TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[tarty23]

This is definitely not a meaningless question at all. I also need to figure out what is appropriate for an interview. Does anyone have any thoughts? Please help. 🥲🥲​

Surely you can’t go wrong with a suit and tie?

 

[Tintin06]

ML TI PFO (

Sorry to hear that - tough break. Was this after the telephone interview? Did they give you any feedback? Happy to help with other firms.

 

[i-want-a-tc]

Who's still waiting for NRF post-VI?

When did you do your VI?

 

[i-want-a-tc]

Who's still waiting for NRF post-VI?

When did you do your VI?

 

[bobby]

for those who have heard back from W&C AC regarding spring scheme - when did you do your intv?

 

[marisachr]

Just finished the WBD amberjack score, 4/9 grit, 6/9 (applied intellect), 9/9 (creative force), 7/9 (digital mindset), high verbal but medium for numerical... Will these scores possibly help me meet the benchmark? 😭 😭

 

[0livia.pope]

I am actually yet to receive a PFO from W&C when I applied in September…

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Does anyone have any insights for Arnold & Porter? I have an interview coming up but there's not that much online to research because it's such a small firm. Thanks!

Hiya @elena11

This is a good question. Their London office has a strong regulatory and disputes focus, with particular expertise in the life sciences and tech sectors. If you check their Chambers Student profile, you’ll see that they are ranked highly in areas such as public international law, financial crime, and product liability in life sciences. These strengths also indicate that, in terms of competitors, Arnold & Porter is often compared to firms like Cooley and Covington & Burling. If you’re preparing for your interview, it could be useful to consider how the firm differentiates itself from these other firms, especially in terms of practice areas or the types of clients they attract.

In terms of experience, the London office has been involved in some notable client matters in the UK and more internationally. They advised on the restructuring of Cineworld, which closed in July, with partners Jeremy Willcocks and Emilia Morris leading on corporate and restructuring issues, including those related to Cineworld’s London Stock Exchange listing. Their competition team is also representing (sorry the link is paywalled) major companies in ongoing claims related to the European Commission’s decision on the European trucks cartel. Their clients in this matter include Heineken, Diageo PLC, and AB InBev.

I've been trying to do some research for you about their financial performance, but this is slightly harder to assess. This is because the firm's London office hasn’t disclosed key financial data to publications like The Lawyer (which often tracks growth and revenue trends). That said, there are some indicators of their progress. In 2024, The Lawyer noted that the firm's headcount saw a small increase, going from 46.5 full-time equivalent lawyers in 2022 to 46.7 in 2023. Firm-wide, though, revenue grew from $1bn in 2022 to $1.1bn in 2023 (with an estimated 3.9% of that revenue coming from the UK office).

For your interview, I think it could be useful to highlight the firm’s regulatory expertise and high-profile work, particularly in life sciences, tech, and competition. Given the firm’s size in London, you might also want to consider how that affects trainee experience - the usual point that smaller teams can mean greater exposure to complex work early on. If you haven't already, it’s worth looking at their Chambers UK and Legal 500 rankings to get a sense of where they stand in different practice areas and how that fits into your own interests/motivations for joining the firm. I hope this helps and best of luck with the interview!

 

[theruleofno]

This is definitely not a meaningless question at all. I also need to figure out what is appropriate for an interview. Does anyone have any thoughts? Please help. 🥲🥲​

Wear a tie, if you don’t have one pop to any charity shop and find something sensible. Tie is far more formal than just a shirt and might help just incase a partner is slightly more traditional.

 

[legallycurly]

Quick question guys- did anyone actually get a feedback report from DACB post test? I can't seem to find one in my email?

It's on the portal where you did the test, under the third section called result I think.

 

[bobby]

also - if anyone has heard back from links having interviewed last week would appreciate it if you could lmk how long the wait was!

 

[onedayj]

Willkie Partner interview!!! I can't believe it😭 Congrats to everyone who progressed as well

 

[Jessica Booker]

do spots not fill up though? especially in london

No - the courses are always undersold. Look at the unfilled places in this table to see how extensive it is.

 

[jacksollaf]

Just received one minute ago a nice little evening PFO from NRF post-vi (5th of Feb was the day of my VI)

 

[i-want-a-tc]

Nrf post VI PFO

 

[lolololol]

Hiya @lolololol

Well done on getting to the WFW AC! I did their AC in early 2023, and have set out some my thoughts below. Please do keep in mind that things might have changed since 2023. The day itself was quite long. It ran from 9-5:30 PM with a trainee Q&A session at the end. It consisted of a mixture of different exercises, including two group exercises, a written task, and a proofreading exercise. All of these are designed to assess commercial awareness. Graduate recruitment (GR) will be observing you throughout (sometimes with their cameras off), so it’s worth keeping that in mind while you're interacting with the other attendees.

1. Group Exercise 1: The first group exercise involves reviewing different business opportunities. When discussing these options/opportunities with your team, you should try to propose clear evaluation criteria and compare your options in a structured way. One thing that's particularly important is ensuring that everyone is brought into the discussion. Our team was actually pulled up on this, because we had failed to adequately bring a team member back into the discussion after she lost internet connection and only rejoined with about 15 minutes minutes left on the clock. For group exercises in general, it's always important to remember that GR is looking for collaboration as much as analysis, and balancing the two is crucial.
   
   
2. Written Exercise: The written exercise builds on the group exercise discussion. It requires you to make a final recommendation on the best business opportunity in question. I’d really recommend spending a decent amount of time planning before writing, since structure is just as important as commercial analysis. The best approach is to break down the positives and negatives of each option available to the client before reaching a conclusion. When I did this task, I made the mistake of focusing too much on a single option, so please do avoid this. Just try to show that you've considered them all to some degree. This is also a great chance to bring in any research you've done on WFW, which helps demonstrate an understanding of the firm’s expertise in a way that's relevant to the scenario.
   
   
3. Proofreading Exercise: I found the proofreading task to be quite fast-paced and time-pressured. I initially tried correcting sentence structure, but was later encouraged to focus purely on spelling, grammar, and punctuation. For these sort of exercises, I generally find it useful to spend five minutes reading the full passage first, then going through it again line by line. I found that nearly every line had at least one mistake, so working at a steady pace will help you.
   
   
4. Group Exercise 2: There’s a second group exercise later in the day. This is similar to the first but with an added presentation element. I found this to be the best place to showcase my commercial awareness and all the research I'd done earlier on WFW. Again, time management is key here, so I’d recommend deciding early on who will say what (I found this helped me feel more comfortable with the presentation, since I knew precisely what I needed to cover and was able to do so within my allocated time). After presenting, the assessors will ask follow-up questions. Even if I wasn’t completely sure of an answer, I made sure to engage with these questions (particularly when there were any awkward pauses lolol).

At the end of the day, there’s a reflective exercise on how each task went. GR says it’s not formally assessed, but they do read it, so it’s worth taking seriously. I made a point to acknowledge areas for improvement while also giving credit to others (e.g. saying things like "X was great at including me when I wasn’t as comfortable," or "Y’s approach made the presentation clearer"). Having a good balance of self-awareness and appreciation for others' contributions is always a strong look.

Overall, I found it to be relatively enjoyable and also found GR to be really helpful. I hope you have a similar experience yourself

Best of luck and I hope this helps!

thank you so much!

 

[gazdgazd11]

Hiya @gazdgazd11

Tariffs can definitely have broad implications, so I think the best way to structure your answer will depend on how the question is framed. Are you able to share the exact wording of the question? That way, I can suggest an approach that ensures you're addressing it as effectively as possible. Also, are you focusing on a particular industry or region, or is it more of a general discussion on how tariffs impact commercial law and law firms? Happy to help once I have a bit more detail

Hi Ram,

Thank you so much for your quick reply and help! Sorry, I should've put more detail. It is for King & Spalding's question: Please describe a current news story that is of interest to you and why (300 words). Their main sectors are energy and construction. I would really appreciate your guidance on how I can make this topic more concise and relevant. I am happy to speak about how I am interested in how the USA's policies disrupt global economies, but it is just very broad. Thank you! Your help is invaluable.

 

[bangarangbass39]

Surely you can’t go wrong with a suit and tie?

This is what I thought. But a recent AC I did, only one other person wore a tie - and they looked great. Everyone else was button down. All of my previous ACs I’ve always been the one guy wearing a tie😭I’m scared of being that guy

 

[berocca567]

May I ask what year most people are in on this forum? I am a graduate and have not secured anything this cycle... should I be giving up?

 

[theruleofno]

This is what I thought. But a recent AC I did, only one other person wore a tie - and they looked great. Everyone else was button down. All of my previous ACs I’ve always been the one guy wearing a tie😭I’m scared of being that guy

Don’t be nervous. A partner can (and will) hold it against you for not wearing a tie, they will never hold anything against you for wearing one. Far better to be overdressed than under for an interview. Law is a customer (client) focused business and first impressions matter. It’s a minute difference but having a tie, or an ironed shirt can be all the difference.