TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[fidrrygalka]

So sorry to hear this. Was this post- test or interview

it’s fine but thank you. nope. just post-app it is what it is really

 

[Overthinker123!]

Does anybody have experience with Ashurst’s cappfinity test? What should I expect other than trauma etc.😭😭

I did it last month but honestly forgot a lot of it because I think my mind has blocked it out bc of the trauma 😭 I did somehow pass it though, and honestly, I would just say research and think about Ashurst's values and what the role of a trainee requires for the SJT bit (because they assess you against Ashurst's behavioural skills).

Im pretty sure there was also a critical thinking test, which was a lot easier than the WG but similar question types so would prepare as if it were WG

(I have done too many of these online tests that my brain has merged all of them together as ptsd, but this is what I remember).

 

[BillSikes]

Has anyone heard from the Nottingham office?

Deadline was only Sunday

 

[User5678]

Deadline was only Sunday

Vac scheme deadline was 1 Feb

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Hi @Ram Sabaratnam

Can I ask what changes did you make in approaching the later VS schemes that you think helped you convert (setting up coffee chats, the work etc) especially since my first scheme is my first preference😓

Thank you!

Hiya @sc13


Looking back, I think there were a few key changes I made that helped me convert later VS schemes. Interestingly, the feedback I received from earlier schemes wasn’t really about the quality of my work, but rather about my soft skills and how I came across more broadly. There were three points of feedback that were made to me, and which I still think about:

1. I came across as quite self-deprecating in my humour (which some partners took as a lack of confidence in myself).
2. There was uncertainty about whether I genuinely wanted to pursue commercial law, particularly given my previous non-law background.
3. I had a tendency to overextend myself (taking on too many tasks without always checking how long things would take or what was feasible within my schedule).

These were all areas I worked hard to improve in my second cycle, especially the first and third points. If you’re someone who’s ever struggled with imposter syndrome, it can be easy to default to self-deprecating humour in professional settings. But I learned the hard way that how you speak/joke about yourself really does shape how others perceive your confidence and potential (same point also applies if you're someone who is constantly trying to oversell your experiences/background to others). There’s a line between being arrogant and underselling yourself, and finding that balance made a big difference. On the overstretching point, I started being much more conscious about what I could realistically take on. I made a habit of asking how long a task might take before accepting it, and I tried to be more open about my current workload. That helped me build more accurate expectations for myself and others.

Taking all that on board gave me a much more grounded and self-aware approach when I went into interviews and vac schemes the second time around.

Hope that helps. Wishing you the best of luck with your scheme coming up

 

[Mayooshi]

Hi has anyone heard from Blake Morgan, Irwin Mitchell or the Samsung Paralegal role

I applied for the direct tc

Hey have you gotten a response?

 

[weupin2025]

PW PFO (finally)

STILL no response post test for me ? Do I just email them? So weird

 

[User5678]

Hey have you gotten a response?

Nope, I don’t think dtc will hear back this soon, their applications just shut for dtc and I don’t think vac schemers have heard back with offers yet

What about you? Did u apply for direct tc?

 

[adrian_nlh]

Did anyone else get a Mishcon PFO yesterday?

 

[Bread]

Has anyone received the actual WG test from Winston yet? Idk whether to email, it’s been a week

 

[Jessica Booker]

For those who may have missed it yesterday, here is a link to the "how to succeed on your vacation scheme" talk:

 

[AlegalA]

Hiya @AlegalA

I don't have any particular information on their assessment centre, but just had a look through The Lawyer and Chambers UK and wanted to mention some recent information about the firm in case it helps your preparation (you may already know some/all of this).

Financial performance
The Lawyer reported that DACB had a really strong 2023/24. Their profile on the firm mentioned that revenue passed £300m for the first time, and profit before tax jumped by 15%. Average profit per member was also close to £700k. They’ve been trying to bring down their debt levels too, and while we don’t have exact figures, the firm said it ended the year with more cash and less debt than it started with.

Main areas of work this year
I'm sure you're well aware that the firm is still heavily insurance-focused, but also continues to work on significant personal injury matters. Chambers UK clearly ranks them well in areas such as insurance, personal injury, and mid-market commercial litigation. The firm seems to have doubled down on the litigation work in particular(especially through its Claims Solutions Group, which I'd encourage you to look into). The Lawyer also reported that they were growing their focus outside of just litigation, focussing on commercial, health, and regulatory work too. However it doesn't mention any particular matters on which they've been advising on in those areas. To help focus your research on the firm's practice area specialities prior to your assessment centre, you may want to look into the firms growth in these areas.

Global footprint
They’ve been expanding internationally at pace. Last year alone they opened in Argentina, Hong Kong, and Peru and just recently announced new offices in New York and LA. I found the US news pretty impressive for a UK-based insurance firm. The US legal market is famously hard to break into, especially without a merger or local alliance, so the fact they’re building a presence there independently is definitely noteworthy. Given recent political changes in the US, it's also quite interesting that they've double down on their interest in the US legal market (the new Administration has actually led some UK firms to really rethink their US strategy).

How they’ve set themselves apart from competitors
I'm sure you're well aware that, given the firm's insurance/disputes/personal injury focus, they tend to be pitted against firms such as Irwin Mitchell, Kennedys and Slater and Gordon. Interestingly, while several of their competitors have created spin-off tech or consultancy businesses, DACB seems to have taken a slightly different track. They’ve tried to embed that innovation within the core business. For instance, their Claims Solutions Group already functions as a distinct, tech-savvy arm within their core business. In this way, it seems the firm is innovating without fractionalising its operations in the way that some firms currently seem to be doing.

Hope this all helps a bit!

Thank you so much!

 

[AlegalA]

On another note- does anyone know what the conversion rate is for Charles Russell Speechlys post VS?

 

[sc13]

Hiya @sc13


Looking back, I think there were a few key changes I made that helped me convert later VS schemes. Interestingly, the feedback I received from earlier schemes wasn’t really about the quality of my work, but rather about my soft skills and how I came across more broadly. There were three points of feedback that were made to me, and which I still think about:

1. I came across as quite self-deprecating in my humour (which some partners took as a lack of confidence in myself).
2. There was uncertainty about whether I genuinely wanted to pursue commercial law, particularly given my previous non-law background.
3. I had a tendency to overextend myself (taking on too many tasks without always checking how long things would take or what was feasible within my schedule).

These were all areas I worked hard to improve in my second cycle, especially the first and third points. If you’re someone who’s ever struggled with imposter syndrome, it can be easy to default to self-deprecating humour in professional settings. But I learned the hard way that how you speak/joke about yourself really does shape how others perceive your confidence and potential (same point also applies if you're someone who is constantly trying to oversell your experiences/background to others). There’s a line between being arrogant and underselling yourself, and finding that balance made a big difference. On the overstretching point, I started being much more conscious about what I could realistically take on. I made a habit of asking how long a task might take before accepting it, and I tried to be more open about my current workload. That helped me build more accurate expectations for myself and others.

Taking all that on board gave me a much more grounded and self-aware approach when I went into interviews and vac schemes the second time around.

Hope that helps. Wishing you the best of luck with your scheme coming up

That makes sense, thank you so much!

 

[trainee4u]

Unfortunately I've not yet got beyond stage two to get somewhere, so my next master plan of laziness is to write a VI Windows app that spits random VI questions at me from a file, have it record my reply, feed the recorded video into chatgpt to transcribe, ask the AI to insult me sufficiently based on the transcription (and also review it myself), and then try and work on that to do better in interviews.

apparently this is not an original idea.
Found this on LinkedIn

#socratease #birminghack #birminghack2025 #universityofbirmingham… | Siddharth Shringarpure | 102 comments

We won 1st place for the Best AI Hack (that isn’t just an LLM wrapper)! 🥇 In a world where every other LinkedIn post is about another GPT-powered… | 102 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

In just 24 hours, we built an AI system that:
💬 Analyses your speech fluency — because “uh” and “like” shouldn’t form half of your vocabulary.
🎭 Tracks eye contact & facial expressions — helping you engage, not just exist in conversations
🧩 Evaluates logical flow — helping you sound more like a TED Talk and less like a hallucinating LLM

 

[thelawstudent]

was there any waitlist option for nrf svs?

 

[lawaspirant!]

Are there any summer vs scheme applications open anymore?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hey guys, I have my SM interview tomorrow and wanted to ask if anyone has any advice. I feel particularly nervous about the article discussion, so I would appreciate any insights or general advice on how it would be best to approach this. Thanks in advance

I hope this is not too late but my main advice would be to try try to walk the fine line of advocating for your position to the best of your abilities while also avoiding to seem unresponsive to the points the partners make to challenge you. You should be aware that the arguments the partners will make are not always ones which they actually believe would refute your view. One of the main purposes of the article discussion is to test whether you are able to hold your ground when challenged by someone in a position of authority - a skill that every good lawyer needs to develop. As such, if you think a point they made is flawed, or valid but insufficient to persuade you to change your view, you should not back down.

At the same time, you want to avoid looking like you're irrational and that you cannot learn during the conversation. Some of the points the partners make will be quite relevant for the debate, and the debate topics are specifically chosen to be ones involving a nuanced cost-benefit analysis and allowing for reasonable disagreement. As such, you should aim to acknowledge and address their points. A move I would often make would be to say something of the sort 'I definitely understand where you are coming from, and I agree this is certainly a drawback of my view/an upshot of yours. However, I do not think the drawback is quite as impactful as you said/I do not think the point should be weighed so heavily because...'. Another option is to accept the relevance of their points and then address them by integrating them into your view: ie 'I agree this might be a problem, but I think under my approach we might hedge against the risk in this way'.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Are there any summer vs scheme applications open anymore?

There are a few smaller and regional firms still open - https://www.lawcareers.net/Solicitors/WorkPlacementDeadlines

 

[Andrei Radu]

It probably sounds obvious but how do I actually answer ‘why me’ or any other question which essentially asks this in an AC interview? Should I make 3 points with a STAR analysis for 3 qualities they look for? I don’t want to waffle but also want to say enough😂

Yes, I think this is essentially the right approach. I would just take a lot of care to maintain proper structure by continuously signposting and using connectors. For me, the answer therefore ended up looking something like this:

1. There are three key reasons you should hire me: as I will explain and as my prior experience and achievements demonstrate, I am X, Y, and Z (name the three qualities).
2. Firstly, during ... (introduce example and go through a concise version of it using the STAR structure). This demonstrates X quality, which makes me a great fit for the job because ... (explain its relevance to the role of a trainee/commercial law in general. To the extent possible, make an argument that this quality is perhaps more important for success than the other commonly named relevant ones).
3. Repeat for Z and Y.
4. To conclude, my experiences demonstrate I am X, Y, and Z, which make me a great fit for the position.