TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

[user3883930]

W&C TI invite!

 

[CuriousGeorge]

Hi @Jessica Booker & @Jaysen - I have a query for you below and was wondering if either of you are able to please advise. I will include as much context as possible.

I am a graduate who completed an undergraduate degree in law (1st class, non-RG uni) and the LPC, I have more than 5 years experience as a paralegal at a mix of firms including US (2) and midsize. I had a very difficult family life and health issues for many years which is why I had poor A Level grades (with mitigating circumstances). Therefore, I prioritised working and surviving rather than applying for training contracts.

Last year I cracked down and serioiusly started applying for my first round of TCs and submitted around 15 applications, I passed on to Video Interview Stage with 2 of them (US firms) and then didn't succeed. However, one of the firms I passed all the way through and secured a direct TC (regional firm in thier London office). As this was the only offer I had secured in the cycle and a good firm, where the people were very lovely I accepted this offer and after many years as a paralegal I would like to finally qualify.

However, I have always wanted to qualify at a US Law firm because of the complexity of the work, diversity of seats offered in these firms (i.e. Private Equity, Leveraged Finance, Corporate) and having been a paralegal at some of these firms I have seen the level of responsibility that trainees are given. And the firm that I accepted only has a general corporate seat e.g. Corporate and Commercial, but has some other unique seats.

I understand that once someone has secured a TC the SRA states that they are not meant to continue applying and to disclose to future employers that they have accepted one. But this seems unfair to me as this means from an applicant's perspective we are unable to be selective outside of each cycle and if an opportunity arises which is more suited, we are restricted. I also understand that the competition for US law firm TCs is very high. But I have been loosing sleep thinking what if?

I don't want to loose my current offer but I also don't want to keep wondering what would have or could have happened. I also would ideally like to be able to start TC without doing SQE 2 as I've done the LPC already (regional firm is allowing this as they accept the LPC) but for the right firm I would do the SQE 2 if I have to but I do not really see the point.

1. Is it possible to continue applying to TCs having secured one already? And will this impact the current offer?
2. Is it worth continuing to apply and going through the recruitment process (and possibly wait another year for a 2027 start) or is it better to qualify at the regional firm then break into the US law firms at 1-2+ PQE stage? And how hard is this to do if you've done a more general corporate and commercial seat?
3. What is the movement like at PQE stage between Regional Firms and US firms? And which department/areas of law see the most movement into US law firms for PQE recruitment?

I also don't know yet which area I would like to qualify in but I would like to do a corporate seat. Please help, any advice would be welcome.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker & @Jaysen - I have a query for you below and was wondering if either of you are able to please advise. I will include as much context as possible.

I am a graduate who completed an undergraduate degree in law (1st class, non-RG uni) and the LPC, I have more than 5 years experience as a paralegal at a mix of firms including US (2) and midsize. I had a very difficult family life and health issues for many years which is why I had poor A Level grades (with mitigating circumstances). Therefore, I prioritised working and surviving rather than applying for training contracts.

Last year I cracked down and serioiusly started applying for my first round of TCs and submitted around 15 applications, I passed on to Video Interview Stage with 2 of them (US firms) and then didn't succeed. However, one of the firms I passed all the way through and secured a direct TC (regional firm in thier London office). As this was the only offer I had secured in the cycle and a good firm, where the people were very lovely I accepted this offer and after many years as a paralegal I would like to finally qualify.

However, I have always wanted to qualify at a US Law firm because of the complexity of the work, diversity of seats offered in these firms (i.e. Private Equity, Leveraged Finance, Corporate) and having been a paralegal at some of these firms I have seen the level of responsibility that trainees are given. And the firm that I accepted only has a general corporate seat e.g. Corporate and Commercial, but has some other unique seats.

I understand that once someone has secured a TC the SRA states that they are not meant to continue applying and to disclose to future employers that they have accepted one. But this seems unfair to me as this means from an applicant's perspective we are unable to be selective outside of each cycle and if an opportunity arises which is more suited, we are restricted. I also understand that the competition for US law firm TCs is very high. But I have been loosing sleep thinking what if?

I don't want to loose my current offer but I also don't want to keep wondering what would have or could have happened. I also would ideally like to be able to start TC without doing SQE 2 as I've done the LPC already (regional firm is allowing this as they accept the LPC) but for the right firm I would do the SQE 2 if I have to but I do not really see the point.

1. Is it possible to continue applying to TCs having secured one already? And will this impact the current offer?
2. Is it worth continuing to apply and going through the recruitment process (and possibly wait another year for a 2027 start) or is it better to qualify at the regional firm then break into the US law firms at 1-2+ PQE stage? And how hard is this to do if you've done a more general corporate and commercial seat?
3. What is the movement like at PQE stage between Regional Firms and US firms? And which department/areas of law see the most movement into US law firms for PQE recruitment?

I also don't know yet which area I would like to qualify in but I would like to do a corporate seat. Please help, any advice would be welcome.

The SRA has no involvement with TC recruitment processes and does not state anything about not continuing. They withdrew from the code of best recruitment practice (which references this) in 2015. The Law Society does still support the voluntary code though (but this code is voluntary and many firms don’t stick to their commitments in the code too).

1) It is possible to still apply but as soon as you receive any financial support from your TC firm, you should really be sticking to your TC firm. To me that is the point you are not going to be able to change without serious repercussions.

2) There is no set answer to this unfortunately. It really depends on your priorities. Jumping from a regional to a US firm at 2-3 years PQE is not going to be straight forward though, and you may find it takes a couple of moves over a greater number of years to get there. But it depends on so many variables it is very hard to give you direction on what is possible and what isn’t.

3) it doesn’t happen a lot. But mainly because most people who go to regional firms are not aiming for US firms, so are not applying for US PQE roles in large numbers. They made a decision that regional firms are better for them (eg they don’t want to work in London, they don’t want crazy hours). Even if they do, sometimes the work they are doing is not comparable to their US or International form trained peers too - they are less likely to have worked on the size and complexity of matters that those who have trained in US and International firms have done. So they will typically need to be working in a high demand area, or have had unique exposure to specific type of clients/matters that correlate to similar work the US firm does.

Most firms have now moved to the SQE because there are far fewer regulatory requirements of QWE compared to a period of recognised training, so I would expect there is a strong chance you will need to complete SQE2 unless you started a TC in the next 12 months.

 

[CuriousGeorge]

Thank you @Jessica Booker. This is very helpful.

I haven't received any financial support from the offering firm and as they do not require the SQE (and have accepted the LPC) I will not be receiving any financial support from them.

1. Apologies, I meant mid-size city rather than a regional firm is where I got the offer. Does that impact the difficulty of transition to US firm at 2-3 PQE? Or will that also require a couple of moves over a greater number of years?
2. Are you able to give examples of 'high demand areas' in contentious and non-contentious?
3. If I continued to apply in this cycle to US/Internatioal law firms, would there be a risk of a future firm disclosing that I applied to them to the offering firm and then the offering firm (mid-size city firm) renegging on the offer?
4. You mentioned that there isn't a lot of movement between Regional and US Firms. Is this also the case between mid-size city and US Firms?

So they will typically need to be working in a high demand area, or have had unique exposure to specific type of clients/matters that correlate to similar work the US firm does.

The SRA has no involvement with TC recruitment processes and does not state anything about not continuing. They withdrew from the code of best recruitment practice (which references this) in 2015. The Law Society does still support the voluntary code though (but this code is voluntary and many firms don’t stick to their commitments in the code too).

1) It is possible to still apply but as soon as you receive any financial support from your TC firm, you should really be sticking to your TC firm. To me that is the point you are not going to be able to change without serious repercussions.

2) There is no set answer to this unfortunately. It really depends on your priorities. Jumping from a regional to a US firm at 2-3 years PQE is not going to be straight forward though, and you may find it takes a couple of moves over a greater number of years to get there. But it depends on so many variables it is very hard to give you direction on what is possible and what isn’t.

3) it doesn’t happen a lot. But mainly because most people who go to regional firms are not aiming for US firms, so are not applying for US PQE roles in large numbers. They made a decision that regional firms are better for them (eg they don’t want to work in London, they don’t want crazy hours). Even if they do, sometimes the work they are doing is not comparable to their US or International form trained peers too - they are less likely to have worked on the size and complexity of matters that those who have trained in US and International firms have done. So they will typically need to be working in a high demand area, or have had unique exposure to specific type of clients/matters that correlate to similar work the US firm does.

Most firms have now moved to the SQE because there are far fewer regulatory requirements of QWE compared to a period of recognised training, so I would expect there is a strong chance you will need to complete SQE2 unless you started a TC in the next 12 months.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you @Jessica Booker. This is very helpful.

I haven't recieved any financial support from the offering firm and as they do not require the SQE (and have accepted the LPC) I will not be receieving any financial support from them.

1. Apologies, I meant mid-size city rather than a regional firm is where I got the offer. Does that impact the difficulty of transition to US firm at 2-3 PQE? Or will that also require a couple of moves over a greater number of years?
2. Are you ale to give examples of 'high demand areas' in contentious and non-contentious?
3. If I continued to apply in this cycle to US/Internatioal law firms, would there be a risk of a future firm disclosing that I applied to them to the offering firm and then the offering firm (mid-size city firm) renegging on the offer?

1. It depends on what you mean by mid-size. Is this a UK-only firm? If so, the same applies as it would do for a regional firm.
2. High demand fluctuates - what is high demand now could easily not be in 3-4 years. It isn't just about practice areas; it is also about sectors and knowledge in particular areas of law. All it takes is a major change in regulation or growth in industry/markets, and those could be the areas for higher demand for lawyers.
3. Your TC firm will only find out if you are applying elsewhere if you tell them or put it in the public domain (e.g., mention it on social media/LinkedIn). Data protection alone means a firm cannot tell another firm about your application status.

 

[CuriousGeorge]

1. It depends on what you mean by mid-size. Is this a UK-only firm? If so, the same applies as it would do for a regional firm.
2. High demand fluctuates - what is high demand now could easily not be in 3-4 years. It isn't just about practice areas; it is also about sectors and knowledge in particular areas of law. All it takes is a major change in regulation or growth in industry/markets, and those could be the areas for higher demand for lawyers.
3. Your TC firm will only find out if you are applying elsewhere if you tell them or put it in the public domain (e.g., mention it on social media/LinkedIn). Data protection alone means a firm cannot tell another firm about your application status.

Thank you @Jessica Booker you have calmed my stress. I've honestly been up at night thinking about this stuff. Greatly appreciate your advice on this.

 

[User5678]

Any news from Dentons?

No, I am so tired at this point!! I’m gonna be pissed if this is a delayed PFO!!

 

[👩🎓]

Hi @Jessica Booker. When writing a cover letter on Word, that is intending to be attached, what would you recommend the margin size to be? (Should it be normal or narrow and how strict are firms with this?)

Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker. When writing a cover letter on Word, that is intending to be attached, what would you recommend the margin size to be? (Should it be normal or narrow and how strict are firms with this?)

Thank you!

Standard default on Word for margins is 2.54. I think you can narrow down to 2.0 with no issue. Any narrower than that and the page starts to look quite cramped unless you are using paragraph and line spacing elsewhere in the document, and have a decent text size (e.g. 11). If you are using very narrow margins, font size 10 and little paragraph/line spacing the document is going to look far too crowded.

 

[qwop881]

I just took a look at the new Legal Cheek Most List for 2025. And it is showing Clifford Chance only offering 63 training contracts and Freshfields only offering 80? Can anyone confirm if these firms are slashing the number of places they plan to offer?

 

[Jessica Booker]

I just took a look at the new Legal Cheek Most List for 2025. And it is showing Clifford Chance only offering 63 training contracts and Freshfields only offering 80? Can anyone confirm if these firms are slashing the number of places they plan to offer?

Freshfields has been 80 for some time but that does seem to be a bit of a drop for Clifford Chance as it’s typically been about 100-110 per year for them.

 

[LB24]

Anyone else heard from AG?

 

[A worried graduate]

Hi - I am planning on applying to the legal assistant programme soon. Do you mind if I ask what the online test involved? Were there any written questions? I want to make sure I submit when I'll have sufficient time in the following week to complete the test.

Thank you in advance.

Iirc it’s not timed.

It is a very run of the mill cappfinity test which is used by a lot of other firms (I can name Irwin Mitchell , KPMG and Macfarlanes off my head but there are a ton more).

What do you mean by written? There were some proof-reading style questions but nothing that requires research or an essay.

 

[HelpAStudentOut]

Should we assume HL PFO

 

[Lawlawlaw2]

Hi @Jessica Booker, hope all is well. Just wanted to ask you where I could find all the deadlines for the 2026-2027 training contracts (this new cycle). Thanks a lot!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker, hope all is well. Just wanted to ask you where I could find all the deadlines for the 2026-2027 training contracts (this new cycle). Thanks a lot!

We will be providing such a list later in September once more firms have announced their application details.

 

[Lawlawlaw2]

@Jessica Booker okay great thank you for letting me know!

 

[bangarangbass39]

Is still possible to be invited to an AC for a 2026 TC this coming month? I haven’t heard back from Addleshaw yet n I’m worried that this is just a long PFO. The deadline for apps was July 31st and I applied on the 24th of May. Surely firms would need to formally decide by now (the beginning of a new application cycle) who is joining for the cycle and who is not?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Is still possible to be invited to an AC for a 2026 TC this coming month? I haven’t heard back from Addleshaw yet n I’m worried that this is just a long PFO. The deadline for apps was July 31st and I applied on the 24th of May. Surely firms would need to formally decide by now (the beginning of a new application cycle) who is joining for the cycle and who is not?

With recruitment so far in advance there wouldn’t be an absolute need to confirm 2026 intakes.

I would contact the firm and see if they can give you an estimated time/date of when you will hear back though given the time that has passed.

 

[bangarangbass39]

With recruitment so far in advance there wouldn’t be an absolute need to confirm 2026 intakes.

I would contact the firm and see if they can give you an estimated time/date of when you will hear back though given the time that has passed.

Okay thank you. When I submitted my application, it said to expect a response within the 10 weeks of the end of the deadline. So it looks like I could wait till mid October 😕 I’ll email to hear what they have to say