2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion

[Jessica Booker]

"The deadline for you to complete the interview is . 30 December 2020 (GMT+00:00).". Does this mean I have to complete it by tonight or tomorrow?

if this is with launchpad (the video interview platform) it always means the next day anyway for some random reason, so should be 23.59 on the 30 December.

 

[Jessica Booker]

The Withers application has this question:
"Please give details of your current interests and activities including the nature of your involvement (60 words max) *"

What does is mean specifically by nature of involvement? Hours put in? Role?

Also hating this 60 work limit smdh

Nature of involvement - Member, committee member, first team player, captain, volunteer etc.

i know everyone else hates it but I think 60 word limits are genius!

 

[cmaj]

Was the difficult question a commercial awareness related question? No no! Don't apologise, and thank you!

I've found a few notes I made! Apparently I was asked about why PwC and what I'd learned about them (not sure if this was throughout the process so far or through research?), situational questions such as how I'd react in the workplace, and then the difficult question was not a question but a case study. I had to study it and then they asked about my findings. This was back for the Summer 2019 scheme so things might have changed, but I thought it went awfully at the time and struggled with the case study... though apparently not! I hope this is more helpful

When did you get invited? I am supposed to be fast tracked from the first year scheme but I haven’t heard anything yet

I wasn't invited to an AC until March 2019 after doing a VI in February 2019 and submitting my application in October 2018 I wasn't fast-tracked though

 

[matpart]

if this is with launchpad (the video interview platform) it always means the next day anyway for some random reason, so should be 23.59 on the 30 December.

Thanks, Jessica! Yes, this is launchpad. They told me I had 7 days in an email sent 16.30 on 23rd, so if it was due today then that means the 23rd would be counted as a day, which would be a bit strange, so I'm glad my gut feeling was right!

 

[Kablahc]

Anyone heard back from Dechert for summer vac?? Applied late Nov just after their open day

 

[202023r]

Anyone heard back from Dechert for summer vac?? Applied late Nov just after their open day

Nope

 

[VivianeS]

Does anyone who took the WG for Weil know whether they always get back (and if so when) to you?

 

[Lastseasonwonder]

PFO from Macfarlanes. <3

So sorry to hear. If you don't mind me asking, when did u apply?

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hey, I'm new to this site so don't know if this is where I would post this- can't find any other discussion for Scots law students.
Is there anyone here applying for 2021 Vacation Schemes in Scotland?

Hi Cameron! I'm Scots law too (final year at Aberdeen) and, though I'm going to the City, key Scottish firms/ firms with Scottish offices to consider are (in no particular order):

- Dentons
- Pinsent Masons
- Anderson Strathearn
- Brodies
- Burness Paull
- Dickson Minto
- Shepherd and Wedderburn
- Addleshaw Goddard
- DLA Piper
- CMS
- DWF
- Shoosmiths
- Burgess Salmon
- TLT


The Scots legal industry is obviously a bit different to London's, but the application process and assessed criteria are very very similar- you still have to show why you're interested in working at that firm in that location, why you want to work in commercial law in general, all the standard competencies etc. You're also applying in a much smaller pond than in London so, in that respect, it can sometimes even be slightly harder! I hope this helps

 

[H S]

Could anyone please direct me to the thread that outlines which firms mostly recruit from vac schemes and which ones read direct TC apps? Can’t seem to find it! Thank you

 

[Celestie]

Could anyone please direct me to the thread that outlines which firms mostly recruit from vac schemes and which ones read direct TC apps? Can’t seem to find it! Thank you

Hi, here is a thread you may find useful!

https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....minantly-from-vs-and-which-ones-from-tc.2545/

 

[H S]

Hi, here is a thread you may find useful!

https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....minantly-from-vs-and-which-ones-from-tc.2545/

Thank you!!

 

[Cameron73]

Hi Cameron! I'm Scots law too (final year at Aberdeen) and, though I'm going to the City, key Scottish firms/ firms with Scottish offices to consider are (in no particular order):

- Dentons
- Pinsent Masons
- Anderson Strathearn
- Brodies
- Burness Paull
- Dickson Minto
- Shepherd and Wedderburn
- Addleshaw Goddard
- DLA Piper
- CMS
- DWF
- Shoosmiths
- Burgess Salmon
- TLT


The Scots legal industry is obviously a bit different to London's, but the application process and assessed criteria are very very similar- you still have to show why you're interested in working at that firm in that location, why you want to work in commercial law in general, all the standard competencies etc. You're also applying in a much smaller pond than in London so, in that respect, it can sometimes even be slightly harder! I hope this helps

Thank you for the informative reply
Also Aberdeen too!

 

[Jacob Miller]

Thank you for the informative reply
Also Aberdeen too!

Small world! Best of luck with your degree!

 

[anon101]

Hi everyone!!! After all rejections from the watson glaser last application cycle, I managed to get a telephone interview with NRF. Does anyone have any tips on how to prepare for this stage of the process and what kind of questions I should expect?

 

[Lastseasonwonder]

Anyone still yet to hear from A&O for the summer VS? At this point WTF!

 

[Edward]

Linklaters VS rejection

 

[Dheepa]

Hi Dheepa,

Many thanks for responding. The hardest question I believe is to really say why you would choose L&W over another firm to train at and how to make your answers really sound truthful and honest.

So here's some things that make Latham unique compared to other US firms:

1. Variety (Part 1) - They have a PE focus yes but they're one of the few firms that are equally as good at sponsor and lender side deals. This is especially true for their banking team. Compare this to a firm like Kirkland for example (which I would say is one of Latham's hugest competitors), which only does sponsor side deals.

2. Variety (Part 2) - Latham are massively investing in growth in London at the moment. They have a new technology transactions team, entertainment sports and media team and an extremely strong Tier 1 project finance team. Worth mentioning even their disputes team ranks pretty highly at Tier 2. (This is all according to the Legal 500). Here is some Lawyer articles (behind a paywall unfortunately) on some of the lateral hires they've made recently and a huge disputes case they're doing now.

https://www.thelawyer.com/travers-loses-pe-head-to-latham/
https://www.thelawyer.com/facebook-drafts-in-latham-and-brick-court-for-giphy-legal-challenge/

3. International presence - They are very proud of this and actually see themselves as offering a "seamless global service" (direct quote from something a partner said and I wrote down in my notes). They have more offices internationally than most of their competitors. Latham has 29, Kirkland has 15, Weil 15 and Skadden 22. They see themselves as being the only US firm to have really conquered both the US and EU market (again a direct quote)

I hope that gives you some things to work off of. If you're struggling with differentiating firms more generally, there is a great post at the end of this thread on how you can go about researching the differences between firms.
https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....most-bookmarked-content-2020.2890/#post-45658

In terms of making your answers sound truthful and honest, use information on the firm that really resonates with you! For example, having a broad training contract was important for me so I tried to tie that into the reasons I applied to firms that had a range of expertise. Diversity was also important to me so in many of my apps I would often write about why that was so (any initiatives I'd organised) and again tie that into the diversity statistics/initiatives that the firms run.

The most important thing to remember when justifying "why this firm" is that they want to see that you've really taken the time to think about what you've done/are interested in doing that makes you a good fit for what the firm does. So substantiate things as much a possible with your own experiences and really try to unpack what it is that excites you about training there.

Hope that helps!

 

[Dheepa]

Hi everyone!!! After all rejections from the watson glaser last application cycle, I managed to get a telephone interview with NRF. Does anyone have any tips on how to prepare for this stage of the process and what kind of questions I should expect?

When I did mine for the 2020 VS, the questions were a little more relaxed than in a formal interview. Mine really focussed around why law/ why me/ why NRF and I think I was briefly asked about something I'd mentioned in my application as a follow-up type question. The telephone interview isn't particularly long though (maybe 20-25 minutes?) and the Grad Rec team who take them are lovely. Wishing you the very best of luck!

Hey all, many congratulations on getting to this stage! My experience of the telephone interview content-wise was mainly what I've already mentioned here:


In terms of technique for a telephone interview, I actually tended to find them more challenging than in-person or even video interviews because there is no way of gauging your audience through facial expressions or body language. I would, however, take advantage of the fact that the same can be said for you by having easy-to-read notes in front of you giving bullet points for key answers. I would avoid having a full script, however, as it is patently obvious when one is being used and rarely comes off well. As for the general approach, some 'rules' of interviewing stay the same regardless of the medium of the interview: have a glass of water handy so you don't choke up, acknowledge the question immediately and in such a way that it gives you a couple of seconds to consider your answer before starting to speak- if necessary, filibuster for a couple of seconds before answering if you're really struggling but try to avoid this if at all possible. Listen carefully to questions and ensure you answer all components of the question- this is especially important if there are multiple parts to a question. Ensure that any questions you ask at the end are tailored to who is interviewing you: my NRF telephone interview was led by one of the Grad Rec team, for example, so I didn't ask a question that would be more suited to a fee-earner or lawyer in its substantive content.

I've quoted some of the brilliant advice that Jacob has already provided. Just wanted to add that when I did the telephone interview, I also got asked about a news story that I'd been following and how that affects the firm.

 

[Legally brown]

Linklaters VS rejection

Hey I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure you’ll hear some well deserved good news soon! I was wondering if you applied to the summer or the spring vs?