TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Amma Usman]

This might sound like a very dumb question but is there any kind of template or ideal structure to use in an email when scheduling “coffee chats” with lawyers in a firm during a VS? Would it change depending on whether it’s a trainee, associate or partner (i.e., more formal if it’s a partner)? Is there an expectation for people on the VS to know this type of stuff already? I don’t know how this process works at all. 😅

Also, how would a vac schemer know whether it is appropriate to try schedule one in the first instance? What if a situation arises where a coffee chat was scheduled, but due to a sudden change, it had to be postponed or cancelled? How should someone go about explaining this to the associate or partner who was invited? I guess this is me overthinking all the small things lmao. Any advice would be appreciated! Please help. 🥲

@Andrei Radu, @Amma Usman, @Ram Sabaratnam, @Jessica Booker.​

I completely understand the nerves but I don’t think you need to worry about this specific aspect too much. In a professional environment, I think starting off formal is always best. You never know who your recipient is, i.e how formal or not they like people to be. Some are quite formal, others not really.

With regards scheduling, you should first send an email saying something in the lines of… you saw their profile, they work in X area, you found this interesting for X Y Z reasons, and would really appreciate if they have some time for a coffee chat, if they’re available. People are usually happy to give up their time. You will then liaise with them directly, or their secretary, for a suitable time. In the case of a time being suggested which clashes with your own schedule, it’s totally normal to bring this up and say it’s because of a social, VS session, etc. Rescheduling is something which happens quite often in the corporate world and life in general, and so far as you’re polite and respectful of their own time with how you come across, I do not presume there’ll be an issue.

 

[mulan0]

Oh wow coffee chats, knocking on doors to ask for work, without this forum I would have no idea these were normal things during a vac scheme! Are there any other things/tips to be aware of having never done a VS before😅 (even if they are obvious). Any info would be greatlyyy appreciated!

 

[Jessica Booker]

I'd be curious to know what @Jessica Booker might say here, but I don't think this is a dumb question at all (and stop calling your questions dumb @Chris Brown - they're very good!!!!).

I've generally avoided adopting a rigid structure for emails inviting people to coffee chats. I think a clear and polite message should do the trick. You could say something like:

• "Hi [Name],
  
  I hope you are well.
  
  My name is [Name] and I'm currently on the [spring/summer] vacation scheme with the firm. I'm keen to learn more about your experiences in [practice area/team]. I'd be grateful if you had some time this week or next for a brief meeting or coffee? If there is a specific day and time that is convenient for you, I'd be happy to send across a diary or calendar invitation. Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
  
  Best regards,
  [Your Name]".

If you're reaching out to a partner, you might prefer to adopt a slightly more formal tone, but I've generally found that partners are also approachable (so minor variations won't cause any issues). The main thing is to be polite, clear, and concise. If you're unsure whether scheduling coffee chats with a particular partner/associate might be difficult, I'd always recommend checking in with your trainee buddy or someone from graduate recruitment.

As for cancelling or rescheduling a coffee chat because something urgent or unexpected comes up, I'd simply be honest and prompt in letting the person know. A brief apology and request to reschedule is absolutely fine. Try not to overthink or worry too much if you have to do this.

Hope that's helpful and good luck with the upcoming schemes!

Agree with @Ram Sabaratnam here and his template is great - it is short and to the point - I think this is also formal enough to work with partners too.

If you know there are specific days you can meet, adding this type of detail might be helpful too. E.g.

I'd be grateful if you had some time on either Thursday, Friday or next Monday for a brief meeting or coffee?

The other thing to mention, is you might be able to see colleagues calendars - at least when they are busy. So you can also check if you can, and then you can say something like.

I can see from your calendar that you may be available on Thursday afternoon. If so, I'd be grateful if you had some time for a brief meeting or coffee?

I'd also stress sometimes just asking these questions to people in person if you are working around them or get to meet them through meetings/talks is also better than sending an email. Make the request in person first and then follow up with email about your availability/to find an appropriate time if they say yes.

 

[paralegaltotrainee]

Since we're on the topic of coffee chats and reaching out, would it be advisable to connect with incoming or current trainees at a firm on LinkedIn before a vacation scheme? If so, is there a recommended approach or template for doing so? Apologies if this is a basic question – just want to make sure I’m going about it the right way! 😊

@Jessica Booker @Ram Sabaratnam

 

[Jessica Booker]

Since we're on the topic of coffee chats and reaching out, would it be advisable to connect with incoming or current trainees at a firm on LinkedIn before a vacation scheme? If so, is there a recommended approach or template for doing so? Apologies if this is a basic question – just want to make sure I’m going about it the right way! 😊

@Jessica Booker @Ram Sabaratnam

I wouldn't really see the need to do this before the scheme unless you have a purpose for connecting with them as individual people rather than just their job title.

 

[Applebanana425]

OC offer at half 6 this morning!

 

[elsx]

OC offer this morning! I can't believe it ! TCLA was very helpful so thank you all for your advice !

 

[WillkieGemma]

Has anyone on the Willkie VS waiting list heard anything?

HI @legal18 - you are very welcome to contact me on my email to ask about the waiting list, you will always get an honest answer directly from the source. In relation to your question, no no-one has heard from me. As I said to all those on the waiting list on the telephone, I am reliant on those on either scheme to contact me. This could be tomorrow, or the day before either scheme starts - I have no control over others' comms. As no one has withdrawn or declined the spring scheme. It is highly unlikely this will happen now, given the scheme starts on 31 March.

 

[futuretrainee2025]

I hope everyone is well!

1) I have an assessment centre and need to prepare a case study presentation. How can I best prepare?
2) I also have a mark-up exercise. Again, how can I prepare?
3) How do I research and structure a question on what case interests you? How can I best prepare when there is limited info on their website for each case eg they just outline the outcome and what teams worked on it.

@Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam

 

[SeniorJunior]

Hello!
Has anyone done a VS at Addleshaw Goddard before and able to give any insight please?
I’m particularly interested as to whether there are any more interviews/ assessment tasks while there.
Thanks!

 

[sophiec19]

anyone heard from brabners at all?

 

[student101!]

Hi! Has anyone heard back from Mayer Brown after completing their online tests?

 

[toad92]

anyone know how to remove autism during interviews 🙏

 

[student353]

anyone know how to remove autism during interviews 🙏

uhhhh, embrace it?!?! I have cerebral palsy and have found that once you embrace it, it becomes a strength.

although, if you do have any solutions, let a girl know

 

[OliverTwist]

anyone know how to remove autism during interviews 🙏

Maybe a prescribed benzodiazepine, I'm obviously not medically trained, neither do I have autism, just a thought!

 

[Andrei Radu]

I hope everyone is well!

1) I have an assessment centre and need to prepare a case study presentation. How can I best prepare?
2) I also have a mark-up exercise. Again, how can I prepare?
3) How do I research and structure a question on what case interests you? How can I best prepare when there is limited info on their website for each case eg they just outline the outcome and what teams worked on it.

@Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam

Hi @futuretrainee2025 to take your questions in turn:

1. There are two elements that I think go into preparation for any AC exercise, including case studies: (i) developing and improving the relevant assessed skills; and (ii) practicing. Of course, the two overlap, in that practicing will also develop your skillset - but the first category is wider than that, and specifically your general commercial awareness will come into play here. As such, I would do my best to work on that before the AC. For the practice part, I think you want to design mock assessments for yourself that are as similar as possible to the known details of the exercise. Based on the information shared here, have (ideally) someone you know with interviewing experience, but if not even just a friend, select an FT/Economist/etc article or set of articles for you to read for a 20-30 minute period. The articles should be around a common topic, and ideally one you can make an argument on (so, something that can be discussed and debated). Then, you can split the presentation between a period in which you simply summarize facts, a period in which you advance arguments for your view, and one in which you are asked questions by the person interviewing you.
2. Markup exercises will mostly engage your attention to detail skills, as they will involve reviewing everything on a legal document. @Jessica Booker made a great post on what to particularly look out for, I will quote it bellow. Besides that, I will link some online resources providing you with proofreading exercises to practice on - take a look here and here.
3. Researching cases can be quite difficult - as you mentioned, sometimes there is not a lot of information online. That said, I think it is normally the case that law firms do not publish a lot of information about their matters on their websites. However, in many cases, particularly for high-value transactions and cases, such information is readily available on the wider web - as both the legal and the broader business press will be reporting on them. As such, I advise you to take a look at the firm's listed expertise and identify the cases that seem most important (whether simply for reasons of the sums involved or because of political/regulator implications etc). Then, take the name of the case and look it up (using different variations of keywords) on Google and LinkedIn (you will find some posts there with information that is harder to find on your own). You should be able to find enough information about it to construct a basic image of what happened and why, which should be sufficient for interviewing purposes. Alternatively, you can try looking up searches involving the name of your firm and keywords like 'case' or 'matter' and see what you find on the web. This could short cut your way into identifying the cases the firm worked on that are in the press. Finally, if you have the time and/or if none of this works (which I think it is quite unlikely), you can always reach out to trainees/junior associates at the firm and ask, among other things, about a case they worked on that they found very interesting.

A mark-up exercise will literally be you needing to scrutinise every little detail of a document. You'll need to look out for anything out of the following:

• Typos
• Mispelling
• Inconsistencies in spelling (e.g. names like Thompson/Thomson)
• Grammatical errors
• Transposed numbers
• Incorrect dates
• Incorrect headings/titles/subject lines
• Incorrect identification of parties/people (e.g. referencing the client as the other party in a deal or vice versa)
• Language - where sentences or bullet points are ambiguous, unclear, or over-written
• Structure - where things could be reordered to make a more logical/clearer layout (might be particularly relevant in this instance if there is a timeline aspect)

I haven't seen a "timeline" exercise before, but I would expect this to be based on what needs to happen first and then deciding the order of actions to ensure success. This will just need some common sense to work out what will have to happen before a particular outcome, or where matters/parts of the puzzle are dependent on others.

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Since we're on the topic of coffee chats and reaching out, would it be advisable to connect with incoming or current trainees at a firm on LinkedIn before a vacation scheme? If so, is there a recommended approach or template for doing so? Apologies if this is a basic question – just want to make sure I’m going about it the right way! 😊

@Jessica Booker @Ram Sabaratnam

Have to completely agree with @Jessica Booker on this. I'm not sure that connecting on LinkedIn before my vacation scheme probably provided much of an advantage for me. I've generally found it better to meet and build genuine rapport with trainees first, for example through coffee chats or during the actual vacation scheme. After you've interacted in person (or virtually), it’s much easier (and more meaningful) to connect online. That way, when you do connect with trainees, you can personalise your message based on an interaction you've already had, making the request to connect feel genuine and thoughtful.

Additionally, waiting to connect helps you understand the trainees' preferred styles of communication and their capacity to engage, ensuring any conversations you have later on LinkedIn feel natural and comfortable for both parties. Good luck with the vacation scheme! 😊

 

[futuretrainee2025]

Hi @futuretrainee2025 to take your questions in turn:

1. There are two elements that I think go into preparation for any AC exercise, including case studies: (i) developing and improving the relevant assessed skills; and (ii) practicing. Of course, the two overlap, in that practicing will also develop your skillset - but the first category is wider than that, and specifically your general commercial awareness will come into play here. As such, I would do my best to work on that before the AC. For the practice part, I think you want to design mock assessments for yourself that are as similar as possible to the known details of the exercise. Based on the information shared here, have (ideally) someone you know with interviewing experience, but if not even just a friend, select an FT/Economist/etc article or set of articles for you to read for a 20-30 minute period. The articles should be around a common topic, and ideally one you can make an argument on (so, something that can be discussed and debated). Then, you can split the presentation between a period in which you simply summarize facts, a period in which you advance arguments for your view, and one in which you are asked questions by the person interviewing you.
2. Markup exercises will mostly engage your attention to detail skills, as they will involve reviewing everything on a legal document. @Jessica Booker made a great post on what to particularly look out for, I will quote it bellow. Besides that, I will link some online resources providing you with proofreading exercises to practice on - take a look here and here.
3. Researching cases can be quite difficult - as you mentioned, sometimes there is not a lot of information online. That said, I think it is normally the case that law firms do not publish a lot of information about their matters on their websites. However, in many cases, particularly for high-value transactions and cases, such information is readily available on the wider web - as both the legal and the broader business press will be reporting on them. As such, I advise you to take a look at the firm's listed expertise and identify the cases that seem most important (whether simply for reasons of the sums involved or because of political/regulator implications etc). Then, take the name of the case and look it up (using different variations of keywords) on Google and LinkedIn (you will find some posts there with information that is harder to find on your own). You should be able to find enough information about it to construct a basic image of what happened and why, which should be sufficient for interviewing purposes. Alternatively, you can try looking up searches involving the name of your firm and keywords like 'case' or 'matter' and see what you find on the web. This could short cut your way into identifying the cases the firm worked on that are in the press. Finally, if you have the time and/or if none of this works (which I think it is quite unlikely), you can always reach out to trainees/junior associates at the firm and ask, among other things, about a case they worked on that they found very interesting.

Fantastic advice, thank you so so much!

I've also heard people refer to your interview guides/ posts. If you could direct me towards these, that would be amazing. I'd appreciate it so much!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Since we're on the topic of coffee chats and reaching out, would it be advisable to connect with incoming or current trainees at a firm on LinkedIn before a vacation scheme? If so, is there a recommended approach or template for doing so? Apologies if this is a basic question – just want to make sure I’m going about it the right way! 😊

@Jessica Booker @Ram Sabaratnam

Just before @Ram Sabaratnam can also come back to you, I agree with Jessica in that there is no need to do so before the scheme starts. For most of my schemes, I did not either, and it was never an issue. However, if you do want to reach out to some people so that there are some friendly faces there on day 1, I also do not think there would be any downside as long as you ensure you are polite and genuine about your intentions.

There's no default recommended template, but I believe you should go for something which cuts the unnecessary formalism and goes to the point. As @Jessica Booker said, you want to show interest in connecting with them as people, so I don't think there's any benefit from writing in a very 'robotic' manner - I know that at least in my case, I get slightly annoyed when approached on LinkedIn with very long and buzz-wordy messages. So I would go for something like:

• Hi ... (name of relevant trainee/junior associate) my name is ... and I will be joining ... (name of firm) for a Vacation Scheme on ... (dates). I just wanted to introduce myself and see if I could ask you a few questions about how to best prepare/tips for converting/the work that you to and how to better understand the firm.

Ideally, this should be enough to get a conversation started. If it goes particularly well, you can then consider asking for a short phone call to develop your connection further.

 

[James Wakefield]

Can you/should you add your interviewers at law firms on Linkedin? I feel because you have actually met them and had a chat, its fair enough. Any thoughts?