TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2023-4

[futuretraineesolicitor]

FF PFO

Same

 

[crt1s]

I too thought it was a strong application, I did however submit it five minutes before the deadline🤣 Im not sure if that played a part

 

[LehmanBrothersRiskManagementIntern]

I too thought it was a strong application, I did however submit it five minutes before the deadline🤣 Im not sure if that played a part

Nah I submitted in early December so date is not relevant

 

[Szofi66]

I too thought it was a strong application, I did however submit it five minutes before the deadline🤣 Im not sure if that played a part

I mean it would play a part if FF was rolling but its not... so i'd appreciate if they played fair and square and actually read every application they receive by the deadline

 

[Untilwinter]

never made it past the app stage for every mc firms now. How? A genuine question. What are they looking for?

 

[legally.brown]

FF pfo too! So confused because the last app I made to them was the most generic app I’ve ever done and I got the WG invite. Maybe I need to strip back to the basics 😂

not sure if for direct TC their standards are high like they expect you to have vac scheme? i really don’t know lol 😂

 

[LehmanBrothersRiskManagementIntern]

not sure if for direct TC their standards are high like they expect you to have vac scheme? i really don’t know lol 😂

I had a vac scheme at another MC firm, they still rejected me

 

[LehmanBrothersRiskManagementIntern]

I mean it would play a part if FF was rolling but its not... so i'd appreciate if they played fair and square and actually read every application they receive by the deadline

Tbh I think they didn't even read mine. Well I am just speculating. Im gonna start believing in conspiracy theories to explain the PFO 🤣

 

[yueyueer]

Did you do the WG?

Post-app, unfortunately.

 

[hannah04]

I mean it would play a part if FF was rolling but its not... so i'd appreciate if they played fair and square and actually read every application they receive by the deadline

I think they do - I attended an application workshop they hosted last year and they said they every application is assigned to and read by a member of the early careers team. But given the (likely) thousands of people applying for limited spots and that it gets more competitive every year, I suppose they have a wide discretion to decide whether an application is given a yes over a no, and unfortunately, we may never know why :/

 

[axelbeugre]

Hi there. i was wondering if anyone could help with an answer for an interview question of why I didn't convert a VS to a TC? It's a question i am dreading but ik i should defo expect it coming my way

my feedback post-VS wasn't super clear/that useful, I asked but GR didn't give me a specific reason to why i wasn't offered it just that it was a very competitive year l- but i think it was because i didn't score very high in 1 out of 3 of my written pieces during the scheme. I'm not too sure how to say I've improved this though- maybe since i've started working now whereas i was at uni before so not used to writing in a 'lawyerly' way? I did feel quite out of place at the firm so now it's been a few months i think it was for the best as i don't think i would've enjoyed training there but ik that's not an ideal answer haha! Thanks! @axelbeugre

I think that you could just say the truth and explain the ways in which working now allowed you to develop your writing. Rather than focusing on the negative, I will always stress how you overcame this rejection and what you did to work on the feedback given. I personally would try to be truthful but highlight my successes and improvements since that rejection.

 

[Legalstalker]

never made it past the app stage for every mc firms now. How? A genuine question. What are they looking for?

Same!! every single MC firm has rejected me on application yet i've progressed further with a US firm. I have some legal experience, commercial experience, passed university with a high grade and i have a whole list of extracurriculars. What do they want?!?! my left kidney 🫘

 

[LehmanBrothersRiskManagementIntern]

Same!! every single MC firm has rejected me on application yet i've progressed further with a US firm. I have some legal experience, commercial experience, passed university with a high grade and i have a whole list of extracurriculars. What do they want?!?! my left kidney 🫘

Probably they want me to gain experience as a CEO of a private equity house before even sending me the WG. who knows

 

[VacayScheme]

Did anybody not apply to FF? Genuinely curious to know their app numbers for this year (I have had an *insane* number of messages after doing the AC) 😅. May explain the difference application outcomes relative to other years... Keep going guys, you only need one yes!

 

[johnnn821]

Same here. Attended their workshop. Spend ages on the app and still didnt make it past the app stage. Sometimes I think it just comes down to who reads your application from the Grad Rec team. Anyway onwards and upwards

 

[missingh]

I think that you could just say the truth and explain the ways in which working now allowed you to develop your writing. Rather than focusing on the negative, I will always stress how you overcame this rejection and what you did to work on the feedback given. I personally would try to be truthful but highlight my successes and improvements since that rejection.

thank you Axel! It's a shame as generally my feedback sounded positive but unfortunately in one of my tasks i didn't refer to specific clauses in legislation enough. I did beat myself up about it for a while after but 2 hours after the pfo phone call (brutal) i had an interview for an in-house legal internship and i am working here now and i love it so really was a case of one door closing another opening! I have some good feedback from senior people in my team and a pay rise in this current role so hopefully that counts as a success? thank you for your input! I really appreciate it

 

[Solicitorinthemaking]

Also PFO after WG.

 

[spamelinazoid]

I don’t get it… I got an AC with FF 2 years ago and got the WG last year but I didn’t even make it past the application stage this round?? I feel like my grades have gotten significantly stronger as I’ve graduated with a first from a RG Uni since I first applied and I have more legal experience… at this point, idk what I’m doing wrong as I haven’t gotten past a single application stage this cycle. I would usually be hopeful but damn this cycle has been tough

Same boat, I got the WG invite last year with 0 work experience the winter after graduating. My Cover Letter was really good, and I did it after attending their grad workshop for which I was selected. I used the same tips from the workshop to build up my letter this year, after also working in a commercial law firm as a paralegal for 1 year, and I didnt even get through to a WG this time.

It is, quite literally, a lottery game. And it’s really disheartening.

 

[laby201]

PFO from Freshfields post-app.

I know how competitive the MC is, so not going to complain, but I just sometimes don’t understand how the decisions are made? Last year, I sent in an app an hour before the deadline, with one or two spelling mistakes, and the app was effectively a generic one not tailored to the firm that I copied from another of my applications. I got through to the WG stage.

This year, I researched throughly and feel my app was far better, alongside paralegal experience and an achieved first-class degree, but I didn’t get past the application stage.

I just don’t understand that. I think it makes the whole process much harder to understand when things like that happen.

 

[spamelinazoid]

PFO from Freshfields post-app.

I know how competitive the MC is, so not going to complain, but I just sometimes don’t understand how the decisions are made? Last year, I sent in an app an hour before the deadline, with one or two spelling mistakes, and the app was effectively a generic one not tailored to the firm that I copied from another of my applications. I got through to the WG stage.

This year, I researched throughly and feel my app was far better, alongside paralegal experience and an achieved first-class degree, but I didn’t get past the application stage.

I just don’t understand that. I think it makes the whole process much harder to understand when things like that happen.

Sort of same lol, theres no logic