Search results

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    Nominate Members for a £35 Amazon Gift Card!

    Oh wow thank you! @Patricia K
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    Career changer - straight to TC?

    No problem, it sounds like you have a lot more areas covered than you do gaps so you're on the right track! The experience you have with different modes of dispute resolution sound really good and it's potentially something that you have unique experience of that traditional law students might...
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    Career changer - straight to TC?

    Nick's response on speaking with your employer is really good advice and something that I would echo has really helped me through the process. From reading your current thoughts I would also suggest thinking about your answers to questions such as 1) What do law firms provide for clients? 2)...
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    Career changer - straight to TC?

    I was in a similar position and one thing that helped me demonstrate commitment to law was volunteering with one of the legal aid type organisations where you work directly with clients and in the courts. I did this with Support Through Court both in the London Central Family Court and RCJ, so a...
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    Career Change Success Stories

    No problem at all - I'm more than happy to chat through particular details once you get into the application / interview stages.
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    Career Change Success Stories

    It seems there are quite a few successful career changers on TCLA after all! So you've found a good place to get started! My experience echoes others who have replied so far. I secured a TC in my first cycle last year and am changing careers from a completely unrelated sector which straddles...
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    Open days/virtual events as graduate

    Have you asked the recruitment teams for the firms where you want to attend the open days if you can attend? Often events are worded and targeted at current students but actually anyone can attend. I found that happened a lot when I was signing up for events as I graduated years ago but it often...
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    Questions to ask at law fairs

    One thing I found useful last year was to look at the application forms of each firm I wanted to apply to, or at least the ones I was really interested in, and use the careers fair as an opportunity to clarify parts of the application form I was unsure of. E.g. 'Question X is about a...
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    Crisis of confidence + working full time while applying

    As others have said, you're already a winner for getting the vac scheme and we're all sure you can do it again and turn it into a TC! I worked full-time whilst also studying the GDL and doing apps last year and some things that helped me get through it were: Being disciplined with regular but...
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    General Discussion Thread 2020-21

    Just to add to Jessica's really good advice. The other prep you can do is to consider the structure of your presentation and research tips/guides for presenting virtually. These can make or break a presentation and apply regardless of whether it is a pitch or related to commercial law. A few...
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    General Discussion Thread 2020-21

    Thanks! I ended up doing the same and just received the same message. Great that we can still submit.
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    General Discussion Thread 2020-21

    Thanks! That's probably why you received an email and those of us with applications still open didn't.
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    General Discussion Thread 2020-21

    Thanks for updating us on this - I'm glad I haven't invested a lot of time in an app yet! Can I ask if you have submitted already? At the moment their application portal is still open and their website has not been updated. I have an in-progress app and haven't received an email.
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    Assessment Day - Negotiation exercise and presentation

    Just to add to this really useful advice. On the written exercise - make sure you answer any questions they specifically ask for and put your answer clearly at the beginning of your memo/report/email. E.g. if they ask you to write a report and recommend whether Business A should merge with...
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    General Discussion Thread 2020-21

    I would recommend doing some research on the websites of firms you are applying to. Have a look at their sections labelled News, Insights, Updates etc. Dig deeper than the Covid-19 information that will be splashed across the front at the moment. Follow firms on LinkedIn and Twitter and they...
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    General Discussion Thread 2020-21

    That's really helpful and definitely a more personal way of thinking about then I had in mind - thank you!
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    General Discussion Thread 2020-21

    Does anyone have a good list of questions to expect at an end of vac-scheme interview? Specifically questions related to your time on the scheme. I want to make sure I can prepare for these by recording relevant things throughout the two weeks. I’ve found a few relevant questions from the...
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    General Discussion Thread 2020-21

    Thanks Alice - Avvoka and the webinars look really interesting, I've signed up to the student session next Tuesday!
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    Ask Alice G (Future Trainee at Freshfields) Anything!

    Thank you for doing this thread, it is so helpful! I have two questions as I am thinking of applying to Freshfields but haven't had much exposure to them aside from the usual online resources such as Chambers Student etc. What made them your first choice firm? Were there any parts of your...
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    General Discussion Thread 2020-21

    This is usually down to a recruiter's website counting words in a different way to MS Office. On a website this can also be down to things such as the website counting formatting as words. It varies from website to website. Try copy-pasting your text into Notepad as this strips out any...

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The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

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