TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Chris Brown]

Russell-Cooke VS offer! 😁

Huge congrats my friend!! 🐐

 

[Andrei Radu]

Out of curiosity, is anyone planning to apply for non-law related grad jobs/schemes alongside TCs/VSs in the next cycle, or has anybody this cycle?

As a non-law (STEM) student, I've heard it can be very difficult to get paralegal positions and other legal roles without having done the GDL. So while I'm absolutely manifesting a legal career, I am naturally thinking about what else I'd do after graduating. The way I see it my options are:

1) go broke and self fund the GDL,

2) pure gap year, keep working in hospitality (and try to get a paralegal position)

3) in final year apply for some other grad jobs and hopefully secure one.

I guess the main difficulty in 3 is that it makes vacation schemes much more difficult, and just going for interviews/ACs in general I suppose, and might make it seem like I'm not committed to law. But with 1 and 2 I'd just feel so much less secure, if that makes sense. Of course at this point it's all moot, and non-law grad jobs are hardly easy to get anyway! Just curious to see how others have approached the (potentially) unemployed graduate life.

Hi @pepsicola96 I just wanted to say that I do not think having a graduate job in another field would make it seem like you are not committed to law. In my vacation schemes I have met people who had had a wide variety of graduate jobs, from sales & trading and consulting to pharmaceuticals. Firms are well aware that (i) getting graduate law jobs, particularly from a STEM background, is extremely difficult, and (ii) that many people simply need a graduate job in one field or another to fund their cost of living. As such, I doubt having such a job would ever count against you. I am actually tempted to affirm the opposite. Having applied for, secured, and worked in another role will show firms you have the right sort of attitude (in that you do not want to be idle and "waste" a gap year); and secondly, you will probably be able to leverage the work itself to demonstrate you have formed valuable transferable skills.

I think your decision-making should therefore not be impacted to much by your view as to of what a firm's perception of it might be. Rather, I would try to compare the benefits of the increased expected job security with the potential decrease in chances of securing a VS (assuming such a decrease would result from a lower amount of time you are able to dedicate to VS-related efforts).

 

[PQ]

anyone else still waiting on latham or travers?

Is this for spring or summer, I’m still waiting post app/test for spring and don’t know whether they’re still running ACs at this point.

 

[EA95]

Russell-Cooke VS offer! 😁

Congratulations 🎉🎉 now convert that to a TC, you got this💪🏾

 

[A worried graduate]

I can’t believe I’m writing this. Paul, Weiss VS offer??!! For reference, I think I applied for both Spring and Summer. 🥲🥲​

BANG!

Nice stuff bro

You’ve been good on the forums lately so deserve it

 

[sibs23]

Russell-Cooke VS offer! 😁

Well done!! 🥳

 

[Andrei Radu]

@Jessica Booker hi Jess, hope you're well. Would you suggest applying for straight TCs if you have no legal work experience (but do have some non-legal work experience - 3 years)? Just FYI I've got a non-law degree, PGDL and currently studying for the SQE 1 which I'm going to sit in July. I've heard TCs are more geared towards people that have vac schemes etc but I've been unsuccessful in getting one this cycle (made it to 2 final stage interviews/ACs).

Hi @zoobla20 just jumping in before @Jessica Booker can come back to you, in my view you should apply for vacation schemes rather than direct TCs unless one of the three following conditions apply:

1. You have more extensive experience working in the legal field (paralegal roles, previous vacation schemes etc)
2. The specific firm is known to recruit a substantial part/majority of its cohort from the direct TC track
3. You have specific visa requirements barring you from VS applications

A final exception is in my opinion for the case of lesser-known/smaller UK-based firms, where I have heard of more "speculative" TC applications succeeding. However, if you want to pursue that track I would still aim to have at least some legal work experience, even if it is just in the form of Forage Virtual Internships.

 

[A worried graduate]

Hi @zoobla20 just jumping in before @Jessica Booker can come back to you, in my view you should apply for vacation schemes rather than direct TCs unless one of the three following conditions apply:

1. You have more extensive experience working in the legal field (paralegal roles, previous vacation schemes etc)
2. The specific firm is known to recruit a substantial part/majority of its cohort from the direct TC track
3. You have specific visa requirements barring you from VS applications

A final exception is in my opinion for the case of lesser-known/smaller UK-based firms, where I have heard of more "speculative" TC applications succeeding. However, if you want to pursue that track I would still aim to have at least some legal work experience, even if it is just in the form of Forage Virtual Internships.

Do you have any idea which firms like to give out direct TCs?

 

[Jessica Booker]

I can’t believe I’m saying this but… I GOT A TC OFFER THIS MORNING!!!

Over the last three cycles, I’ve gone from rejections after rejections to, this cycle, getting two VS’ and a TC offer so far!! My wheel of fortune seems to be high right now

I’m rooting for all of the rest of you too! Please don’t lose hope, it took me until cycle three to start getting proper offers!!

Fantastic news!

Congratulations.

 

[wantatc]

Disney online assessment, does anyone know if its automatic

 

[Lawlife5]

Hi @Andrei Radu for in person interviews how did you go about remembering all of your answers before the interview and how long did you spend going over it all? I feel like its impossible for me to retain so much information and then be able to think of it all up on the spot!

 

[aphelion]

Anyone heard from Taylor Wessing post-AC?

They said they'd get back to people w/c 17th

 

[jta227]

Congrats to everyone who received good news today!!

 

[Bbhu19]

Disney online assessment, does anyone know if its automatic

It isn’t automatic congratulations and goodluck

 

[A worried graduate]

Disney online assessment, does anyone know if its automatic

It isn’t

 

[theruleofno]

Anything from Willkie on this day of reckoning?

 

[confusedbird]

Is this for spring or summer, I’m still waiting post app/test for spring and don’t know whether they’re still running ACs at this point.

summer for both..
I honestly don't know whats going on - I just want some sort of response atp

 

[simplyfaith]

Lol so PW just ghosted some of us post test if they've given VS offers

5 weeks since taking the test, surely they could let me know by now?!

 

[missilona]

I have seen that some people received vacation scheme offers from Debevoise. If other applicants have not heard back, does it mean that they were rejected?

 

[ish12345]

Has anyone done an interview with Aspiring Solicitors before? I am slightly confused by the group format of the interview for the Ethnicity Pathway Programme.