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

[tc.la.vs]

Anyone know the difference between a case study interview and a scenario interview?? Has anyone got experience of 'scenario interviews'?

 

[lawful_neutral216]

Dentons PFO post app

 

[SamTam99]

Anyone know the difference between a case study interview and a scenario interview?? Has anyone got experience of 'scenario interviews'?

Big, big difference. Case study interviews will more than likely be based on a fictitious commercial scenario or a commercial news story, with a set of legal issues, and you’ll probably be asked to identify these issues and make some recommendations to the client. It’s very heavily based on commercial awareness, identifying problems and providing considered solutions. Essentially they’re assessing your ability to problem solve, work well under pressure, and apply your own commercial awareness and research to a legal issue.

A scenario interview is very similar to a situational judgement test. They’ll read out a scenario to you and ask you what you’d do if you were a trainee facing something similar. They might then follow up with a competency. This is much more about assessing how well you match the firm’s competencies and finding out whether your behaviour/decision-making matches what they’re looking for in a trainee.

 

[cmbd1407]

Helloo, has anyone done the Irwin Mitchell VI? any tips? in desperate needd!!

 

[ofm]

Hi everyone, How much does applying later in on an application actually hurt your chances if the firm is rolling? I.e. do they mean that they send out offers on a first-come first served basis or that they review applications during the application window, but send out offers after the deadline?

I've been really busy with work and did not have time to send applications earlier on and I am really getting nervous that it is going to hurt my chances as I have been applying about 1-2 weeks before the deadlines.

Thank you!!

 

[Lumree]

Bristows VI! Has anyone completed it before and willing to share some insight into its structure?

 

[sxw517]

Is the behavioural assessment invite for Latham automatic or after an initial screening?

 

[Asil Ahmad]

I wanted to know in the activities and interests and give details of any prizes, scholarships, positions of responsibility and any other noteworthy achievements questions. If you should add a sentence at the end like through these I have developed skills which will help me as a trainee solicitor at this firm. Is this necessary or not. I mean do the better answers in these questions add that at the end of the answer to these types of questions.

 

[S87]

Good luck! I think its about 6. There's 3 right at the end and then the rest are dotted around the other SJT questions.

Hi, are the SJT questions part of the VI or are part of the written test?

 

[GXA123]

Is the behavioural assessment invite for Latham automatic or after an initial screening?

automatic

 

[Asil Ahmad]

Is the behavioural assessment invite for Latham automatic or after an initial screening?

Automatic

 

[Limanehious]

Hi all, Happy New Year!

I was wondering whether anyone could give me guidance on the below:

I am wanting to apply to Trowers & Hamlins LLP for a training contract. The application is due in 10 days for the Vacation Scheme, but I am unsure whether I want to apply for the vac scheme or training contract. I work as a paralegal in a law firm, and have a limited amount of days to take for vacation schemes. I would like to only apply to firms that only really recruit from vacation schemes. I have emailed the grad team asking if they take from direct training contract applications, and they replied:

'Our preference does lean towards the vacation scheme and we tend to recruit the majority of our trainees via that route. However, we do ring-fence positions for this exact reason, so if you are unable to take the annual leave for a vac scheme, please do apply for the training contract.'

Can someone please advise whether I would be in a better chance of applying to the vac scheme? I really love this firm and want to give myself the best possible chance.

Any help will be amazing! Thanks!

@Jessica Booker

 

[GXA123]

Bristows VI! Has anyone completed it before and willing to share some insight into its structure?

congrats! when did u apply?

 

[21wajsz]

Dentons PFO post app

I'm so sorry to hear that! May I ask when you applied as I've been waiting for quite a while?

 

[tc.la.vs]

Big, big difference. Case study interviews will more than likely be based on a fictitious commercial scenario or a commercial news story, with a set of legal issues, and you’ll probably be asked to identify these issues and make some recommendations to the client. It’s very heavily based on commercial awareness, identifying problems and providing considered solutions. Essentially they’re assessing your ability to problem solve, work well under pressure, and apply your own commercial awareness and research to a legal issue.

A scenario interview is very similar to a situational judgement test. They’ll read out a scenario to you and ask you what you’d do if you were a trainee facing something similar. They might then follow up with a competency. This is much more about assessing how well you match the firm’s competencies and finding out whether your behaviour/decision-making matches what they’re looking for in a trainee.

thank you SO SO much!!! Really appreciate it!! Do you have any advice on preparing beyond knowing the firm's values etc?

 

[John Travoni]

Bristows VI! Has anyone completed it before and willing to share some insight into its structure?

Congratulations on getting through. If you don’t mind me asking, when did you submit your application?

 

[pfoapplicant]

@Jessica Booker


1. On the Education section of the Sidley Austin application form, there's the following declaration:

Please confirm that you have entered a complete breakdown of all grades awarded, by subject, during secondary school, college or university. Entering the overall grade does not provide sufficient information to support your application.

For uni results this seems straightforward enough - I'm able to enter the class I'm predicted to get (e.g. 2:1), and a breakdown of my modules so far. What confuses is me is what they mean by a "complete breakdown" for secondary school and college - do you reckon they want candidates to enter every grade they got in every exam?

(If this were the case, there doesn't seem to be anywhere to differentiate between grades in individual exams, and grades in subjects as a whole - which makes me think that, like pretty much every other application form, Sidley Austin wants candidates simply to enter (in the secondary school and college sections) the final grade they got in every subject rather than every module - but the ambiguous wording of the declaration makes me wonder whether this is actually the case).


2. If a question asks candidates "which personal qualities make a successful lawyer", does the lack of an explicit reference to "commercial" in the question mean that it'd be unwise to mention commercial awareness as an essential quality?

 

[SamTam99]

thank you SO SO much!!! Really appreciate it!! Do you have any advice on preparing beyond knowing the firm's values etc?

Honestly just answering as genuinely as possible whilst, like you said, bearing in mind the firm’s values! I’ve generally found scenario interviews to actually be quite relaxed and conversational, so just go in there as calm as you possibly can (easier said than done, I know) and try to build a good relationship with the interviewer ☺️

 

[Lumree]

congrats! when did u apply?

Congratulations on getting through. If you don’t mind me asking, when did you submit your application?

30th October!

 

[lawful_neutral216]

I'm so sorry to hear that! May I ask when you applied as I've been waiting for quite a while?

No worries- I applied on the 19th of Dec! Hope you get an update soon!