TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Chris Brown]

I can’t believe I am writing this. SH VS offer??!! I am in shock lmao. 🥲🥲​

 

[elsx]

I can’t believe I am writing this. SH VS offer??!! I am in shock lmao. 🥲🥲​

Congrats !! You are getting so many offers !

 

[aspiring solicitor 015]

Hey everyone, is anyone here doing the Linklaters Summer Vacation Scheme 2025? If so, could you reply to this or message me? Would really appreciate it!

 

[applebunny]

As you are a Gold subscriber, I recommend looking at our Accelerator content which is specifically for this topic.

Are you sure? I thought I was a Bronze member?

 

[jfb]

I can’t believe I am writing this. SH VS offer??!! I am in shock lmao. 🥲🥲​

Congrats!! is this for spring?

 

[XXXXX]

Does anyone know how much weight is placed on your performance during Stephenson Harwood's placement scheme? I know they do an assessment centre after the scheme, but since the scheme is 2 weeks long I'm assuming your performance would be taken into account as well?

 

[g.cl.2020344]

any1 who applied to SH for summer not heard back post app?

 

[User5678]

any1 who applied to SH for summer not heard back post app?

Yes I am still waiting, I thought I put a good app in but now I think it’s gonna be a pfo😢

Congrats to everyone with offers😍✨

 

[g.cl.2020344]

Yes I am still waiting, I thought I put a good app in but am now I think it’s gonna be a pfo😢

Congrats to everyone with offers😍✨

I think all the offers are for spring, don't think they have sent out tests for summer yet

 

[jfb]

Of course, my score was 25/36 with high in both numerical and verbal. What I will say is that they are looking at the vi responses as they mentioned they were impressed with mine

Thank you for this and congrats again! I'm worried about my scores but all I can do is hope my VI was enough.

 

[User5678]

I think all the offers are for spring, don't think they have sent out tests for summer yet

Hopefully we make it I only applied on the deadline day and opted for all schemes because I couldn’t pick one😭

 

[abbiewhitlock03]

Stephenson harwood spring VS offer!! So surprised considering my SJT score but so excited!

I believe I can also share that I received an offer from Farrer & Co for their summer VS! My summer will therefore be super hectic as I am also completing a VS at Travers Smith the two weeks after as well 😭

Can’t quite believe I am in this position as a non-Russell group student who got rejected from CC’s SPARK scheme post-AC in my second year of uni due to my lack of commercial awareness. Perseverance is so key!

 

[Mace2121]

Has anyone heard back from Baker McKenzie post AC for summer?

 

[g.cl.2020344]

Hopefully we make it I only applied on the deadline day and opted for all schemes because I couldn’t pick one😭

I applied 1st of Jan and think I selected just summer. tbh if they are giving out offers for spring now, hopefully they will move onto summer shortly.

 

[jfb]

I think all the offers are for spring, don't think they have sent out tests for summer yet

I clicked both summer options, but not spring, and did get a test invite last Tuesday

I applied 1st of Jan and thin I selected just summer. tbh if they are giving out offers for spring now, hopefully they will move onto summer shortly.

I applied 1st of Jan and think I selected just summer. tbh if they are giving out offers for spring now, hopefully they will move onto summer shortly.

I hope so too!!

 

[Chris Brown]

Stephenson harwood spring VS offer!! So surprised considering my SJT score but so excited!

I believe I can also share that I received an offer from Farrer & Co for their summer VS! My summer will therefore be super hectic as I am also completing a VS at Travers Smith the two weeks after as well 😭

Can’t quite believe I am in this position as a non-Russell group student who got rejected from CC’s SPARK scheme post-AC in my second year of uni due to my lack of commercial awareness. Perseverance is so key!

Jheeze 3 VS offers??!! That’s some GOATed stuff right there! Huge congrats! 🥳​

 

[abbiewhitlock03]

Jheeze 3 VS offers??!! That’s some GOATed stuff right there! Huge congrats! 🥳​

Thank you Chris!! Likewise to you - congratulations on your offers this year! 😁

 

[g.cl.2020344]

any1 have the Orrick AC next Monday, confused because there's no interview.. how r we meant to prepare?

 

[SamiyaJ]

Thank you Chris!! Likewise to you - congratulations on your offers this year! 😁

Absolute legends, congratulations to you both! 🫶🏾

 

[trainee4u]

The GDL is highly unlikely to run out of places. They typically only fill around 50-70% of their places each year and are likely to still be selling the courses in the weeks leading up to the programme starting.

I would speak to the firm you are doing a vacation scheme with to see what their process is for GDL courses. Some firms no longer put trainees through the GDL. Others do, and may have a preferred supplier, but may just reimburse you what they would have paid their supplier if you are committed to a course. Worthwhile speaking to them to get advice on how they would navigate the situation.

View attachment 7046

It might be worth clarifying that it is likely to be called a "PGDL", but that PGDL and GDL are the same thing in theory - both were once the Common Professional Examination to allow qualification to both solicitor and barrister.

BPP, one of the two main private universities supplying most law firms have long called their conversion course a "PGDL", while Ulaw called theirs a "GDL".

The CPE/GDL/PGDL as it then was, consisted of:

• Equity & Trusts
• Tort
• Contract Law
• Criminal Law
• EU Law
• Public Law
• Land Law

as the foundation to become a solicitor or barrister.

Now the SRA says "you don't need to a conversion course to become a solicitor: we're widening access, just pass SQE".

However, Ulaw, which, like BPP, is owned by Private Equity, didn't like that, and wanted to continue to sell conversion courses AND SQE courses, to get more money out of students than ever before.

So BPP and Ulaw as the profit-seeking entities that they are updated their course to be more "SQE-friendly", by:

• adding in company law, as a supposedly a new "core module" of SQE. While company law is indeed a module of SQE, and its own discipline, they only teach part of it on the PGDL, and you'll still need to learn lots of extra material in preparation for SQE (e.g., criminal procedure, civil procedure, wills, property procedure, lots more company law).
• changing their assessment methods to include a large MCQ component, as is used on SQE1, whereas typically PGDL/GDL previously would be assessed using coursework and written exams.
• Ulaw rebranded GDL to PGDL to show how new and SQE-friendly it was.

There are public universities, such as Nottingham Trent, offering their course that they have always called 'PGDL' which continues to follow the traditional CPE format of coursework, written exams, and seven modules rather than eight.

The profit-making-uni's-PGDL-followed-by-SQE-prep-course approach is slightly more flexible for the candidate, in that they have then passed the academic stage of becoming a barrister, and for elite law firms they perhaps don't care so much about the cost inflation that BPP/Ulaw/SRA have caused.

However, there's still massive financial gatekeeping because the SQE exams are expensive, and the profit-seeking law schools are obviously motivated to show that candidates who have not been taught at great expense , and have simply learned the entire SQE out of textbooks and then passed the exams are less employable than those who have. And some firms insist on a PGDL but won't pay for it, even for candidates who've passed SQE with flying colours.....

But anyway, as you say the providers (BPP & ULaw) are in it for the money, they won't sell out, and you will be able to sign up until the last moment (and probably even beyond that).