending to tasks and decisions

Is that good enough to get through? I think I have a strong written application.

Hey mine was exactly the same! Fingers crossed🤞🏼