TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2022-23

[sxw517]

What firm was this for? It sounds like you had an interesting interview!

It was haha! It was a US firm, however, I don't particularly want to put the name of the firm on here, knowing how GR often look at this forum haha (paranoia at its finest)

 

[Jessica Booker]

Can someone pls explain the Withers Education section - they have a section for 'Postgraduate (non-legal) qualification' and then another section for Legal Qualification where the qualification types are 'BPTC, BVC, LPC, PCLL, LPC, New York Bar, Other'. Where should an academic LLM be added (i.e., not an LLM LPC, but a regular university LLM)? Should it be included as 'Other'?

Should be in the legal qualification section.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Does anyone know just *how good* you need to be to get an offer post-AC? Last year, for an AC that I didn't get an offer after, grad rec told me that my interview scored the highest marks and my written exercise was very good, and also that the interviewers said I was super easy to get along with etc. However, despite my feedback call being nothing but positive feedback, I still didn't get the offer (it wasn't a *massively* competitive stage either, in that ~20/40 got offers).

The one VS that I got last year came after the interviewers stated that they "loved" one of my ideas, and decided to implement it into their office/way of working. It feels like that is a pretty high standard to have to meet, and I'm quite worried about my upcoming ACs. @Jessica Booker any advice would be massively appreciated, or indeed anyone else who knows about this kind of thing. Thank you so much.

In my opinion, the person who gave you the feedback didn’t do a good job. They should have made it clearer where there were areas from improvement, because there clearly were for you to not be offered.

I often give good feedback to unsuccessful candidates but there is always something I can give that says where there need to be improvement.

Standards are high to get an offer (I wouldn’t consider how many people were offered, it’s more about the quality of those people), but in even the most competitive firms they are achievable for anyone who gets invited through to that stage of the process.

 

[Jessica Booker]

I had a partner interview Friday, in which one of the questions was 'what would you be looking to do if there was not a career path in any area of law', to which I answered diplomacy. The interview was an hour long and we spent the next 20 mins talking about the Russo-Ukraine War, I understand that two-way conversations within the interview are a good sign. However, the conversation around Russia was mainly historical and I am wondering whether this would be looked down on, should I have tried to steer the direction of the conversation to a more legal/commercial footing? Or is it ok to just go along with wherever the interviewers take the conversation?

I am not sure as to whether I am thinking too much about it, but I wondered whether it could have been a test to see if I was able to steer the conversation back to a more commercially focused one.

The interviewer can control the interview and would have directed the conversation to more commercial/legal aspects if they wanted to.

 

[SCM]

Can anyone please link any resources to practise the written part of an AC? Thank you! @Jessica Booker

Sorry, just going to repost this as would be useful!

 

[CorpLawyer00]

The watson glaser test was invented in 1952😮

 

[Jessica Booker]

Does anyone know for Latham's VI, do they operate a benchmark, like as long as you meet the benchmark you will get the AC? Or they will pick the best answers?

It’s difficult to know unless you are hearing directly from the team at L&W.

It could easily be a benchmark where individual answers are scored and then you have to achieve a certain score to get through to the next stage, or it could be a simple yes or no decision based on the “interviewers” decision making upon hearing your answers.

 

[HopefulFutureTrainee123]

In my opinion, the person who gave you the feedback didn’t do a good job. They should have made it clearer where there were areas from improvement, because there clearly were for you to not be offered.

I often give good feedback to unsuccessful candidates but there is always something I can give that says where there need to be improvement.

Standards are high to get an offer (I wouldn’t consider how many people were offered, it’s more about the quality of those people), but in even the most competitive firms they are achievable for anyone who gets invited through to that stage of the process.

Hm ok. Apparently the partners who interviewed me wanted to offer me a place, and grad rec were not sure why I wasn't offered, which is why I am even more concerned! Maybe I just didn't seem "ready" (which is possible as it was my first ever AC), but I really want to avoid making the same mistakes for my ACs this cycle. Thank you for your response though

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hm ok. Apparently the partners who interviewed me wanted to offer me a place, and grad rec were not sure why I wasn't offered, which is why I am even more concerned! Maybe I just didn't seem "ready" (which is possible as it was my first ever AC), but I really want to avoid making the same mistakes for my ACs this cycle. Thank you for your response though

That’s even worse than in my opinion (in terms of the feedback they should have given you should have been better/more productive).

Clearly there was something stopping them from offering you and explaining what that was should have been said. Even if they felt you “weren’t ready” then that shows something needing improving to make them think you were ready.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Sorry, just going to repost this as would be useful!

Unfortunately written exercises are a pretty broad spectrum on exercises, so I can’t recommend anything in particular.

 

[sdsou]

hi, can someone confirm if Mayer Brown sends their post-application test automatically or after screening the application? Applied a few days ago and haven't received any test link yet!

 

[HopefulFutureTrainee123]

That’s even worse than in my opinion (in terms of the feedback they should have given you should have been better/more productive).

Clearly there was something stopping them from offering you and explaining what that was should have been said. Even if they felt you “weren’t ready” then that shows something needing improving to make them think you were ready.

Would it ever just be that there are too many people who are 'good enough', and there isn't enough space for all of them?

 

[HopefulFutureTrainee123]

hi, can someone confirm if Mayer Brown sends their post-application test automatically or after screening the application? Applied a few days ago and haven't received any test link yet!

Automatically in that they don't screen first, but they send them manually - think it took me a week or so to receive them!

 

[kokothemagicdragon]

Would it ever just be that there are too many people who are 'good enough', and there isn't enough space for all of them?

Was this for Davis Polk?

 

[axbg]

is stephenson harwood TC application rolling?

 

[Nishath K]

on a saturday?!

I know right 😭 At 7:30 in the evening

 

[Asil Ahmad]

Can graduates apply for Ropes Gray. As on their website, it says typically we accept 2nd-year law students and 3rd-year non-law students.

 

[SCM]

Sorry, maybe I should have been more specific - would you have any advice on how to prepare for either Skadden or Clifford Chance’s written exercise? @Jessica Booker

 

[Civ457]

in a video interview, can you give a condensed version of the answers that you gave in your application? such as for why law or biggest achievement, finding it hard to think of other examples than the ones i used in my written application. thanks!

 

[Harrison.jm]

Does anyone know if Gibson has issued out all of their first-stage interview invites? It seems like they offer it on a rolling basis even after the deadline last year but I realise the people running grad rec are different this year

Second round interviews are well underway and considering the number of spots on offer I would believe they are closing up first round