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I might be wrong here, but wouldn’t the offer of a TC to those that did the VS, be based on the fact they did the VS and not based on their AC performance? I don’t think city law firms (who invest at least £100k in training) would be able to make a decision solely off of an AC. In the instance where firms have a DTC route, they normally seek substantial experience to make up for the fact they aren’t assessing you via a traditional VS. That’s why they can rely on just an AC. These routes are closed off to a lot of people as well (especially those that are socially mobile or live in the regions and have less access to opportunities such as legal work experiences in the city). 🥲

Law firms will want to see how well someone can do the job (on the job). The work of a trainee associate in a city law firm is different and requires a specific set of skills, which can only be assessed when tested in the workplace itself. Besides, how can we as applicants know whether a firm is truly the right one for us, if we haven’t had the chance to assess the firm via a VS? I don’t think I’d know whether any firm would suit me solely through a few interviews and assessments. A two year TC (with the aim of staying on as an NQ) is a significant investment and commitment for both parties, so I would think a VS route is fair game. A VS allows candidates to get a feel for the firm’s culture and meet its current associates and partners (who would be future colleagues). 🙂

These are just my thoughts. I don’t think firms should only have a VS route or only a DTC route. Ideally there should be both options. I just think either way, it’s a competitive process and there will almost always be a large talent pool that isn’t given a TC. That’s a part of how this whole thing works unfortunately. I think firms need to find a balance between ensuring they recruit the best talent but also making sure it has fair routes into entering in the first place (so as to not exclude anyone). I just don’t think it’s an all or nothing approach; firms can be committed to DEI and social mobility whilst also having a process that might result in some people being unable to get a TC (as [USER=17013]@Broadwater[/USER] has also mentioned in a previous comment). 🙂