2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion

[AspiringSol]

I made a huge mistake and I need advice. I sent two last minute applications today and they both had an interests, positions of responsibility and achievements question. I have perfected my answer to this question as it comes up quite frequently and I normally copy and paste it then carefully edit it. However, I have clearly not been careful enough as after mentioning volunteering activities I have left a sentence which says “This leads me to admire MB’s own commitment to pro bono work.” I am gutted as I had worked quite hard and my answers to all other questions were really good. Do I have any options? The applications have been submitted so I cannot edit them. Should I use my university email to resubmit the amended application? Please if anyone has any advice/ prior experience with clumsy mistakes let me know!

tbf they might not mind too much, one of my friends got a vac scheme w Travers despite leaving/referring to "Freshfields" in his cover letter

 

[OB]

I made a huge mistake and I need advice. I sent two last minute applications today and they both had an interests, positions of responsibility and achievements question. I have perfected my answer to this question as it comes up quite frequently and I normally copy and paste it then carefully edit it. However, I have clearly not been careful enough as after mentioning volunteering activities I have left a sentence which says “This leads me to admire MB’s own commitment to pro bono work.” I am gutted as I had worked quite hard and my answers to all other questions were really good. Do I have any options? The applications have been submitted so I cannot edit them. Should I use my university email to resubmit the amended application? Please if anyone has any advice/ prior experience with clumsy mistakes let me know!

I made a reference to Bird & Bird's supportive culture in a work experience entry for CMS and got to AC so I would honestly just sit tight and hope it is overlooked

 

[LeilaScott]

Has anyone heard from Sidley Austin, Charles Russell Speechlys, Morgan Lewis or Ropes & Gray?

 

[OB]

Has anyone who applied to BCLP in December heard back? Been over 2 months now

Lol I applied in September and have heard nothing ...

 

[LegalNim]

I made a huge mistake and I need advice. I sent two last minute applications today and they both had an interests, positions of responsibility and achievements question. I have perfected my answer to this question as it comes up quite frequently and I normally copy and paste it then carefully edit it. However, I have clearly not been careful enough as after mentioning volunteering activities I have left a sentence which says “This leads me to admire MB’s own commitment to pro bono work.” I am gutted as I had worked quite hard and my answers to all other questions were really good. Do I have any options? The applications have been submitted so I cannot edit them. Should I use my university email to resubmit the amended application? Please if anyone has any advice/ prior experience with clumsy mistakes let me know!

I got a WG invite for a MC firm last cycle even though I referred to them by a different name in my personal statement. It happens to us all. No advice really, just offering some hope.

 

[NA1998]

I made a reference to Bird & Bird's supportive culture in a work experience entry for CMS and got to AC so I would honestly just sit tight and hope it is overlooked

Ahh amazing, thank you so much Olivia! This has calmed me down enormously

 

[NA1998]

I got a WG invite for a MC firm last cycle even though I referred to them by a different name in my personal statement. It happens to us all. No advice really, just offering some hope.

Thank you thank you!! Hope very very much received

 

[Rob93]

Has anyone heard from Sidley Austin, Charles Russell Speechlys, Morgan Lewis or Ropes & Gray?

Ropes & Gray is genuinely non-rolling so I think will only be starting to get back throughout Feb.

 

[NA1998]

tbf they might not mind too much, one of my friends got a vac scheme w Travers despite leaving/referring to "Freshfields" in his cover letter

Oh thank you!!!

 

[HorsesForCoursesNeighNeighNeigh]

Has anybody managed to get through to their Sidley application yet today? Cursing myself for editing my answers in a word doc this morning, argh....

 

[OB]

No I'm going to blame the law firms because a lack of knowledge of immigration matters was the case even before the new set of regulations. As someone who has been discriminated against as a foreign applicant, I am very concious of the fact that law firms do get things wrong.

I am also not saying unequivocally that CC is discriminating against certain applicants, just that waving away the idea that they could be is innapropriately dismissive. Maintaining that there definitely isn't discrimination because law firms work hard to get it right isn't a valid argument.

I also looked into it and failed to find any case law regarding university year discrimination in the UK. The only similar case I found was a US case that said that recruiting entry level applicants mainly or only through a university scheme could amount to discrimination on grounds of disparate impact (Rabin v. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP). Disparate impact is the US counterpart to the UK/EU framework of indirect discrimination. None of us can show whether CC is discriminating one way or another without knowing the actual stats, but to me, the policy is walking and talking like an ageist duck.

I'm not sure why you have such a vendetta against grad rec teams, but I recall this isn't the first time you have said very criticising remarks towards Jessica - someone who spends her day helping applicants like us. I'm sure her, like all grad rec teams, do not willingly discriminate against foreign applicants as the laws have changed so much in the last few years.

While its good to debate these things on forums like TCLA, I'm sure everyone would agree it would be better to keep a positive outlook on this supportive community instead of criticising those who are just here to help us.

 

[whisperingrock]

I'm not sure why you have such a vendetta against grad rec teams, but I recall this isn't the first time you have said very criticising remarks towards Jessica - someone who spends her day helping applicants like us. I'm sure her, like all grad rec teams, do not willingly discriminate against foreign applicants as the laws have changed so much in the last few years.

While its good to debate these things on forums like TCLA, I'm sure everyone would agree it would be better to keep a positive outlook on this supportive community instead of criticising those who are just here to help us.

I don't know why you assume that I am attacking Jessica personally. If she wants to feel offfended on behalf of all grad rec, that's her prerogative, but I'm not going out of my way to attack her or even "grad rec" as an entity. I don't have a vendetta against grad rec, but neither do I put them on a pedestal. Grad rec makes mistakes. Law firms make mistakes. My providing the example of immigration rules was meant to illustrate that mistakes happen, not to claim that grad rec teams at large go out of their way to discriminate against people. And I'm sorry, but keeping up with immigration rules for the applicants you hire is not a big ask. They haven't changed much in the past three years. The only significant change has come in the last two months, and the issue was never a matter of "we don't know whats coming up", rather "we don't know what the law is right now".

Regardless of that, my point is that even graduate recruitment can and does miss the mark on the law and avoiding discrimination when recruiting applicants, whether willfully or otherwise. If they didn't we wouldn't have to have mass diversity campaigns to combat implicit bias and unconcious racism, sexism, etc.

 

[Celestie]

It will depend on the firm and how many applications they are potentially "missing".

If they thought they were missing out on talent, they would extend it, but I expect many may look at their application numbers and pipeline and say "tough luck"

Jessica using GIFs? Yessss

 

[Celestie]

What's going on?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

What's going on?

Just a difference of opinions. Nothing major really.

Hopefully we can just get back to the deadline day dilemmas

 

[p9b]

Does anyone have any experience/insight on if at interview stage, you are quizzed about the mitigating circumstances you have disclosed? I don't mind speaking about them if it comes up, but I was just wondering if it is something that will be mentioned at an AC interview

 

[Tim Buktu]

I'm not sure why you have such a vendetta against grad rec teams, but I recall this isn't the first time you have said very criticising remarks towards Jessica - someone who spends her day helping applicants like us. I'm sure her, like all grad rec teams, do not willingly discriminate against foreign applicants as the laws have changed so much in the last few years.

While its good to debate these things on forums like TCLA, I'm sure everyone would agree it would be better to keep a positive outlook on this supportive community instead of criticising those who are just here to help us.

Discrimination should be called out whether it is done "willingly" or not.

One isn't above criticism just by virtue of being "just here to help us".

*flies away*

 

[Celestie]

Does anyone have any experience/insight on if at interview stage, you are quizzed about the mitigating circumstances you have disclosed? I don't mind speaking about them if it comes up, but I was just wondering if it is something that will be mentioned at an AC interview

Its illegal for an employer to ask about your disability (and I believe mitcirc). Hence, why you have the make the first move in disclosing. If they quiz you, that's a breach of the Equality Act unless its for evidence.

Please message me if you would like any assistance with this.

 

[Rob93]

Does anyone have any experience/insight on if at interview stage, you are quizzed about the mitigating circumstances you have disclosed? I don't mind speaking about them if it comes up, but I was just wondering if it is something that will be mentioned at an AC interview

Haven't had that experience but given the very nature of mitigating circumstances I can't imagine it would be best practice to grill candidates around that during interview.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Does anyone have any experience/insight on if at interview stage, you are quizzed about the mitigating circumstances you have disclosed? I don't mind speaking about them if it comes up, but I was just wondering if it is something that will be mentioned at an AC interview

Ultimately anything you write on your application is fair game, so it could come up. But depending on the nature of the circumstances, some subjects are just a bit sensitive to go into at an interview stage and some may avoid the questions if it is deemed that even raising the question could risk being perceived as discrimination (not to get on to that topic again).

In some cases, the information maybe redacted out of the application form format your interviewers have.