CMS or DLA Piper?

[jg120]

I'm in the very fortunate position of having passed ACs for both CMS and DLA Piper - happy to offer tips to anyone who's yet to go through the process (not that I'd feel especially qualified for this!)


However, the CMS offer is for a direct TC, and DLA for a Summer Internship. I really liked DLA, more so than CMS - but the option of just accepting the CMS TC and not having to worry about passing an internship is tempting. If the DLA offer were for a direct TC I'd accept that without hesitation.


Has anyone been in a similar position, or have experience working at either of these two firms? Also, does anyone know the typical % of students who end up going on to pass the DLA Summer Internship?

 

[NCTC2025]

Hi, what a fortunate position to be in! How long has CMS given you to accept the TC? Is there not an option to make you decision after the vs?

 

[TCseeker17]

When did you do the CMS AC if you don't mind me asking? How quick was the turnaround?

 

[jg120]

When did you do the CMS AC if you don't mind me asking? How quick was the turnaround?

turnaround was just over a week for the London office

 

[jg120]

Hi, what a fortunate position to be in! How long has CMS given you to accept the TC? Is there not an option to make you decision after the vs?

they've yet to send me the formal offer and full terms - but I'd be very surprised if I was able to extend that long (especially given how they encouraged me to verbally accept there and then on the phone)...will keep my fingers crossed though! Good luck with your own applications!

 

[jta227]

Congrats! How did you feel like the CMS AC went - were you anticipating the offer?

I think @Jessica Booker is better placed to advise on this but my understanding is that sometimes it’s possible to accept a TC offer and still complete subsequent internships, as the SRA code is only voluntary and many firms themselves do not follow its suggestions. The only thing stopping you would be if there is a term in the CMS TC that prohibits this, or if the DLA internship terms state you must withdraw if you have accepted a TC elsewhere.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Congrats! How did you feel like the CMS AC went - were you anticipating the offer?

I think @Jessica Booker is better placed to advise on this but my understanding is that sometimes it’s possible to accept a TC offer and still complete subsequent internships, as the SRA code is only voluntary and many firms themselves do not follow its suggestions. The only thing stopping you would be if there is a term in the CMS TC that prohibits this, or if the DLA internship terms state you must withdraw if you have accepted a TC elsewhere.

This is correct - you just have to be mindful that at the point you start any onboarding processes for the GDL/LPC/SQE, you will be financially tied to your TC firm and it will become very problematic to try and renege at that point.

 

[jg120]

Congrats! How did you feel like the CMS AC went - were you anticipating the offer?

I think @Jessica Booker is better placed to advise on this but my understanding is that sometimes it’s possible to accept a TC offer and still complete subsequent internships, as the SRA code is only voluntary and many firms themselves do not follow its suggestions. The only thing stopping you would be if there is a term in the CMS TC that prohibits this, or if the DLA internship terms state you must withdraw if you have accepted a TC elsewhere.

Thanks for your response - very useful! I'd really have to think this through, given the DLA internship isn't until the summer and I'd imagine the preparations for the GDL would have started by then, but that's definitely an option to look at.

As for how the AC went...frankly I thought it went much worse than the DLA one and wasn't expecting an offer, but I'll take it!

 

[jta227]

As for how the AC went...frankly I thought it went much worse than the DLA one and wasn't expecting an offer, but I'll take it!

Maybe I should hold out hope then 😭

 

[jg120]

This is correct - you just have to be mindful that at the point you start any onboarding processes for the GDL/LPC/SQE, you will be financially tied to your TC firm and it will become very problematic to try and renege at that point.

Thanks so much for responding @Jessica Booker ! That's an interesting option - I guess I hadn't considered it as it just feels wrong to accept a TC without intending to actually follow through on it. I'll need to be careful that they didn't start preparing me for the GDL before I actually did the internship.

I guess it would be completely out of the question to ask CMS to extend the date of my acceptance until the summer?

I was originally planning on contacting DLA to explain my situation and try and get an idea of how I'll be assessed on the internship, and the % of interns who typically make it through... do you think this is a bad idea, and I should just accept the CMS TC knowing I'll do the internship anyway?

Thanks in advance for your help - this isn't a situation I expected to find myself in (but am very grateful to be in it)!

 

[jg120]

Maybe I should hold out hope then 😭

Keeping my fingers crossed for you

 

[Chris Brown]

I'm in the very fortunate position of having passed ACs for both CMS and DLA Piper - happy to offer tips to anyone who's yet to go through the process (not that I'd feel especially qualified for this!)


However, the CMS offer is for a direct TC, and DLA for a Summer Internship. I really liked DLA, more so than CMS - but the option of just accepting the CMS TC and not having to worry about passing an internship is tempting. If the DLA offer were for a direct TC I'd accept that without hesitation.


Has anyone been in a similar position, or have experience working at either of these two firms? Also, does anyone know the typical % of students who end up going on to pass the DLA Summer Internship?

First of all huge congrats on both offers. This is a very big achievement!! 🥳🏆

If I were in this situation, I would think back to the very beginning. What initially attracted you to both firms? What makes either firm unique and a place you want to pursue a career at? If you were to write a list of the pros and cons of both firms, which one would be stronger?

I would think about the application process and all of the interactions with every person at both firms. Where would you ultimately be happiest at and see yourself staying long term? Which of the two firms has the best culture, pro bono or DEI initiatives, for example?

Ultimately it comes down to a gut instinct. How you feel about each firm is what will inform your final decision.

It sounds like you prefer DLA but are worried about the potential of not converting the SVS into a TC. If you do genuinely like the firm, I think you will perform well on the SVS and convert to a TC. After all, you made it this far into their process!! 🙂🙂

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thanks so much for responding @Jessica Booker ! That's an interesting option - I guess I hadn't considered it as it just feels wrong to accept a TC without intending to actually follow through on it. I'll need to be careful that they didn't start preparing me for the GDL before I actually did the internship.

I guess it would be completely out of the question to ask CMS to extend the date of my acceptance until the summer?

I was originally planning on contacting DLA to explain my situation and try and get an idea of how I'll be assessed on the internship, and the % of interns who typically make it through... do you think this is a bad idea, and I should just accept the CMS TC knowing I'll do the internship anyway?

Thanks in advance for your help - this isn't a situation I expected to find myself in (but am very grateful to be in it)!

You can always speak to the VS firm and see if they could change you to a direct TC process instead and explain you now have a TC offer but your preference is to proceed with your application, but you are sure you would need to commit to the TC firm before the VS is complete.

You could also ask the VS firm to extend the offer period, but if you are due to start the GDL this summer, then I suspect an extension wouldn’t necessarily help you.