TCLA General Discussion Thread 2022-23

[iamJW]

When are we expected to hear back for the TCLA 2022/23 Scholarship? Was it this week?

 

[Jessica Booker]

When are we expected to hear back for the TCLA 2022/23 Scholarship? Was it this week?

Yes - everyone will hear back this evening (10th October).

 

[golden99]

Hi there, I could really do with some advice. I have a paralegal interview coming up at a US firm with a very small office in London ( they don't even offer TC's in London). Many of the usual sources of information do not have anything on them (eg, chambers student, tcla firm profiles, legal cheek). I have also been advised by the recruiter who applied to the firm on my behalf not to reach out to anyone at the firm on LinkedIn, they mentioned this could end up working against me. Does anyone have any advice on how I could learn more about the firm?

Also, does anyone have advice about the types of questions that could come up in a paralegal interview, as I have very little knowledge of this. For instance, for an AC for a TC, I would always prepare answers to why law, tell me about a recent news story, tell us about a deal that caught your attention. Would it be sensible to prepare these answers again?

I would welcome any advice from anyone who has knowledge/experience of paralegal interviews. I have tagged some people below who I think may have advice, but I would welcome comments from anyone. Thanks in advance!

@James Carrabino @Jessica Booker @AvniD

 

[letmeintolaw]

Does anyone have any information on whether it is easy to lateral into the city from a regional firm upon qualification?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Does anyone have any information on whether it is easy to lateral into the city from a regional firm upon qualification?

There are a lot of variables to take into account to give you any clear indication of this, but ultimately it will depend on the practice area you qualify into, the typical clients (and size/complexity of the matters you deal with), the demand/supply in the market at the time, and the firm you are working at and also looking to move to.

 

[Jellybelly829]

Hi there - I am looking for general advice with regards to finding shorter-term paralegal work (3 month FTC/Temporary work).

I am a training contract offer holder and I am due to start my TC in February 2024. However, prior to this, I will be starting the SQE in March 2023. I am, therefore, interested in paralegal work up until the end of Feb 2023.

I have been in touch with a number of recruitment agencies (incl. flex legal, Ryder Reid, Law Support, LOD etc), however, it has been relatively quiet so far.

I have been looking for over a month and I am keen to make these months as productive as possible - I was wondering if anyone had any specific advice or if anyone could recommend any specific recruiters they have had good experiences with?

Thank you in advance 😊

@Jessica Booker @AvniD

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi there - I am looking for general advice with regards to finding shorter-term paralegal work (3 month FTC/Temporary work).

I am a training contract offer holder and I am due to start my TC in February 2024. However, prior to this, I will be starting the SQE in March 2023. I am, therefore, interested in paralegal work up until the end of Feb 2023.

I have been in touch with a number of recruitment agencies (incl. flex legal, Ryder Reid, Law Support, LOD etc), however, it has been relatively quiet so far.

I have been looking for over a month and I am keen to make these months as productive as possible - I was wondering if anyone had any specific advice or if anyone could recommend any specific recruiters they have had good experiences with?

Thank you in advance 😊

@Jessica Booker @AvniD

Put you are a future trainee on your LinkedIn profile and set your settings to “open to work” and you’ll be contacted by some recruiters.

You should also focus on temporary roles. Even a fixed term contract is probably too long for you now (you’d only have 3-4 months of work by you were recruited), so I would focus on connecting with agencies that specialise in temp roles. You may also want to set up job alerts on LinkedIn for things like document review projects etc.

A month isn’t a long time to be looking, so I suspect it’s just a case of just persevering with applying for roles and contacting recruiters for the next 4-6 weeks.

 

[fta2024]

Hi,

Quick question about VS applications. I made my cover letter a bit longer than a page on some but have also included addresses at dates at the top. will this hinder my application at all?

 

[lawpersongirl123]

Hi! I have 2 questions
1) I have an interview soon. I have done one boutique law work experience and other consulting/banking experience. The truth is, that during my week at the law firm I pretty much did nothing. I observed some client meetings and did admin work, and proofread one leasehold contract- but no research task or anything of real value. I'm certain that the firm will ask me to speak more about my legal work experience. But I don't really know what to say. Could you advise me on this?

2) If an interviewer asked me about a commercial news story, should I speak about the legal implications within my answer? Or wait till they ask for a follow-up?

Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi,

Quick question about VS applications. I made my cover letter a bit longer than a page on some but have also included addresses at dates at the top. will this hinder my application at all?

It will depend on the firm - some explicitly state it should be no longer than a page or a certain word count.

 

[F12M34L]

Is anyone participating in the AS CAC?

 

[user9809]

Is anyone participating in the AS CAC?

I’m participating. Have you heard back from them after round 2?

 

[F12M34L]

I’m participating. Have you heard back from them after round 2?

Thats what I wanted to ask too haha

I have not yet, wbu?

 

[Hani]

Thats what I wanted to ask too haha

I have not yet, wbu?

I haven't either, i know from round 1 we heard back around 4 ish

 

[user9809]

Thats what I wanted to ask too haha

I have not yet, wbu?

No haven’t heard back either

 

[F12M34L]

No haven’t heard back either

I haven't either, i know from round 1 we heard back around 4 ish

I just did, and made it through to quarter finals

 

[Hani]

I just did, and made it through to quarter finals

Me too !

 

[Pius XIII]

Does anyone who did exams during a year abroad know the right approach to the grade section of application forms?

For context, I did do exams but my official transcript just says something along the lines of ‘compulsory year abroad credits - pass’.

For my third year (when I did my year abroad), my student record says ‘this course has been disregarded for award or progression calculations’. There is no indication of my grades anywhere. When filling out application forms, should I just put exactly what’s on my official transcript? I am worried that law firms could think I am trying to hide something.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Does anyone who did exams during a year abroad know the right approach to the grade section of application forms?

For context, I did do exams but my official transcript just says something along the lines of ‘compulsory year abroad credits - pass’.

For my third year (when I did my year abroad), my student record says ‘this course has been disregarded for award or progression calculations’. There is no indication of my grades anywhere. When filling out application forms, should I just put exactly what’s on my official transcript? I am worried that law firms could think I am trying to hide something.

You should just list your grades as a pass (this is quite common so I wouldn’t worry about it). You can always explain on a extra information section that your year abroad is not formally grades and only works on a pass/fail basis.

 

[F12M34L]

Any tips for AS CAC?