TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

[S87]

For London?

Yes

 

[S87]

For London?

Also their direct tc

 

[aspiringlawyer47]

Also their direct tc

I see, thank you!

 

[M0M007]

W&C WVS offer! Can’t believe it!

 

[Jessica Booker]

So from what I heard, you need to behave like a serial killer in the pre recorded ones 😭 stare into the camera, smiling and you have to make yourself seem real enthusiastic! It’s so uncomfortable but apparently it works like a charm. I’d also recommend recording your interviews. So afterwards, you can listen back and give yourself feedback. If you’ve got a vac scheme then you’ll have no issues getting past this stage in the future, just takes a bit of practice. Best of luck!!

This is definitely not how to succeed in video interviews - take it from someone who has reviewed thousands of them!

Think of it more like a conversation over coffee. Say it was one of those opportunities where a trainee/lawyer you wanted to connect with on LinkedIn actually offered to meet you for a coffee - how would you want to come across in that way, except you’ll be doing most of the talking rather than them.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thanks so much!!! Do you have any advice regarding dress code?

Smart casual - avoid t-shirts/hoodies (seeing they will only see your shoulders/neck). No suit and tie needed.

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker @axelbeugre Hi both, I hope you are well. At the Simmons AC I was told that we would hear an outcome by 20th Nov. I see that some people on the forum have received WVS invites post AC, and some unfortunately have rejected PFO post AC.
I don’t want to seem pushy but I would need to know soon as I work full time and the scheme is in less than 2 weeks.

How would you handle this?

Give them a call tomorrow afternoon/Thursday morning and explain you are keen to understand the outcome as you are working full time and would need to request time off if you are successful. They will understand this and it won’t seem pushy, especially if it’s more than 24 hours after they said they would come back to youz

 

[hannahfl]

Give them a call tomorrow afternoon/Thursday morning and explain you are keen to understand the outcome as you are working full time and would need to request time off if you are successful. They will understand this and it won’t seem pushy, especially if it’s more than 24 hours after they said they would come back to youz

Thank you so much, I will follow your advice

 

[Jessica Booker]

How do firms actually weigh the WG? Is it the case that if you dont meet the "benchmark" you are just automatically disqualified, or is your score looked at in conjunction with your written application?

Unfortunately this can be either approach really depending on the firm. In some cases it is also both (minimum cut off and then scores above this weighed up against other information in your application).

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @axelbeugre I was wondering how you would approach a question that asks what improvement you would make to a firm and why?

Focus your answer on the “why” rather than getting stuck on the detail itself.

Why you have identified the area as one for improvement?
Why you think this is important?
Why you think this area will improve them firm?

You can then get into a bit of detail as to how they might achieve this (or at least be prepared to explain this as a follow up question).

 

[nya]

anyone heard back for Latham's grad rec open day?

 

[Tintin06]

Has anyone heard back from Akin post test?

Not yet, but it's for a summer scheme, so I don't expect anything until the new year.

 

[AlCapone]

I know its an age old debate. But I've just graduated university with a first in English literature, a two week internship at a boutique firm and little to no other legal experience. My CV is decent in terms of leadership roles and other extra curricular achievements. Should I apply for direct TCs or VSs??? Ideally I would prefer to go for TCs having missed the boat for WVSs because I had to wait 5 months for my uni results. Do I need more legal experience to get a look in for direct TCs? @Jessica Booker would love some help and sorry if you get this question all the time!

 

[mfuturetrainee]

atp i really hope W&C drop a pfo by the end of this week so i can move on🥲🥲

 

[Abgaal]

Has anyone ever requested WG results from CMS?

Just got an email saying I didn’t meet their benchmark which is odd cus I think I’m quite good at the test and have passed it multiple times before…

That literally happened to me yesterday and I was actually fairly shocked about the outcome. I have practiced them serval times - I think they increased they're benchmark this year maybe lol

 

[axelbeugre]

Does anyone have any tips for the group task section of an assessment centre? What topics are they usually on?

Hey @lovelaw223,
In my experience, it is a case study about a commercial topic. Mine was about a private equity deal but I have heard many other cases around analysing who to fire from a company which is merging with another company, or what to consider in an M&A transaction with a private equity firm, things of this nature.

In terms of tips, I would say that the main thing is to be a team player during group exercises. Listen actively, contribute thoughtfully, and respect the opinions of others. Demonstrating collaboration skills is crucial in a law firm setting. It is not only about what you say but also how you contribute to the overall team and if you manage to make everyone feel comfortable, so focus on this aspect as well, which can be sometimes forgotten! Additionally, make sure that everyone on the team had a chance to say their piece, I think that this is a really great skill to demonstrate, i.e. being inclusive, as it shows that you are a great team player.

I would also brush off on your commercial awareness by keeping up-to-date with current news about the legal and business sector, particularly in areas that are of interest to the firm. For instance, my group task was around a tech company, which is an area of interest to Goodwin specifically, and so I expected something around technology. So, I think that if you can prepare on things that you think might come up in terms of main areas of interest to the firms it would be really good!

Lastly, be yourself throughout the process. As much as it can feel very daunting, I think that the best strategy is being yourself and making sure that you understood the task given. As long as you are able to do these things, I am sure that you will perform amazingly.

Good luck!

 

[Untilwinter]

So, DLA closed their internship applications, oh well!

when i am 20 words away from finishing my app🤯

 

[LawEnthus]

I would include an SU role or a volunteer role in work experience. I just would include society/sports club positions as they are clearly still asking for work experience rather than extra curricular activities.

Thank you Jessica!

 

[axelbeugre]

Hi @axelbeugre I was wondering how you would approach a question that asks what improvement you would make to a firm and why?

Hey @gch1997,

This is certainly a tricky question but what I would do is:

• Start with a thorough research of the firm (if the application question is directly asking to talk about these improvements to the law firm you are applying to), especially identifying practice areas that they might not cover or a specific focus area that they should work in (for instance ESG). I remember that during my mentoring scheme at Paul Hastings I had to create a presentation on a new practice area to suggest to the firm and I talked about AI, building my argument on the increasing need of legal understanding around AI for tech and non-tech clients. I also linked it to the firm's clientele and it was very well received, so approaching your answer in this direction might be helpful.
• Something that I personally will also look at is diversity initiatives and programmes. What is the firm already doing that can be improved? Is the firm successfully attracting diverse candidates? Diversity is not only intended based on race or gender, but also in terms of academic background and experiences. For instance, if a firm is really big on life sciences, attracting a candidate pool with a significant amount of people with a scientific background could be very beneficial in the long run. Considerations like this could be easier to make and also talk about in case they bring your answer up during a potential face to face interview.
• Additionally, considerations around international expansion in certain areas of the world (if the law firm in question is not already quite international) should also be made. It would be good to argue that now certain locations like Dubai or Riyadh are becoming extremely attractive to the legal world, and given the amount of work that these locations are producing, law firms should be thinking about possible expansions in that region. I think that international expansion is something that you could also discuss and it would make your answer quite interesting and compelling.
• @ Jessica Booker's tips are also quite beneficial so I would follow what she said to, I think that they will help you understand how to structure your answer. I tried to give you some examples!

I hope this is helpful and good luck with the application!

 

[axelbeugre]

@Jessica Booker @axelbeugre Hi both, I hope you are well. At the Simmons AC I was told that we would hear an outcome by 20th Nov. I see that some people on the forum have received WVS invites post AC, and some unfortunately have rejected PFO post AC.
I don’t want to seem pushy but I would need to know soon as I work full time and the scheme is in less than 2 weeks.

How would you handle this?

I would wait until Friday and if you do not hear anything, then I would send a polite email asking for updates. I am sure they will be very happy to reply to you so do not worry to sound too pushy. As long as your email is polite, then there is nothing to worry about. I certainly have reached out a couple of times when I was applying last year for updates as I had to organise everything since I had other commitments and all the law firms were very nice about it. I made sure that my email were always very nice and never pretentious.

I hope that helps and congratulations for the assessment centre! This is a huge achievement in itself! And good luck with the outcome!