TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker (or anyone else that has any thoughts). I have a TC offer from another firm which expires in 2 weeks, but I'm going to an interview for a VS on Wednesday as I want to keep my options open. I would definitely take the TC from the original firm unless I can get the VS firm expedited to a TC interview.

Should I tell grad rec that I have an offer at the end of the AC (and ask whether it's possible to be expedited to TC interview) or should I send them an email afterwards?

Thanks in advance.

You can accept the TC and just wait to hear back as to whether you have been successful from the VS firm. If you have been successful, you can then try to negotiate a direct TC process with the VS firm.

 

[wanttosolicit]

So.. no response from W&C post-vi.. Is it worth beginning to prepare an application for the direct training contract? Or, having got to VI stage, is it even worth making big changes to my written application if the video interview was the problem last time?

 

[3000to1shoteverytime]

Hey guys and @Jessica Booker

I am in position where I already accepted a training contract offer from one firm. I have an AC coming up for a vacation scheme - I know I wouldn’t go ahead with VS (it would require me to take holiday/negotiate with my employer which I’m not on best position to do especially that I now have secured tc).

I was initially planning to still do the interview for an experience itself, but now closer to the date (and following multiple cycles of applications) I think that I just have no more energy for another preparation.

Is it going to be perceived as rude to back out from a process few days before?

not rude and explain you have successfully secured a TC. Please release the space as they usually have a wait list for others who would very much welcome the chance to be progressed and need a TC!

 

[GSJ]

any suggestions on books that explain private equity

 

[b4PFO]

Out of Kirkland, Milbank, Vinson, and Slaughters, Weil

Which is considered the most prestigious have offers/ACs for all of them.
Which would offer the best training and chance to reach partnership.

 

[BillSikes]

Out of Kirkland, Milbank, Vinson, and Slaughters, Weil

Which is considered the most prestigious have offers/ACs for all of them.
Which would offer the best training and chance to reach partnership.

What's your secret bro.

 

[jta227]

Do you know how many people were approx offered the VI by any chance?

Not sure, sorry

 

[jta227]

Out of Kirkland, Milbank, Vinson, and Slaughters, Weil

Which is considered the most prestigious have offers/ACs for all of them.
Which would offer the best training and chance to reach partnership.

Personally, I'd pick Slaughters for the MC training stamp, then lateral anywhere you want (or stay there if you like it). From the other 4 I'd probably go Weil or Kirkland but I have heard less than great things about Kirkland & Milbank's culture

 

[SoonToBeTrainee]

Out of Kirkland, Milbank, Vinson, and Slaughters, Weil

Which is considered the most prestigious have offers/ACs for all of them.
Which would offer the best training and chance to reach partnership.

What I will say is that US firms eat the vast majority of people alive lol. Whilst you’re more likely to make salaried partner earlier, a lot of people burn out + Kirkland’s entire business model is pretty much only hiring laterals for equity partnership

The head of corporate at Kirkland told me that if you train at the firm, you most likely will not make equity partnership there. But you will easily make equity at another firm like Clifford Chance. What he meant by that is up for interpretation lol…

 

[User5678]

Thank you for confirming I will make sure I take it when I have enough time to also reply to the two questions. I hope it went well !

I think it was not too bad to be honest, happy to share marks and categories they look at if that would be helpful for you! Best of luck

 

[Broadwater]

Out of Kirkland, Milbank, Vinson, and Slaughters, Weil

Which is considered the most prestigious have offers/ACs for all of them.
Which would offer the best training and chance to reach partnership.

Chances of partnership will be very small at all of those firms and in any case depend on so many factors (many of which will be out of your control).

I’d pick based on the practice areas you’re interested in. If private capital, K&E; pretty much everything else, Slaughters

 

[Zaraa.x]

Out of Kirkland, Milbank, Vinson, and Slaughters, Weil

Which is considered the most prestigious have offers/ACs for all of them.
Which would offer the best training and chance to reach partnership.

Slaughters road to partnership is a strict 6-8yrs PQE and they are pretty upfront with associates if they have a likelihood of making partner and if not they are clear on that too and individuals are very much free to go elsewhere. However, If they see an associate as partner material but the individual does not want partnership they are offered senior counsel role.

It also very much depends on whether there’s positions available as well and your given the indication at around 5/6years PQE.

 

[The-PFO-Collector]

Out of Kirkland, Milbank, Vinson, and Slaughters, Weil

Which is considered the most prestigious have offers/ACs for all of them.
Which would offer the best training and chance to reach partnership.

An AC is not a VS offer and a VS offer is not a TC offer

I would say, go to all the AC's, get as many VS's as you can, try and fit them all in if possible and then decide once all your TC offers are in...

Good Luck

 

[ish12345]

Anyone heard back from Dentons post VI?

 

[Chris Brown]

Out of Kirkland, Milbank, Vinson, and Slaughters, Weil

Which is considered the most prestigious have offers/ACs for all of them.
Which would offer the best training and chance to reach partnership.

Chances of partnership will be very small at all of those firms and in any case depend on so many factors (many of which will be out of your control).

I’d pick based on the practice areas you’re interested in. If private capital, K&E; pretty much everything else, Slaughters

I would also factor in whether you want to work in a firm with a larger trainee cohort of 90-100 (e.g., Slaughter and May) or a firm with a smaller trainee cohort size of 6-8 (e.g., Vinson & Elkins and Milbank respectively).

Kirkland and Weil sit in the middle with a mid-sized intake of around 15 trainees. If you want the perks of working in a US firm (lean team structure and greater responsibility), but don’t want to be in a really small intake, maybe Kirkland and Weil are good choices. If you prefer the smaller intake then go for Vinson & Elkins or Milbank. If you don’t mind the large cohort size go for Slaughter and May.

Having said that, I think it’s hard to know at this point which firm would be the best. I say this because at the moment you either have AC’s or VS offers. I am assuming you haven’t got any experience yet of what life would look like working in these firms. I would say it’s best to go through the AC’s for all of them. Whichever firms offer you a VS, try and do the VS for them (this depends on dates). Once you have received all of your TC offers, you can then begin to think about which firm is ultimately the right one for you.

I imagine after doing VS for these firms, you would probably know which one fits what you are looking for. Perhaps you can ask the associates and partners at these firms during the VS about the path to partnership for trainees at the firm. Any questions you have about these firms can be asked during the VS and that will inform your overall decision.​

 

[elsx]

I think it was not too bad to be honest, happy to share marks and categories they look at if that would be helpful for you! Best of luck

Hi yes that would be great ! and Thank you again!

 

[User5678]

Hi yes that would be great ! and Thank you again!

No problem at all, it’s also an amberjack test

So ofc there’s that bar marking for applied numerical and verbal intellect (I was placed at the middle of the bar for both)

The main categories are (all marked out of 10)
1. Clients (I got a 7/10)
2. Firm (6/10)
3. People (7/10)

It’s the same type of ques which were there for wbd and Paul Weiss if it helps!

 

[Wannabe_Lawyer]

No problem at all, it’s also an amberjack test

So ofc there’s that bar marking for applied numerical and verbal intellect (I was placed at the middle of the bar for both)

The main categories are (all marked out of 10)
1. Clients (I got a 7/10)
2. Firm (6/10)
3. People (7/10)

It’s the same type of ques which were there for wbd and Paul Weiss if it helps!

Can I also ask, do you get your results before doing the 2 written questions? If I end up doing poorly on the SJT part, I wouldn't want to waste another couple of hours doing the written responses.

 

[User5678]

Can I also ask, do you get your results before doing the 2 written questions? If I end up doing poorly on the SJT part, I wouldn't want to waste another couple of hours doing the written responses.

Nope, so once you finish the sjt part, there is a video in which there is this person saying that you won’t receive your feedback report and your assessment won’t be submitted until you finish the written assessment on the next page. In order to receive the report you need to finish the whole assessment including the written assessment.

That was annoying, I went into the assessment not knowing there were two 500 words ques and it really caught me off guard😭 I should’ve checked if someone posted about this on the forum first but luckily I had some extra spare time in hand when I did the assessment!

Hope this helps!

 

[Wannabe_Lawyer]

Nope, so once you finish the sjt part, there is a video in which there is this person saying that you won’t receive your feedback report and your assessment won’t be submitted until you finish the written assessment on the next page. In order to receive the report you need to finish the whole assessment including the written assessment.

That was annoying, I went into the assessment not knowing there were two 500 words ques and it really caught me off guard😭 I should’ve checked if someone posted about this on the forum first but luckily I had some extra spare time in hand when I did the assessment!

Hope this helps!

Ugh that is so annoying, although, I imagine loads of applicants would just abort the process half-way if they knew their SJT score. Thank you so much for letting us know and I'm sorry it caught you off-guard!