2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion

[Sekani Wraith]

For a video interview, is it a bad thing if I don't talk with my hands?

 

[Amy_22]

Yes I am still waiting too I sent my application in early December. When did you send your application?

Hey

How soon after you submitted your application did you receive a test invite? I submitted my application on 25 November and still haven't heard anything from them.

 

[Jessica Booker]

For a video interview, is it a bad thing if I don't talk with my hands?

no. Your communication style is not going to be made worse by not gesticulating with your hands. If anything people who do it a lot, have to be mindful it doesn’t detract from their message.

 

[NikkiT]

Does anyone know if you are more likely to get a TC at Hogan Lovells if you do their vacation scheme or if you are just as likely with a direct TC application?

 

[Jessica Booker]

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No - it’s an awful strategy.

1) the firm will be looking for people who will commit to that region

2) even if they want to offer you a TC, they will only offer you a TC for that location. You’ll have no connection to the more popular office (while other interns will). There won’t be the leg up you are suggesting, and if anything they’ll be be pretty peeved that is even your approach.

3) some regional offices are actually more popular and more competitive than London offices (especially other city locations)z.

The only way it would be a good strategy is if you have no intention of accepting a TC at the firm at any office, and we’re just trying to use it as a CV builder, but even then that comes with risks.

 

[Andrew M]

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Regional offices often take less trainees than London offices. So it may not necessarily be less competitive...

 

[Jacob Miller]

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As above, I would strongly recommend against this, precisely for the reasons Jessica has shared.

It carries a huge risk of actually doing you a disadvantage as many regional offices would simply interpret it as you undermining/ manipulating them to get somewhere 'better'.

Regional offices serve as a really important part of many firms, so there is absolutely nothing wrong with looking for experience with them to better understand this- having spent time at regional firms myself, even though my TC is in the City, I feel my times there really helped develop my understanding of how regional firms work both on their own issues and in tandem with London offices, which give me an added level of insight in interviews etc. Don't treat them as a leg-up/ foot in the door though, as this will never ever translate well.

 

[Jacob Miller]

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Further to my above, they'd never favour you in this situation and would potentially even redact the offer. I would personally be extremely hacked off if I worked in GR and it became apparent that this was someone's motive.

 

[KerC14]

Just wanted to check that I’m right in thinking Irwin Mitchell’s deadline is midnight tomorrow? (The 4th)

The application is so draining this year, I still have 2 Qs to answer

 

[hlaws20]

Does anyone know the deadline for the Clyde & Co Dubai VS? I cant seem to find it online, Thanks

 

[CF]

Hi, for a question such as 'How would you describe the relationship between law and business?' how would you go about answering this? Is the question essentially asking what is 'commercial law'?

 

[Jessica Booker]

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they will probably just tell you to apply as an external applicant to the London TC.

Regional offices have had decades of people trying to play the system like this. They are pretty tuned in to working out who those people are. You are ultimately wasting their time so they can feel pretty peeved about it.

 

[Jessica Booker]

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But you aren’t changing your mind. You are trying to play the system. The vacation scheme is a recruitment process - one they have invested heavily in and you have taken the opportunity away from someone who could have accepted a TC in the regional office.

They are fine with people changing their mind and with legitimate reason for doing that - but given the circumstances, they will just put you in the external pool of candidates and let you go through the external process (assuming they haven’t filled the vacancies with the London interns).

I worked for a couple of organisations that have had pretty stringent policies on this to stop people doing this.

 

[Lawgirl123]

Hey, has anyone completed the addleshaw goddard application on the system? The qualifications section is unclear - do they want a breakdown of subjects? If so, there is nowhere to input the overall subject name and grade? Pleas help if you can!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi, for a question such as 'How would you describe the relationship between law and business?' how would you go about answering this? Is the question essentially asking what is 'commercial law'?

It’s a very distinct question to what is commercial law. Its asking you to describe how business and law interact, not what commercial law is.

 

[Jacob Miller]

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In an industry where personal and professional integrity ought to be at the forefront of everything you do, I have to be honest and say that trying to play the system in this way really is poor form and will only end up putting you at a relative disadvantage to where you'd have been had you just played above board from the off. Changing one's mind is one thing, trying to manipulate the system/ acting in bad faith is quite another.

People work exceptionally hard to become successful in both City and regional offices, it's very disappointing when people try and get around the hard work that's required to become a successful solicitor in a manner like this, especially in a forum like TCLA which is dedicated to helping people achieve success the right way.

 

[Helpme12345]

I did two 20 credit modules at university (one in first year and one in second year), and have been entering them as:

Module 1 - xx%
Module 2 - xx%

However, on my transcripts they are written as two 10 credit modules:

Module 1 (A) - xx%
Module 1 (B) - xx%
Module 2 (A) - xx%
Module 2 (B) - xx%

The percentage score for the (A) and (B) parts are identical as they were taught as one module, but now I'm worried I've not entered it properly, is this something I should point out to the firms I've applied to?

 

[Jessica Booker]

I did two 20 credit modules at university (one in first year and one in second year), and have been entering them as:

Module 1 - xx%
Module 2 - xx%

However, on my transcripts they are written as two 10 credit modules:

Module 1 (A) - xx%
Module 1 (B) - xx%
Module 2 (A) - xx%
Module 2 (B) - xx%

The percentage score for the (A) and (B) parts are identical as they were taught as one module, but now I'm worried I've not entered it properly, is this something I should point out to the firms I've applied to?

that’s fine.

 

[Jessica Booker]

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To you as a candidate it isn’t that bad. To Grad Rec and the hiring partners is a massive pain in the backside. They have invested a huge amount of time and resource into hiring and employing you for a couple of weeks, only for you to have had no intention of accepting the job in that location. That’s very different to getting a return on investment when someone has worked at the firm for two years or more.

Firms struggle with this generally - the CV builders who have no intention of ever working at the firm in any location are just another type of candidate guilty of this. That’s why firms are pretty hot at weeding people like that out. They have been selecting/interviewing candidates who have tried this for decades - they will be far better at filtering candidates out than someone will be at bluffing through their motivation.

 

[Jessica Booker]

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You are talking about something slightly different though. You are trying this process within a firm who can talk amongst themselves about you. You can’t do that with competitor firms (god I miss the good old days when you could). So what you are suggesting is very different to your friends you know who are playing the job market. What you are suggesting is playing an individual firm - which is why they are likely to be peeved.