2020-21 Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion

[Celestie]

Cmon you are gonna get the AC just a matter of time !!!!!!

Thank you very much lovely ahhaha 🤗 I am sure you will hear happy news too. Are you waiting to hear back from anyone else?

 

[dosblancos7]

Thank you very much lovely ahhaha 🤗 I am sure you will hear happy news too. Are you waiting to hear back from anyone else?

waiting on 4 firms post AC/s/First stage interviews. 3 of them done this week and last. Had an US firm AC today :/ (only had a day to prep, but the firm was lovely, super technical question ahahaha, and a very difficult AC, but what can you do!)

You?

Fingers crossed for FF and everything else for us both

 

[Vesania]

Has anyone heard back from Hogan Lovells?

 

[Celestie]

waiting on 4 firms post AC/s/First stage interviews. 3 of them done this week and last. Had an US firm AC today :/ (only had a day to prep, but the firm was lovely, super technical question ahahaha, and a very difficult AC, but what can you do!)

You?

Fingers crossed for FF and everything else for us both

You are smashing this!!! I wish you the utmost best of luck!!! Hope your AC outcome is what you hoped for x

 

[AlRJ]

Has anyone heard back from Hogan Lovells?

Nope, still waiting! I saw that some people unfortunately started to receive rejections towards the end of last week though. When did you apply if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Abgaal]

Arghhhh I am so tired of waiting honestly. Can FF, Macfarlanes, HL & WC hurry up

 

[Florawilliams]

Has anyone heard back from Hogan Lovells?

still waiting! applied early/mid jan

 

[Lawyer101]

Anybody waiting to hear back from Bristows post-written exercises?

 

[Jacob Miller]

Fingers crossed for ll of you waiting to hear back! As hard as it is, try not to get too focussed on refreshing your inboxes constantly - try to focus on other things, keep your mind active etc. Thinking of all of you!

 

[northernlawstud]

Has anyone heard back from Hogan Lovells?

I got a PFO on the 4th March

 

[melmil]

what is the protocol about thank you notes? should those be done to the people that interview you at AC? Thanks!

 

[Jessica Booker]

what is the protocol about thank you notes? should those be done to the people that interview you at AC? Thanks!

There is absolutely no protocol.

If you have their email (eg they gave you the email) then a very short thank you is ok but in no way necessary.

If you don’t have their email but some how manage to find it online, that can be slightly creepy to then email them, but some people won’t mind and will be used to it (eg if their email is on the firm’s website). People who go out of their way to track down email addresses can be very creepy though, so generally I’d avoid doing that!

Sometimes people just email Grad Rec as they have been their point of contact and ask for them to pass their thanks on to everyone and that is fine too, but again not necessary.

Just keep the email short though. If it’s more than a few sentences it is really unnecessary.

 

[Jacob Miller]

what is the protocol about thank you notes? should those be done to the people that interview you at AC? Thanks!

I usually emailed Grad Rec to thank them briefly after the AC. If my interviewer had given me their name, and their email was public on their profile on the website (for example, all lawyers at Travers have a bio on the website in which their email contact is included). If their email wasn't in their bio, I wouldn't email them - I took that as a general suggestion that they're not open to communication unless initiated by them.

There definitely isn't a 'protocol' per se - and I highly doubt anyone would think twice if you didn't email them - I just tended to feel it was a respectful thing to do when you consider that an hour-long interview with a partner probably 'costs' near enough a grand in terms of time which could otherwise have been billed! I tend to find it goes down well, too - my interviewers always seemed to appreciate and I think it really helped the partner remember me when it came around to the VS too. Never hurts to make a good impression!

As above, I'd keep it short! I tended to have three or four sentences - thank them for taking the time to interview you and answer your questions, no need for much more.

 

[JoNo]

Huh?

Sorry tagged the wrong person haha 😂

 

[Celestie]

Sorry tagged the wrong person haha 😂

No worries - thought you had the wrong person 🤣

 

[Kelly_]

Hi! Anyone got any tips for finding out more information about Rosenblatt, cannot seem to find anything on Chambers, Chambersstudent, legal500, lex100...

 

[Msh123]

Does anyone know anything about Brown Rudnick's recruitment timetable?


I'm not one for mushy motivational speeches but let me give you a bit of a positive boost as someone with a similar profile in a similar position: there are FAR TOO MANY firms in the UK for you to be rejected by all of them. You just have to be prepared to broaden your horizons.

This cycle I have managed to find 29 firms to apply for and I still have at least 10 left on my hit list (and growing!). Many of them are traditional city big dogs. But quite a lot are smaller, less well known firms which graduates probably aren't throwing themselves at quite so frequently. Just ask yourself what matters more in a difficult job market: the specific firm, or just getting into law at all?

There is a corporate partner at Linklaters who trained at a high street practice in Hull. While his career is a bit improbable, if you're good enough there is no reason why you couldn't end up somewhere really aspirational after you've trained! That's the way I'm viewing it anyway.

Edit: also, smaller more niche firms tend to have much easier app forms, no online tests and only do direct TCs. Could be worth it just for the ease of applying.

thank you but just not interested in smaller/ non-prestigious firms

 

[Anon08]

Hi! Anyone got any tips for finding out more information about Rosenblatt, cannot seem to find anything on Chambers, Chambersstudent, legal500, lex100...

I personally know very little about the firm; however, I do know of Tracy Tsao who is very active on LinkedIn and is a future trainee at Rosenblatt - you might want to reach out!

 

[syw]

I'm a bit late on this thread, but has anybody heard back from Macfarlanes re. direct TC? I'm just wondering whether they're reviewing them at the same time as VS.

 

[Anon08]

Does anyone know anything about Brown Rudnick's recruitment timetable?


I'm not one for mushy motivational speeches but let me give you a bit of a positive boost as someone with a similar profile in a similar position: there are FAR TOO MANY firms in the UK for you to be rejected by all of them. You just have to be prepared to broaden your horizons.

This cycle I have managed to find 29 firms to apply for and I still have at least 10 left on my hit list (and growing!). Many of them are traditional city big dogs. But quite a lot are smaller, less well known firms which graduates probably aren't throwing themselves at quite so frequently. Just ask yourself what matters more in a difficult job market: the specific firm, or just getting into law at all?

There is a corporate partner at Linklaters who trained at a high street practice in Hull. While his career is a bit improbable, if you're good enough there is no reason why you couldn't end up somewhere really aspirational after you've trained! That's the way I'm viewing it anyway.

Edit: also, smaller more niche firms tend to have much easier app forms, no online tests and only do direct TCs. Could be worth it just for the ease of applying.

I broadly agree with this and just thought to give it a boost and add my two cents.

Looking at data published by Chambers Student and AllAboutLaw, there are approximately 5,500 available training contracts total in the U.K. every year. In the Chambers Student 2020, there were 82 firms listed. For argument's sake, let's assume that these are the 'top-82' (however you want to define that) commercial law firms in the U.K. In total, these 82 firms offered approximately 1,357 training contracts. This means that over 75% of training contracts in the U.K. come from outside of those firms!

Now, whilst it might be rich for me to advocate applying to smaller firms/regional firms, etc. when I didn't, I do think candidates give themselves a tough time when they only apply for the highest bracket, and don't even consider those who aren't (for argument's sake) in the MC/SC/Elite U.S. bracket. I knew of an associate at an Elite U.S. firm, who trained at a low-mid market firm. They then moved to an SC firm, and then moved to the U.S. firm.

I should add that you don't have to make those moves! You should focus on doing the kind of work you want, at the place that you want! Prestige shouldn't be your main focus in this day and age - that will not make you (or the firm you work for!) happy. Rather, you should focus on your attraction to the career, what kinds of work you like/would like doing, and what environment is best for you. Likewise, some might say that they know the MC/Elite U.S. is the best place for them, which is equally fine and valid.

Anyway, I think the main point is just to echo what @Matt_96 has said, and encourage candidates to focus on the career and the work ahead, rather than to get bogged down with obsessing over one firm, or 'prestige'. And, if that one firm/prestige really matters to you, there are countless examples of individuals who have worked they way up and achieved it - that path always remains open.