TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2022-23

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker regarding what I said about postgrad course, is this something that would be possible to do? Also, am I correct in saying that if I secure a TC, I am not supposed to apply for VS again. However, is that different when applying to a direct TC? I'm thinking if I am successful in getting a TC this year, I can accept that as like an insurance, and then apply for direct TC's at 'better' (higher paying) firms? Then rescind the original offer if successful.

If you accept a TC, you should technically withdraw from all other recruitment processes.

However, some candidates do as you are suggesting and secure a TC and then try to get an offer that better suits them. You have to be careful though - as soon as you take any financial benefit from the firm (eg a maintenance grant or onboard to a sponsored course) you have made a commitment to them and trying to get around all the technicalities of that to pursue another offer is not straight forward. So if you renege on an offer do so before you fill in any forms to commit to the GDL/LPC/SQE or you receive any payments from the firm.

 

[Seabird15]

Anyone done the Ropes and gray test? Is it a Watson glaser? Just need to know whether I need a calculator 😅😅😅

You don't need a calculator, it's still pretty difficult tho imo 😂

 

[sxw517]

Could anyone explain what this question means: What is x's place in the legal market?
Is it asking about practice areas or something else?

Who are their competitors, what sort of mandates do they work on, growth, expansion? etc etc

 

[sxw517]

Could anyone explain what this question means: What is x's place in the legal market?
Is it asking about practice areas or something else?

On a side note, is your handle an ode to love for land law and all things AGA?

 

[Lord Sumption]

If you accept a TC, you should technically withdraw from all other recruitment processes.

However, some candidates do as you are suggesting and secure a TC and then try to get an offer that better suits them. You have to be careful though - as soon as you take any financial benefit from the firm (eg a maintenance grant or onboard to a sponsored course) you have made a commitment to them and trying to get around all the technicalities of that to pursue another offer is not straight forward. So if you renege on an offer do so before you fill in any forms to commit to the GDL/LPC/SQE or you receive any payments from the firm.

@Jessica Booker

What would you advise on mentioning you have an offer from another firm during a TC interview? Does this show arrogance? My friend did this and he received an offer from the firm he interviewed at with a higher starting salary however equally I have heard it seems unprofessional to do so.

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker

What would you advise on mentioning you have an offer from another firm during a TC interview? Does this show arrogance? My friend did this and he received an offer from the firm he interviewed at with a higher starting salary however equally I have heard it seems unprofessional to do so.

It depends.

If you hold an offer, that is one thing. If you have accepted an offer that is another.

People hold an offer and will try to get other firms to speed up their process/make a decision on their application before they need to accept.

It is exceptionally rare for candidates to be able to negotiate a higher trainee salary with a law firm - that would be a major red flag in any firm where there is an intake of trainees (occasionally happens in other industries or in non-graduate programme roles though). Might happen in law firms where there is only one trainee I guess.

 

[HopefulFutureTrainee123]

If a firm doesn't have an office in a certain country, I've heard that they might use a "best friend firm". Is this also the case if a firm doesn't have a practice area in the UK (that's necessary to a transaction's DD, for example)? And if so, how does this work logistically? Thanks

 

[B101]

Yes!

Congrats!! I'm still waiting to hear back

 

[Zm125]

HL AC advice

 

[Jessica Booker]

If a firm doesn't have an office in a certain country, I've heard that they might use a "best friend firm". Is this also the case if a firm doesn't have a practice area in the UK (that's necessary to a transaction's DD, for example)? And if so, how does this work logistically? Thanks

Yes, it can work like this, although generally larger clients have a panel of law firms they choose to work with for different matters and generally most practice areas would be covered within than panel.

But firms can refer work to other firms, and can various different forms of agreements to allow the transfer of work.

This also works in terms of outsourcing too. Some firms delegate low level work or process work out to other firms whose costs for that work would be much lower.

 

[Aga123+]

Who are their competitors, what sort of mandates do they work on, growth, expansion? etc etc

Thanks

 

[Aga123+]

On a side note, is your handle an ode to love for land law and all things AGA?

Yep - although my relationship with land law is very much love/hate.

 

[ginevrafanshawe]

I've done one direct TC application and multiple VS applications, and have obtained a VS. If I get the TC offer, should I still attend the VS? And if I get a TC from that VS, am I allowed to choose that one instead or am I bound to the first one? Thanks

 

[Jessica Booker]

I've done one direct TC application and multiple VS applications, and have obtained a VS. If I get the TC offer, should I still attend the VS? And if I get a TC from that VS, am I allowed to choose that one instead or am I bound to the first one? Thanks

There are a few variables here.

You can hold or accept an offer. Holding an offer leaves you open to do whatever you want. It’s only when you accept an offer that you have made a legal commitment.

So one approach many people take is to ask for an extension of their offer period so they can explore other opportunities such as vacation schemes.

If you accept the TC, then there are more variables:

- it depends what you want to do. You can choose not to continue with the VS if you don’t want to do it/are happy with your TC offer

- it depends on your contracts for both the VS and the TC. Some employment contracts will have terms that restrict you from doing a VS if you have accepted a TC.

 

[Maham]

HL AC advice

Congrats! Is this for spring or summer vac scheme?

 

[wz_13]

womble bond dickinson has the 28th as the deadline but no time - I'm assuming you can submit till 11:59pm?

 

[Arran]

Hi @Jessica Booker

Do you have any advice on how to get interview practice? I know TCLA offers a mock service but it's quite pricey for me. Do you have any resources / knowledge of organisations that offer free mock interview services?

You could also try using ChatGPT, it's not the same as being interviewed by a person but it is a different way of preparing that is super accessible at the moment. Full disclaimer, I have never used it for this purpose as of yet but from testing out some prompts I think it is worth exploring.

For example; I started by asking "Can you simulate an interview for me?", it then asked for parameters, so I said, "I would like to be interviewed for a training contract with a commercial law firm in London". This resulted in me being asked "First, could you please tell me a little bit about yourself and your background? Also, please let me know if you would like me to provide feedback on your answers or if you would like to wait until the end of the interview."

But you can further tailor and refine things to try and get what you are looking for by just introducing more prompts. For example, I added "If I asked you to time my answers could you?", and "Can you increase the difficulty of the questions?", and it generated:

"Sure, I can adjust the difficulty level of the questions as we go. Just let me know if you would like me to increase the difficulty further during the interview. Let's begin!

Question 1: Why are you interested in pursuing a career in commercial law, and what draws you to our firm in particular? You have 2 minutes to answer this question. I will let you know when you have 30 seconds left."

I am sure it has limitations but it also has a lot of potential, especially because you can use it for free pretty much whenever you feel like practicing. I saw Paul talk about this on LinkedIn, which is what inspired this excessively long post.

 

[SK02]

Hi @Jessica Booker (others please feel free to jump in) I have a question.

If i’ve cleared SQE 1, then am i at any disadvantage in applying for direct TC considering mostly firms have a tie up with their preferred universities for CCP program ?

Also do you think i would have to still do the whole program if stage 1 is already cleared or there is a room for making arrangements to the course ?

any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

 

[lawstudent15]

Hi - if anyone knows any London boutique law firms which are currently open to internship applications, please PM me! I would be super thankful for any help :')

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker (others please feel free to jump in) I have a question.

If i’ve cleared SQE 1, then am i at any disadvantage in applying for direct TC considering mostly firms have a tie up with their preferred universities for CCP program ?

Also do you think i would have to still do the whole program if stage 1 is already cleared or there is a room for making arrangements to the course ?

any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

You’ll need to speak to each firm about this and it will depend on the nature of the course you did to clear SQE1. For instance, if that is the LPC, you may want to actually do a longer course (stats so far show those who have done the LPC have a lower pass rate on average and the reason many think is because they are not getting SQE1 prep which effectively covers SQE2 content as well).

However, firms will want to save time and money and therefore if there are alternative ways to get you through SQE2, then the firm is likely to consider it, but just weigh it up with the downsides too.