The TCLA Forum Mission Statement

TCLA is the largest dedicated forum for aspiring lawyers. Our mission is to help aspiring lawyers, from students to trainees, become the best version of themselves.

As we grow, we want to support every aspiring lawyer interested in a career in the City, while staying true to our values.

Those values are:

1. Kindness
2. Exceptional quality
3. Authenticity
4. Curiosity
5. Original thinking

1. Kindness

The journey to becoming a commercial lawyer can be exceedingly tough. For many, it means overcoming rejection and self-doubt, and entering a world that many won’t have prior experience with.

The goal of TCLA here is to serve as a place of refuge. We want our members to feel exceptionally welcomed and supported. If you’re new to the process and ask an obvious question, we’re not going to tell you it’s silly – we’re going to appreciate that everyone started somewhere.

To be kind also means to be strict with anyone who is unkind. In the TCLA forum, we don’t tolerate overt rudeness, putting people down, or attacks on personal character. We won’t hesitate to warn and ban anyone who falls foul of these rules because they breach our most fundamental value and harm the community as a whole. Equally, this applies to us. We strive to show kindness in all of our interactions.

To be kind also means we have to provide tough advice at times. We strive to do so delicately when we know it is in the best interests of our members.

2. Exceptional quality

We strive to make TCLA a source of exceptional advice. This means that no matter where a member is located - or their education, background, connections or circumstances - they have access to the best information in the legal market through the TCLA forum. Our advice never rests on helping you to become ‘good enough’, we focus on helping our members to become exceptional.

3. Authenticity

We value truth. TCLA is a place for aspiring lawyers to find out about what being a commercial lawyer and the legal profession is truly like. This means we don’t shy away from talking about the good stuff and the bad stuff.

TCLA is also a place where you can be vulnerable. We want our members to know they are not alone if they are struggling with mental health issues, struggling with the training contract process, or having doubts about their own suitability for commercial law. Equally, we are here to celebrate the success of our members when they have done extremely well.

Ultimately, we know the process is competitive, but we also know that this is not a zero-sum game. We want all of our members to work towards becoming the best version of themselves, and we strive to upskill and support everyone, no matter who you are, or the stage of your journey.

4. Curiosity

At its core, the TCLA is about learning. Our community is bonded by a desire for personal and professional self-improvement.

The reason our motto is ‘helping aspiring lawyers become the best version of themselves’ is because we are not here just to help aspiring lawyers secure training contracts. We are here to help you become exceptionally talented people, with confidence in your abilities, so you can succeed in whatever you want to do. We want you to leave feeling inspired.

5. Original thinking

We will always strive to give you the best resources we can, but this never trumps original thinking. We want all our members to think for themselves, to know that there are different ways to achieve a goal, to realise that just because things were always done a certain way, it doesn’t mean that’s the right way.