TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

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TC fiend

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    I am not convinced that seniority always pulls rank. Clients ultimately pull rank and therefore if the associate's work is for a client and the partner's is not (which it could easily be), although the partner says it is important, they don't know the importance of other things you are working on.
    I agree, and nothing is “always” true. But I think that goes back to communication and delegation skills. If an associate asks you to i.e. draft a memo that needs to go out to the client by a certain time, it’s relatively easy to delegate that back to the associate or another associate on the matter. By comparison, if a partner asks for i.e. an urgent research note ahead of a call, I think in the grand scheme of things it’s a bigger waste of time and firm resources to have the partner do that.

    Ultimately there are various factors that go into the decision - just trying to highlight which skills one would have to use (and for the purpose of discussion, give some insight into answers I’ve heard). 😊
     

    Jessica Booker

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    I agree, and nothing is “always” true. But I think that goes back to communication and delegation skills. If an associate asks you to i.e. draft a memo that needs to go out to the client by a certain time, it’s relatively easy to delegate that back to the associate or another associate on the matter. By comparison, if a partner asks for i.e. an urgent research note ahead of a call, I think in the grand scheme of things it’s a bigger waste of time and firm resources to have the partner do that.

    Ultimately there are various factors that go into the decision - just trying to highlight which skills one would have to use (and for the purpose of discussion, give some insight into answers I’ve heard). 😊
    Completely agree on the communication point. It’s what this question is all about alongside collaboration and ensuring the best outcome for clients.

    It also about understanding the dynamics/culture of the law firm you are applying to - which is often where these questions are not as “level playing field” as many people suggest they are. One firm’s “do the partner’s work” will be the next firm’s “do the associate’s work”.
     
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    Jessica Booker

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    a firm has offered me a VS and asked me to confirm Scheme Dates 1. What if i get another offer from a firm that runs at the exact same time, would I be able to change to Scheme Dates 2 at the first firm? @Jessica Booker
    You might be able to change but there is no guarantee of that. If firm 1 is giving you a choice of dates, you may want to factor that in to which dates you choose. If there are dates that won’t clash, you might want to go with those dates to play it safer.
     
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    Rob93

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    Completely agree on the communication point. It’s what this question is all about alongside collaboration and ensuring the best outcome for clients.

    It also about understanding the dynamics/culture of the law firm you are applying to - which is often where these questions are not as “level playing field” as many people suggest they are. One firm’s “do the partners work” will be the next firm’s “do the associates work”.
    This last point is something I find extremely irksome - how are people outside of the profession expected to have a deep understanding of the work processes and division of responsibilities/priorities within a firm?

    Leaving the gripe aside, how does one acquire insights into this?
     
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    Jessica Booker

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    This last point is something I find extremely irksome - how are people outside of the profession expected to have a deep understanding of the work processes and division of responsibilities/priorities within a firm?

    Leaving the gripe aside, how does one acquire insights into this?
    I don’t think you need to have a deep understanding - but I think it’s beneficial to understand some of the basic cultural differences between firms as well as the realities of what life is like in a law firm to really understand these questions.

    I think you can get some of this understanding by reading firm’s websites/career pages or by talking to people who have worked for them. The things they value will be there, even if you have to read between the lines a bit. I think you can also delve into things like trainee profiles to sometimes get an insight into how things are done at one firm vs another.

    The issue is these differences are often subtle or sometimes hidden between corporate spiel that makes firms sound similar.
     
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