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

[Jessica Booker]

So it wouldn’t be frowned upon for one of the reasons to be that you genuinely enjoy living in London and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else?

If the question is asking you why a London vs Regional firm, then yes that is fine. If it is asking you why city law, then that’s slightly different as you have a whole range of firms in London that are not city law firms.

 

[S87]

Hi @Jessica Booker
In addition to my cover letter, I also need to send my CV. Could I ask you what kind of format should I use? Can I have a statement? Can I use my paralegal CV?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Just had a nap and had a dream that I attended an AC where one of the assessed tasks was to cook an omelette to perfection.

I’m going insane and it’s only my first cycle.

When I worked in-house, I used to dream all the time that I organised campus recruitment events in my bedroom while I was asleep. So I’d dream 100s of people were watching me sleep. Graduate Recruitment makes you insane too 😂

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker
In addition to my cover letter, I also need to send my CV. Could I ask you what kind of format should I use? Can I have a statement? Can I use my paralegal CV?

If you have a cover letter, a statement isn’t needed. What you’d need to say would be in the cover letter.

This thread might be useful in terms of CV format:

Legal CV Structure/Content

Does anybody have any advice as to structuring a legal CV and what content should be included? This is particularly aimed at securing paralegal/legal assistant jobs! Thank you:)

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

 

[BM99]

Is anyone going to CC AC next week and is feeling nervous like me

 

[S87]

If you have a cover letter, a statement isn’t needed. What you’d need to say would be in the cover letter.

This thread might be useful in terms of CV format:

Legal CV Structure/Content

Does anybody have any advice as to structuring a legal CV and what content should be included? This is particularly aimed at securing paralegal/legal assistant jobs! Thank you:)

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

Thank you for this

 

[Donuttime]

Who are our biggest competitors?

is that a competency question or motivation?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Who are our biggest competitors?

is that a competency question or motivation?

Technically it is neither.

A competency question would be a “tell me about a time you have developed X skill”

While a motivation question on this topic would be “Which other firms have you applied to and how are we better than them”

This question is really just assessing your knowledge and analytical abilities in written form.

 

[Trying4aJob]

Hi everyone - this is my first post and first time applying for Vacation Schemes!

I have an Assessment Centre tomorrow with Ashurst, and one of the tasks is a one-hour case study written exercise. I have no experience at all with these, however I have been informed by the firm that it will focus on the commercial rather than legal side of things. If anyone has any tips on how to approach these, I would be very grateful, such as regarding structure, length, content etc. (Background - I am a non-law student). Thank you in advance!

 

[Asil Ahmad]

Hi everyone - this is my first post and first time applying for Vacation Schemes!

I have an Assessment Centre tomorrow with Ashurst, and one of the tasks is a one-hour case study written exercise. I have no experience at all with these, however I have been informed by the firm that it will focus on the commercial rather than legal side of things. If anyone has any tips on how to approach these, I would be very grateful, such as regarding structure, length, content etc. (Background - I am a non-law student). Thank you in advance!

I don't have experience with AC but welcome to the forum.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi everyone - this is my first post and first time applying for Vacation Schemes!

I have an Assessment Centre tomorrow with Ashurst, and one of the tasks is a one-hour case study written exercise. I have no experience at all with these, however I have been informed by the firm that it will focus on the commercial rather than legal side of things. If anyone has any tips on how to approach these, I would be very grateful, such as regarding structure, length, content etc. (Background - I am a non-law student). Thank you in advance!

I want to be honest with you but I truly believe this is the best advice I can give you now - I think trying to prepare now at this late stage won't be helpful to you.

I recommend instead you get a good night's sleep, rest up and take it easy. Anything I would recommend in terms of preparation would require more than a couple of hours and ideally not absorbing it only a matter of hours before your interview. It is like trying to revise for an exam hours beforehand - it's only going to confuse and panic you more trying to take on information at this late stage.

A few tips that might help:

1. Try to skim read quickly through all the information you are given for the case study first before reading it in detail. Understanding the full scope of the information given to you in likely to help you to frame your thinking it a much more logical way. The most important factor could be the last thing you read and could change your analysis of all the other information, and so understanding all the information you have quickly can help you make better assumptions/conclusions
2. Quality will always win out over quantity - depth of thought, structure, flow and accuracy will always win out over an illogical flow of headline points with little analysis
3. Remember who your audience is - an output from the exercise to a fictional client will be very different to what you would provide to a partner in the law firm. Try to anticipate what they already know and therefore what you don't have to tell them (unless they have asked for it).

 

[Arche172372]

Does anyone have experience with Milbank’s AC. I’ve never done a group exercise!

 

[abcdefg]

Hi, does anyone have any experiences undergoing Vero Screening, especially for TC? Please PM me if you have :’)

 

[s10]

CMS ACADEMY 2022!!! Finally feeling like this application cycle was worth it 😭

 

[Amy_WS]

Congrats! Is this Summer or Spring?

Spring

 

[vacschemesforeveryone]

When did you apply?

On 4 December

 

[vacschemesforeveryone]

Hi there! Anyone interviewed with Slaughter and May and would be able to give me some tips on how to prepare and how it went? Thank you very much
This is for vac scheme

 

[sami.rehman]

Shall I just assume the PFO for the spring scheme then 😂 not heard a word since I completed the Blended test 9th December

This is the exact same position as me lol ! I emailed grad recruitment yesterday just to enquire, but who knows ! Let's have faith, it's not a PFO just yet I submitted 2nd Dec

 

[legalgemma]

I was just in the middle of completing a WG and the page cut out and refreshed and logged me out. Its not letting me log back in because my email address has already been registered - I have emailed grad rec but I am panicking, will they send me a fresh link and let me do it again?

 

[GXA123]

I was just in the middle of completing a WG and the page cut out and refreshed and logged me out. Its not letting me log back in because my email address has already been registered - I have emailed grad rec but I am panicking, will they send me a fresh link and let me do it again?

yes most likely they will! don't worry <3