TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

Status
Not open for further replies.

prospectiveswitcher

Legendary Member
Junior Lawyer
Aug 18, 2022
188
242
I would appreciate any advice thank you!

In the last week I have had:

Linklaters post AC PFO.
A&O post AC PFO.

I have now had 10 straight post AC PFO's in a row. My feedback is typically that I have good commercial awareness/technical knowledge, but sometimes my (why x firm) has felt scripted or that I lacked drive. I am clearly doing something wrong considering I have had this many PFO's. How should I go about really showing I want to work at the firm?
Is the feedback from all 10 ACs that you need to work on Why X Firm?
 

prospectiveswitcher

Legendary Member
Junior Lawyer
Aug 18, 2022
188
242
I have had that feedback from a few firms, the majority of the time I receive very generic feedback. Often hinting towards that I was good, but just not good enough if that makes sense.
I would really focus then on having clear, tangible reasons for why X firm, and demonstrate how that relates to your experiences. Just my opinion, but try and avoid fluffy or insincere language (e.g. 'chance to work on cutting edge deals with big global clients'.). Say, for example if you were talking about a firm with a wide array of practice areas 'My classes in X, Y, Z I have found interesting because [genuine reason], but I'm not sure what they would be like in practice, so I'd really like to train at a firm where I'll have the opportunity to experience all of these areas'. 'I completed an exchange year at X, and was surprised at the different ways of working in another culture. I really enjoyed building a rapport with students on exchange though and learned a lot from them, I'd like to continue to have the opportunity to work in international teams'.
Just try and make it sound sincere and related to your specific experiences as much as you can. I think this really helped me anyway.
 

laby201

Legendary Member
Premium Member
Jan 28, 2021
277
794
I'm in the process of completing Taylor Wessing's application and am absolutely stumped.

They've asked "What motivates you for a career in Law at Taylor Wessing and what key skills would you bring?", which appears relatively standard, but you're only given 1,000 characters. I don't know how it's possible to give a detailed answer hitting why the firm, perhaps why law and addressing key skills in what appears to be about 160-170 words. Any tips?
 
  • Like
Reactions: axelbeugre

axelbeugre

Legendary Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Premium Member
Junior Lawyer
Sep 14, 2023
1,274
1,724
I would appreciate any advice thank you!

In the last week I have had:

Linklaters post AC PFO.
A&O post AC PFO.

I have now had 10 straight post AC PFO's in a row. My feedback is typically that I have good commercial awareness/technical knowledge, but sometimes my (why x firm) has felt scripted or that I lacked drive. I am clearly doing something wrong considering I have had this many PFO's. How should I go about really showing I want to work at the firm?
Hey @Standardlawapplicant,

I am very sorry for this, however I would focus on the fact that you have now a good amount of feedback you can learn from. As much as you might be defeated, I would encourage you to be extremely proud of yourself for even getting to the assessment centres stage! This is enviable, it does not happen to many so be very proud of yourself!

In terms of your feedback specifically, I would say that the best way that I found to genuinely express why you are interested in a particular firm is finding genuine reasons that sparked your interest about the firm. I generally tried to find things about the firm that I could very easily relate to me and my background or interests. For instance, Latham or W&C have very good Africa practice, and given my African background, it is easy for someone to think that this is a genuine reason as to why I would be interested in that particular aspect of the firm. Really try to find genuine things about yourself that you can relate to your why this firm answer.

Always keep going and I hope that you take these negative responses as redirection to the rest of the firms you can apply to. Best of luck and I am sure you've got this!
 

bella98

Legendary Member
  • Mar 9, 2023
    254
    952
    I have had that feedback from a few firms, the majority of the time I receive very generic feedback. Often hinting towards that I was good, but just not good enough if that makes sense.
    I absolutely relate to you! I've gone through three rejections after assessment centers, and it's challenging to pinpoint what I need to improve on due to the vague feedback provided. I've noticed that the case study exercises are often where I stumble, but it's tough to get better when there's a scarcity of specific examples and feedback available online.
     

    axelbeugre

    Legendary Member
    Staff member
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    Junior Lawyer
    Sep 14, 2023
    1,274
    1,724
    I'm in the process of completing Taylor Wessing's application and am absolutely stumped.

    They've asked "What motivates you for a career in Law at Taylor Wessing and what key skills would you bring?", which appears relatively standard, but you're only given 1,000 characters. I don't know how it's possible to give a detailed answer hitting why the firm, perhaps why law and addressing key skills in what appears to be about 160-170 words. Any tips?
    In this answer, I would stick to a 50-50 split and so you can spend 85 words more on less on 2 reasons why you want to become a lawyer at the firm, and then 2 key skills that you have and you could bring as a lawyer, like attention to detail and teamwork. You then link them to an experience where you showed these skills.

    I know it might be hard, but succinctness is a skill that law firm looks for so it is important to practice this. I did apply to Taylor Wessing last year and I got through the application stage and I used the tip I gave you and it worked well for me!

    Good luck with the application and I hope I have been of some help!!
     

    Untilwinter

    Legendary Member
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    Dec 21, 2020
    257
    501
    I would appreciate any advice thank you!

    In the last week I have had:

    Linklaters post AC PFO.
    A&O post AC PFO.

    I have now had 10 straight post AC PFO's in a row. My feedback is typically that I have good commercial awareness/technical knowledge, but sometimes my (why x firm) has felt scripted or that I lacked drive. I am clearly doing something wrong considering I have had this many PFO's. How should I go about really showing I want to work at the firm?
    God i relate to this😮‍💨
    Ive even had a partner tell me that i was incredibly smart and was a good fit for the firm in the feedback but not gotten the offer because my answer for why this firm wasnt good enough.
     
    Status
    Not open for further replies.

    About Us

    The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

    Newsletter

    Discover the most relevant business news, access our law firm analysis, and receive our best advice for aspiring lawyers.