TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2022-23

[lawgrad2]

Has anyone heard back from NRF after the TI?

 

[AvniD]

I have a written exercise coming up for an AC. Is anyone able to share what firms are looking for when doing a written exercise or the best way to approach it, like for example one that requires you to analyse different options for a client. I don't just want to copy the wording from the information pack into the client letter, so is it best to do something such as analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each option. Any insight would be great, thank you!

Linking some tips here and a general structure you can follow! Let me know if these are helpful!

 

[Mae East]

Stephenson Harwood case study invite!

Congrats! When was your interview with HR ? How long did it take to hear from them after the interview?

 

[Anna W]

Congrats for the interview invite! Just wondering if you had your interview already if you did how did it go and was it in person? I havent heard back yet so I'm guessing it's a rejection but still wondering how it went for you )

Hi sorry I didn’t see this earlier! I had it on Friday and it was in person. The interview itself was very informal/ conversational and it felt like they were trying to get a sense of my personality/ fit more than assessing anything. Honestly I really don’t know how the interview went, I feel like it’s hard to tell with those types of interviews, but it was by far one of the most enjoyable ones I’ve done so far!

 

[tc_hopeful]

Has anyone heard back from NRF after the TI?

I just had mine today!

I was told that successful candidates will hear back by the end of the week / early next week so fingers crossed!

 

[Veep9]

Hi @Veep9- it's so good to see you post again! Congratulations on securing a governance role and well done on taking a break and stepping away to focus on your family and yourself- being self assured enough to do this is not only a commendable trait but also a rare one.

In terms of reapplying to those firms where you got through the application stage, your application answers could be rephrased and rewritten so that your motivations come across as being detailed, more developed and based on deeper knowledge about commercial law and the firm as well. You could attend more recent events with the firm as well to showcase your continuing interest.

A key point here is to reflect on your break and your new role to convey how your skills and character traits have developed in the face of these key events since your last application cycle. How have these events impacted your resilience, ability to prioritise, take initiative etc.? How have you been able to hone your teamwork, attention to detail, organisation, communication skills through your current job? How can you link your current role in financial services to your work as a commercial solicitor? How has your current role taught you the value of prioritising your client's interests and how can this translate into your work in commercial law?

Thinking about these questions and tailoring your application accordingly will undoubtedly help you make more distinct applications from the last cycle. Wishing you the very best!

Thank you! This is really helpful!

 

[lawgrad2]

I just had mine today!

I was told that successful candidates will hear back by the end of the week / early next week so fingers crossed!

Thank you! Hopefully everything works out for you as well

 

[WeRegretToInformYou]

hello, could anyone advise how to go about letting a firm know about a personal matter (loss of a family member) which may affect performance ahead of an interview. thank you

 

[samni]

Has anyone yet to hear from Travers Smith? Is it likely that all TI invites have been sent?

 

[Jessica Booker]

hello, could anyone advise how to go about letting a firm know about a personal matter (loss of a family member) which may affect performance ahead of an interview. thank you

Hi @WeRegretToInformYou - I am sorry to hear about your loss of a family member. I know it must be difficult to focus on your interviews with a lot happening in your personal life.

I advise contacting the firm and asking for the interview to be postponed rather than informing them that your performance will be impacted. A firm can't really assess you clearly if you are thinking your performance is going to be hindered - they can't make any judgement on how its impacting your performance or to what level it is. Therefore the best advice (in my opinion, but I would expect most recruiters to agree), would be to delay the interview until you feel you can focus on it. I would expect most firms would be able to accommodate a later interview date given the circumstances.

 

[Jammo58]

Has anyone yet to hear from Travers Smith? Is it likely that all TI invites have been sent?

I haven't heard anything since I applied on 2 August. Not holding out much hope as looks like lots of people received invites to interview last week.

 

[samni]

I haven't heard anything since I applied on 2 August. Not holding out much hope as looks like lots of people received invites to interview last week.

Yes, likewise. Either they’re giving them out in rounds or they’re fully done

 

[Brandon93]

Anyone heard from Orrick or K&L Gates?

 

[WAL007]

Anyone heard from Orrick or K&L Gates?

Did not hear anything since submitting app

 

[User20021]

Any news from Arnold & Porter?

 

[S87]

Any news from Arnold & Porter?

Nothing yet

 

[lolamcd1]

Hey, looking for some advice. Didn’t manage to secure anything in the last cycle. I am due to start a paralegal job soon and am keen to carry on applying to training contracts /VS. I was speaking with someone and they made a negative comment about how being a paralegal can reduce your chances of being successful in applications and how easy it is to get stuck. Is this true? I was quite proud of myself for getting this role and thought it could be 1 step closer to a TC! any advise would be greatly appreciated as I’m feeling quite stressed and lost at the minute

 

[TC fiend]

Hey, looking for some advice. Didn’t manage to secure anything in the last cycle. I am due to start a paralegal job soon and am keen to carry on applying to training contracts /VS. I was speaking with someone and they made a negative comment about how being a paralegal can reduce your chances of being successful in applications and how easy it is to get stuck. Is this true? I was quite proud of myself for getting this role and thought it could be 1 step closer to a TC! any advise would be greatly appreciated as I’m feeling quite stressed and lost at the minute

Completely untrue. I was told this as well, particularly at a larger firm - “why would they make you a trainee if they can keep you on cheaper as a paralegal!” and comments like that. The extensive hands-on experience you get from being a paralegal will be an asset to you in your applications because you’ll be able to see first hand what a trainee does, find out how a firm works and learn a lot of soft skills on the fly. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Completely untrue. I was told this as well, particularly at a larger firm - “why would they make you a trainee if they can keep you on cheaper as a paralegal!” and comments like that. The extensive hands-on experience you get from being a paralegal will be an asset to you in your applications because you’ll be able to see first hand what a trainee does, find out how a firm works and learn a lot of soft skills on the fly. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.

I'd echo this. Even if there was any truth to it, doing a paralegal job will be better than being unemployed and you will develop more knowledge than if you were in most other non-legal jobs. And that is really what is important - how you are developing your skills and knowledge.

 

[sa174m]

Hey, looking for some advice. Didn’t manage to secure anything in the last cycle. I am due to start a paralegal job soon and am keen to carry on applying to training contracts /VS. I was speaking with someone and they made a negative comment about how being a paralegal can reduce your chances of being successful in applications and how easy it is to get stuck. Is this true? I was quite proud of myself for getting this role and thought it could be 1 step closer to a TC! any advise would be greatly appreciated as I’m feeling quite stressed and lost at the minute

I agree with everyone on the fact that it's completely wrong to say that a paralegal role reduces your chances from being successful at TC applications. If anything, they make you a much stronger applicant.

I was unsuccessful in my first two rounds of TCs. I thankfully secured an in-house paralegal role after graduating and worked there for less than a year before I got a TC offer. I was much more confident in interviews (because this time, I actually knew what I was talking about when I discussed commercial awarness + in-house experience makes you understand what clients want from private practice firms). It just made the biggest difference and honestly you should be so proud of yourself for securing this role!!