TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2022-23

[law23]

Has anyone heard back from Clyde & Co post VI? If so, how long did you have to wait?

 

[jason_w1028]

I've got an AC coming up and the firm has said in their email that I will be interviewed by two associates, without specifying who in particular. Would emailing them to ask for the names of the associates interviewing me be overstepping?

 

[N_16]

Anyone heard back from Mayer Brown post SJT/VR yet? I got the report from the assessment but nothing from the firm yet

 

[Ambs123]

@Jessica Booker I just did a video interview where in the first question, there were 2 Qs in one and I only focused on the first Q (which was the main part of the Q). Everything else in the VI went fine - do you think this will lead to a rejection? I don't know if the firm will just toss aside my VI if they think I didn't answer well in the first question :/

 

[sxw517]

did you write 1000 words for each question? do you know if they are lenient on the word count? thanks.

Its 1000 across all of the 4 questions, so you effectively a lot the amount you want to write for each of the questions, but the total across the 4 cannot exceed 1000 words.

 

[legally.brown]

Does anyone here know what time Freshfields close their vac scheme apps? Is it 11:59pm on the 7th of Dec?

 

[CorpLawyer00]

Does anyone here know what time Freshfields close their vac scheme apps? Is it 11:59pm on the 7th of Dec?

Their grad insta @freshfieldgrads just posted 30 mins ago "make sure to submit yours by 23:59 tomorrow" so I guess so.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Does anyone here know what time Freshfields close their vac scheme apps? Is it 11:59pm on the 7th of Dec?

Yes, I would expect it to be this as all the deadlines suggest it closes tomorrow.

 

[lawstudent22]

Just got an interview offer for Jones Day (my reference was submitted last night)! It's not until mid-February though so I'm a bit worried most of the spaces on the scheme will be full by then.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Just got an interview offer for Jones Day (my reference was submitted last night)! It's not until mid-February though so I'm a bit worried most of the spaces on the scheme will be full by then.

I don't think they would be interviewing then if they didn't think they'd still be recruiting.

They have to recruit 70 vac schemers - so this is likely to be somewhere between 120-180 interviews. They also don't close applications for another month, so if anything I think you will be ahead of most applicants.

 

[CorpLawyer00]

I don't think they would be interviewing then if they didn't think they'd still be recruiting.

They have to recruit 70 vac schemers - so this is likely to be somewhere between 120-180 interviews. They also don't close applications for another month, so if anything I think you will be ahead of most applicants.

They say in the email that they receive about 1500 apps a year, and interview 20%

 

[Jessica Booker]

They say in the email that they receive about 1500 apps a year, and interview 20%

That doesn't surprise me - I was being slightly cautious with my maths (although a 4:1 interview to vacancy is quite high IMO, but that could be for a whole host of reasons).

Getting through 300 interviews is tough though - can easily take several months to get through that amount!

 

[CorpLawyer00]

That doesn't surprise me - I was being slightly cautious with my maths (although a 4:1 interview to vacancy is quite high IMO, but that could be for a whole host of reasons).

Getting through 300 interviews is tough though - can easily take several months to get through that amount!

Yeah it seemed weird to me because surely it is a lot of billable time. I spent 15 mins with a trainee then 40 mins with a partner and senior associate x 300 - that is a lot.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Yeah it seemed weird to me because surely it is a lot of billable time. I spent 15 mins with a trainee then 40 mins with a partner and senior associate x 300 - that is a lot.

Some firms do invest a lot of time into their recruitment process - for many firms I have worked with that figure/ratio is higher than Jones Day's.

Although it can be seen as time lost that could be billed to clients, the future talent of the organisation is seen as a very important and worth the investment. Getting the recruitment wrong is far worse than not recruiting! And not recruiting is a pretty horrendous outcome given the need to bill clients 3-4 years down the line!

 

[AvniD]

@Jessica Booker I just did a video interview where in the first question, there were 2 Qs in one and I only focused on the first Q (which was the main part of the Q). Everything else in the VI went fine - do you think this will lead to a rejection? I don't know if the firm will just toss aside my VI if they think I didn't answer well in the first question :/

You gave it your best, given the circumstances and how unfamiliar the VI environment can be. How your VI is assessed depends on so many factors, some of them being outside your control, so I think the best thing to do is wait to hear about an outcome from the firm and if it isn't in your favour, evaluate what you could do to improve your performance next time and try to move forward. Hoping for the best for you🤞

 

[AvniD]

I've got an AC coming up and the firm has said in their email that I will be interviewed by two associates, without specifying who in particular. Would emailing them to ask for the names of the associates interviewing me be overstepping?

They probably didn't specify the associates because sometimes they get shuffled between candidates or reassigned last minute. Depending on how you word your email and if you're polite and tactful enough, it should be fine to ask if you could know who the associates interviewing you will be.

 

[AvniD]

Hi, has anyone done the CMS Video Interview for their Summer Vacation Scheme yet? Just got an invite and was wondering if anyone has advice regarding what questions to prepare for, speaking time, etc. Thank you!

Congrats on being invited to the VI @lawstudent10659! Linking a post here with some resources and tips for your prep- I'm hoping this helps you understand how you can ace the VI! All the best 😊

 

[AvniD]

Bakers, Akin Gump, Freshfields WG invites... happy, but somewhat dreading three over the space of one weekend

Congratulations! 🎉 I hope they went well?🤞

 

[CorpLawyer00]

are ff sending out WG invites for the VC?

 

[AvniD]

I'm kind of confused about how to fill out Mishcon's activities/achievements section - are bullet points ok? are we supposed to go into more detail, for example, what skills the different activities taught you? Do music grades count as achievements or would that come under music in general as an activity?

Unless grad rec prefers it in bullet points, I would put them in paragraphs, possibly by grouping different achievements/activity by type. So one paragraph for sports, one for volunteering, one for any misc competitions etc. You don't need to go into what the activity taught you but detaching what you did and what awards you got for your efforts is important.

I'd be inclined to place music grades in achievements over activities because they represent the attainment of a level of skill/knowledge. What do you think?