TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[elsx]

TLT VAC SCHEME OFFER! 😍

Not bad for a international student on a graduate visa with average grades from a non-RG / average home country uni!

Happy to share advice where possible.

Congrats !!!!!!

 

[e1996]

Still nothing back from Mischon for spring VS?

 

[Runsim]

TLT VAC SCHEME OFFER! 😍

Not bad for a international student on a graduate visa with average grades from a non-RG / average home country uni!

Happy to share advice where possible.

Huge Congratulations 🥳 Can I ask for which office?

 

[billyonthespeeddial]

This is probably the likely scenario. It might be they have finished sending out interview invites for the time being and now will start sending out PFO’s to mostly everyone remaining. They could have a number of ‘reserve’ candidates that they can offer interviews to if those doing interviews at the moment get PFO’d after it or if successful people decline their SVS offer. 🥲

This isn't what I meant though. If this was the case, why didn't everyone get pfos together, like last year? Reserve list potentially but I don't think it's possible that they interviewed that many people yet? That'd be really quick. I think and hope another batch of interview invites is coming soon

 

[billyonthespeeddial]

Possibly. I think there’s too many waiting to hear back to be reserve (same for R&G) but maybe that’s just me hoping. I’m hoping more interview offers (and maybe PFOs too) are due to come out.

Hmm I don't know how many are waiting tbf. I've seen three including me on the forum so far but obvs not everyone's gonna post.

Can everyone who's waiting for Travers give this post a like?

 

[fcac98]

It was Leeds it sounds like it was just Manchester and Leeds today so I wouldn’t worry

Congrats! Im waiting to hear back from the Reading office. How did you feel your video interview went?

 

[fcac98]

Anything from Ropes & Gray or Travers Smith today anyone?

Yes, rejected TS lol

 

[James Wakefield]

Maybe a question for @Jessica Booker, but let’s say you’re waiting to hear back from a law firm, and you know they’ve both sent out a substantial number of rejections but also interviews/ACs, is it worth emailing them at all to simply express that you’re still really keen and interested in the firm? This is assuming you may be on a waitlist…

 

[Jessica Booker]

Maybe a question for @Jessica Booker, but let’s say you’re waiting to hear back from a law firm, and you know they’ve both sent out a substantial number of rejections but also interviews/ACs, is it worth emailing them at all to simply express that you’re still really keen and interested in the firm? This is assuming you may be on a waitlist…

You can (and enough people do) but I don’t think this would change anything in relation to a decision or even when a decision may be made.

 

[loe]

Has anyone heard anything after Stephenson Harwood application?

 

[Chris Brown]

This isn't what I meant though. If this was the case, why didn't everyone get pfos together, like last year? Reserve list potentially but I don't think it's possible that they interviewed that many people yet? That'd be really quick. I think and hope another batch of interview invites is coming soon

Perhaps they received a lot more applications this year compared to last year and so are sending out PFO’s in a staggered way? We don’t know if people received PFO before or after the March date on last year’s thread, but simply chose not to say anything. 🤷🏾‍♂️

The interviews are virtual and there are at least 5 graduate recruitment partners at Travers. If (hypothetically) they each do 2-3 interviews a day, that’s between 10-15 interviews per day and 50-75 a week. I don’t think they do it in this way but then again, maybe the partners are dedicated. 😂

They started handing out their interview invites around mid Feb (12-15th), so by now may have sent around 100-150 invites. They usually schedule their interviews to be 1-2 days after the invite, so it is possible they’ve finished sending out their interviews and now will send out PFO to everyone else. 🥲

I think the most likely case is that they have sent out all the “absolutely not you guys immediate PFO!” type PFO’s for the time being. The rest of you guys waiting are probably in the “hmm idk about these guys we need to look at their applications again” group, which could lead to further interviews or PFO. 🙂​

 

[ravioli]

Anyone know when we will hear back from PW post-interview?

If you know can you message me

 

[gazdgazd11]

Hiya @gazdgazd11


I'm sure that @Amma Usman and @Andrei Radu would have more to add here, but just wanted to get my thoughts to you. This question is essentially about demonstrating commercial awareness and understanding how law firms make strategic business decisions. A good answer will depend on the specific firm you're applying to, as different firms have different international strategies. A strong response should first acknowledge the firm’s existing footprint before making a well-reasoned case for a new location.

I think your suggestion regarding Saudi Arabia makes good sense. There's also been plenty of commentary on why law firm expansion into Saudi Arabia is strategically beneficial. This article sets out various reasons for why Saudi Arabia has become particularly attractive to firms in recent years. Apart from economic growth in the region, it mentions other factors, including:

1. Regulatory Reforms: The article mentions that, in 2024, Saudi Arabia introduced legislation facilitating the entry of international law firms. This essentially simplified the process for firms looking to establish a presence in the country.
   
   
2. Economic Diversification: The article mentions Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan, which aims to reduce dependence on oil by investing in sectors like technology, tourism, and infrastructure. This diversification creates a demand for legal services across various industries.
   
   
3. Increased Deal Activity: The economic reforms have led to a surge in mergers, acquisitions, and public-private partnerships, providing ample opportunities for law firms to offer their expertise.
   
   
4. Strategic Location: Many articles on law firms' entry into Saudi Arabia constantly highlight the strategic role such moves play in allowing firms to access the Middle East and North Africa more broadly.

If you decide to change your answer and choose another country/region, I'd encourage you to keep a few things in mind:

• Competition: If the legal market is already saturated, breaking in might be difficult. For instance, when speaking to partners about this question during interviews, I've been told that they find it amusing when candidates say that they should open shop in Brussels and that's partly because Brussels is already a highly saturated legal landscape.
  
  
• Sectoral Strengths: Similarly, you should also approach the question by thinking of the firm’s key sectors. A firm with a strong presence in financial services may prioritise major financial hubs, while one focused on energy or infrastructure might look to emerging markets with significant investment in these sectors.
  
  
• Regulatory Environment: Some countries restrict foreign law firms from practising local law, which could limit the firm’s ability to operate effectively.

Overall, I think if your answer shows that you've considered a range of factors and tied this to some research about the firm, you should be fine. Best of luck with the application!

As always - thank you so much! Your help is invaluable!

 

[Andrei Radu]

@Ram Sabaratnam hi was wondering if you had any insight into this question- I was wondering if you could provide some insight into Gibson Dunn and what makes them different from other US firm other than their strong transactional vs contentious spilt and their broad internal presence. I am also interested in understand their clients from what I’ve understood the firm clientele is quite broad across various industries, but perhaps some insight on if certain practice groups have a specific market segment focus - this would be great. Thank you!

Hi @Willgetthere and before @Ram Sabaratnam comes back to you, I thought to list some of Gibson Dunn's distinguishing features:

1. Established among the most profitable and prestigious US firms: as a long-term member of the V10 group (the Vault list of the 10 most prestigious US firms, as ranked by US practitioners), Gibson Dunn enjoys a reputation for having one of the most high-end practices in the world. Together with its sky-high PEP figures (only behind Kirkland; Paul, Weiss; Davis Polk, and Sullivan & Cromwell in the City), it has an established place at the top of the legal market. This helps both in attracting the highest quality of practitioners (as it is easier to attract top partners if you have high average PEP figures) and the highest-end mandates.
2. Scale and expansion: as opposed to many of the elite firms it is often grouped together, Gibson Dunn did not sacrifice size for the sake of profitability. With a revenue of over $3bn and 21 offices, it is also one of the largest firms in the world. This offers benefits regarding geographical reach in serving clients and also in giving the firm access to greater resources to invest in further growth.
3. One of the leaders in oil & gas, projects, betting, and entertainment sphere: While spread across a number of sectors, Gibson Dunn boasts of particular expertise in the aforementioned fields, and is established as one of the market leaders in the oil & gas space (which is arguably a lot more important now given political changes).
4. Disputes powerhouse: Gibson Dunn has one of the most renowned contentious practices in the world, and in the US it is arguably the leading firm for appellate law (having recently managed to convince the Supreme Court to overturn the Chevron ruling, one of the US' oldest and most important precedents for expanding regulatory power). In London it also has some of the best credentials for disputes of all the US firms, and is specifically well-known for its international commercial arbitration and investor state arbitration work.
5. Impressive blue-chip corporate client book: the firm has one of the most impressive lists of corporate clients in the world, which includes Apple, Meta, Walmart, Intel, Amazon, Uber, Mercedes, and Accenture.

 

[billyonthespeeddial]

Perhaps they received a lot more applications this year compared to last year and so are sending out PFO’s in a staggered way? We don’t know if people received PFO before or after the March date on last year’s thread, but simply chose not to say anything. 🤷🏾‍♂️

The interviews are virtual and there are at least 5 graduate recruitment partners at Travers. If (hypothetically) they each do 2-3 interviews a day, that’s between 10-15 interviews per day and 50-75 a week. I don’t think they do it in this way but then again, maybe the partners are dedicated. 😂

They started handing out their interview invites around mid Feb (12-15th), so by now may have sent around 100-150 invites. They usually schedule their interviews to be 1-2 days after the invite, so it is possible they’ve finished sending out their interviews and now will send out PFO to everyone else. 🥲

I think the most likely case is that they have sent out all the “absolutely not you guys immediate PFO!” type PFO’s for the time being. The rest of you guys waiting are probably in the “hmm idk about these guys we need to look at their applications again” group, which could lead to further interviews or PFO. 🙂​

Great points, I'm choosing not to believe them <33

 

[missfuturetraineemaybe]

Hi @Willgetthere and before @Ram Sabaratnam comes back to you, I thought to list some of Gibson Dunn's distinguishing features:

1. Established among the most profitable and prestigious US firms: as a long-term member of the V10 group (the Vault list of the 10 most prestigious US firms, as ranked by US practitioners), Gibson Dunn enjoys a reputation for having one of the most high-end practices in the world. Together with its sky-high PEP figures (only behind Kirkland; Paul, Weiss; Davis Polk, and Sullivan & Cromwell in the City), it has an established place at the top of the legal market. This helps both in attracting the highest quality of practitioners (as it is easier to attract top partners if you have high average PEP figures) and the highest-end mandates.
2. Scale and expansion: as opposed to many of the elite firms it is often grouped together, Gibson Dunn did not sacrifice size for the sake of profitability. With a revenue of over $3bn and 21 offices, it is also one of the largest firms in the world. This offers benefits regarding geographical reach in serving clients and also in giving the firm access to greater resources to invest in further growth.
3. One of the leaders in oil & gas, projects, betting, and entertainment sphere: While spread across a number of sectors, Gibson Dunn boasts of particular expertise in the aforementioned fields, and is established as one of the market leaders in the oil & gas space (which is arguably a lot more important now given political changes).
4. Disputes powerhouse: Gibson Dunn has one of the most renowned contentious practices in the world, and in the US it is arguably the leading firm for appellate law (having recently managed to convince the Supreme Court to overturn the Chevron ruling, one of the US' oldest and most important precedents for expanding regulatory power). In London it also has some of the best credentials for disputes of all the US firms, and is specifically well-known for its international commercial arbitration and investor state arbitration work.
5. Impressive blue-chip corporate client book: the firm has one of the most impressive lists of corporate clients in the world, which includes Apple, Meta, Walmart, Intel, Amazon, Uber, Mercedes, and Accenture.

This is so helpful! Who would you say are the firm’s competitors?

 

[NJS]

Anymore news from Paul, Weiss, seems strange to PFO a few and give interviews but not get back to others?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi, I need help answering the question 'where should we open a new office'. The only answer I have is Saudi Arabia (economic growth etc.) but no clue otherwise, really :/ would anyone be willing to offer their insight please? @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman - thanks!

Hi @gazdgazd11 just to add to the excellent points made by @Ram Sabaratnam I would also consider the following three factors:

1. Current client demand: for many firms who consider expanding a crucial point is whether current clients have any operations or need for legal services in that foreign jurisdiction. If you already have an established relationship in London or the US, it is a lot easier to win mandates from a given client in the new jurisdiction rather than winning mandates from new clients (where the firm would have to impress in a pitch to convince them to leave the firm they were previously working with). Furthermore, expanding in the main jurisdictions where your current clients need advice is a way of reducing the risk of them being won over by other firms (as a firm who advises a firm for a mandate in, say, Spain, might as well impress them and then persuade them to give them UK mandates as well). These two factors were central in Brad Karp's decision to invest as much as he did in Paul, Weiss' unprecedented expansion in the City- the firm was reportedly facing increasing demands to have a top London practice form Apollo, one of its most important PE clients.
2. Cost of setting up shop: depending on the state of the legal market in the jurisdiction and the method of expansion chosen (acquisition/merger of a local firm, lateral hiring, organic growth or a combination of the three), the costs of investing in a new office can differ immensely. Establishing a top office in New York for instance is a herculean task, as the combination of sky-high associate and partner salaries and the size of competitors requires a huge amount of invested capital (which, among other things, explains why the Magic Circle firms have found it so difficult to compete with the US firms on their home turf).
3. Legal fees: another crucial consideration is the range of billing rates clients in that jurisdiction are willing to accept. In developing countries companies expect to pay significantly lower fees than in the US and Western Europe. Thus, setting up shop there can result in a dilutive effect on profit pools.

 

[Willgetthere]

Hi @Willgetthere and before @Ram Sabaratnam comes back to you, I thought to list some of Gibson Dunn's distinguishing features:

1. Established among the most profitable and prestigious US firms: as a long-term member of the V10 group (the Vault list of the 10 most prestigious US firms, as ranked by US practitioners), Gibson Dunn enjoys a reputation for having one of the most high-end practices in the world. Together with its sky-high PEP figures (only behind Kirkland; Paul, Weiss; Davis Polk, and Sullivan & Cromwell in the City), it has an established place at the top of the legal market. This helps both in attracting the highest quality of practitioners (as it is easier to attract top partners if you have high average PEP figures) and the highest-end mandates.
2. Scale and expansion: as opposed to many of the elite firms it is often grouped together, Gibson Dunn did not sacrifice size for the sake of profitability. With a revenue of over $3bn and 21 offices, it is also one of the largest firms in the world. This offers benefits regarding geographical reach in serving clients and also in giving the firm access to greater resources to invest in further growth.
3. One of the leaders in oil & gas, projects, betting, and entertainment sphere: While spread across a number of sectors, Gibson Dunn boasts of particular expertise in the aforementioned fields, and is established as one of the market leaders in the oil & gas space (which is arguably a lot more important now given political changes).
4. Disputes powerhouse: Gibson Dunn has one of the most renowned contentious practices in the world, and in the US it is arguably the leading firm for appellate law (having recently managed to convince the Supreme Court to overturn the Chevron ruling, one of the US' oldest and most important precedents for expanding regulatory power). In London it also has some of the best credentials for disputes of all the US firms, and is specifically well-known for its international commercial arbitration and investor state arbitration work.
5. Impressive blue-chip corporate client book: the firm has one of the most impressive lists of corporate clients in the world, which includes Apple, Meta, Walmart, Intel, Amazon, Uber, Mercedes, and Accenture.

Thank you @Andrei Radu this is definitely helpful.

 

[Chris Brown]

Anymore news from Paul, Weiss, seems strange to PFO a few and give interviews but not get back to others?

Someone who had their interview recently told me that Paul, Weiss’ interviews are running till next Friday (based on what HR told them). I’m not sure whether Paul, Weiss are doing interviews for both Spring VS and Summer VS at the same time or separately. I was told by this person that it’s the final stage before VS offers are made. I had applied for both VS options. I think they might be doing Spring VS interviews first and then Summer VS ones after, but idk for sure. 🤷🏾‍♂️​