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

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AP2000

Distinguished Member
  • Feb 22, 2021
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    What does everyone think of law firms closing their offices in Russia? (how to discuss it from a business point of view in interviews), @Jessica Booker would love to hear your thoughts.
    If I could add to the previous responses, I would personally approach this as an ESG topic more broadly. It's not just law firms, it's big companies like McDonalds, Starbucks, the Big Four, energy companies like Shell. There was a huge campaign on social media targeting any major company that failed to leave Russia or at least temporarily suspend operations. I'd talk about the reputational risk and more broadly discuss how we are finally focusing not just on the E in ESG, but also the social and governance. There are many articles on this topic, so if you're worried about this coming up I'd suggest you have a look. :)

    Bringing a topic like this up might also depend on the firm. Some firms have publicly denounced the invasion but not shut down offices, others have stayed eerily quiet. The former might be more open to a conversation about this topic, the latter might be a bit more uncomfortable. Do I think it's a forbidden topic? No. Just weigh up the pros and cons of bringing it up.
     
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    GXA123

    Legendary Member
  • Nov 30, 2020
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    If I could add to the previous responses, I would personally approach this as an ESG topic more broadly. It's not just law firms, it's big companies like McDonalds, Starbucks, the Big Four, energy companies like Shell. There was a huge campaign on social media targeting any major company that failed to leave Russia or at least temporarily suspend operations. I'd talk about the reputational risk and more broadly discuss how we are finally focusing not just on the E in ESG, but also the social and governance. There are many articles on this topic, so if you're worried about this coming up I'd suggest you have a look. :)
    Thank you <3
     
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    John Doe

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    Aug 18, 2021
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    Hi, this is not vacation scheme related - but I have applied to a paralegal role and I have been invited to do an assessment.

    While the law firm did not give too much away about the details of the assessment - one of the prerequisites, I was told, is to have access to Excel.

    As I have barely used Excel and have to ramp up my Excel literacy quickly, any ideas about where to start and what should I learn in order to handle basic Excel tasks?

    Thank you!

    @George Maxwell @James Carrabino @AvniD
     

    S87

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    Sep 4, 2018
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    Hi, this is not vacation scheme related - but I have applied to a paralegal role and I have been invited to do an assessment.

    While the law firm did not give too much away about the details of the assessment - one of the prerequisites, I was told, is to have access to Excel.

    As I have barely used Excel and have to ramp up my Excel literacy quickly, any ideas about where to start and what should I learn in order to handle basic Excel tasks?

    Thank you!

    @George Maxwell @James Carrabino @AvniD
    Youtube offers tutorials
     

    TC fiend

    Legendary Member
  • Apr 27, 2021
    191
    429
    Hi, this is not vacation scheme related - but I have applied to a paralegal role and I have been invited to do an assessment.

    While the law firm did not give too much away about the details of the assessment - one of the prerequisites, I was told, is to have access to Excel.

    As I have barely used Excel and have to ramp up my Excel literacy quickly, any ideas about where to start and what should I learn in order to handle basic Excel tasks?

    Thank you!

    @George Maxwell @James Carrabino @AvniD
    Probably not the best place to start in terms of complexity but there’s a great Instagram account called ‘exceldictionary’. She also has a free guide to the basic functions.
     

    rightletsdothis

    Distinguished Member
  • Jan 30, 2022
    71
    247
    I have an A-Level in maths and still did terribly aha :)

    I went to an Ashurst event with the firm last year and unless anything has changed I was told by Grad Rec that if one component of your test isn't great (e.g. Cognify) they will often look past it assuming all other components (other test + app form) are strong
    Oh, that's amazing to hear honestly haha. I was slightly afraid this was going to be a Watson Glasser type thing. E.G. you do terribly in this one test that doesn't showcase if you'd be great a lawyer = they don't even read your application. I am glad they take in all the components!
     

    gdelle

    Star Member
  • Feb 10, 2022
    31
    40
    did you get an answer to this?
    I did! Someone said Trowers seemed to make a point about being career changer friendly, and I also got these two answers



    Don't think I'm missing any out, but will let you know if I find any more!
     
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    AvniD

    Legendary Member
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    Premium Member
    Oct 25, 2021
    1,124
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    Hi, this is not vacation scheme related - but I have applied to a paralegal role and I have been invited to do an assessment.

    While the law firm did not give too much away about the details of the assessment - one of the prerequisites, I was told, is to have access to Excel.

    As I have barely used Excel and have to ramp up my Excel literacy quickly, any ideas about where to start and what should I learn in order to handle basic Excel tasks?

    Thank you!

    @George Maxwell @James Carrabino @AvniD
    You could try reading blogs like this- How to Use Excel Like a Pro: 19 Easy Excel Tips, Tricks ...https://blog.hubspot.com › marketing › how-to-use-exc...

    Miss Excel on Instagram also has great posts.
     
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