TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

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lawyergirl

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Apr 12, 2023
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Hi guys, how would you suggest answering the question 'why commercial law' when you have no previous experience related to anything within the legal field? Should I literally talk about why I want to be a commercial lawyer, or is it necessary to link the answer to experiences as a form of evidence as to why I want to go into commercial law?
 
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Jamie125

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Dec 1, 2023
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Slaughtered & Dismayed: Does your cover letter not matter? Or is it nepotism?

Yesterday, I read a cover letter of someone who has made it to the assessment centre stage at Slaughter & May. Prior to reading it, I was keen to see what a successful cover letter looked like and what I can learn from it; but after reading it I was beyond baffled.

The cover letter was the most generic cover letter you can imagine, it was to the point you could replace the name ‘Slaughter and May’ with any other law firm, and send it out. There was nothing that was specific to the law firm (e.g. I want to join S&M because of their emphasis on the value of teamwork and I value teamwork because I played basket ball in sixth form, type of sentences).

I was confused how this cover letter has made it through, but it became clear after I found out their parents arranged for them to meet with a senior member of the law firm.

To be honest, I would understand if they wrote about how their meeting inspired them to be a commercial lawyer or work in S&M but there was not a single sentence about that on their cover letter.

Thus, I have come to two conclusions. Either nepotism prevails. Or your cover letter doesn’t matter at all and its only down to grades (they have decent grades for the most part).
 

LegallyBrown

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  • Jun 20, 2023
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    Slaughtered & Dismayed: Does your cover letter not matter? Or is it nepotism?

    Yesterday, I read a cover letter of someone who has made it to the assessment centre stage at Slaughter & May. Prior to reading it, I was keen to see what a successful cover letter looked like and what I can learn from it; but after reading it I was beyond baffled.

    The cover letter was the most generic cover letter you can imagine, it was to the point you could replace the name ‘Slaughter and May’ with any other law firm, and send it out. There was nothing that was specific to the law firm (e.g. I want to join S&M because of their emphasis on the value of teamwork and I value teamwork because I played basket ball in sixth form, type of sentences).

    I was confused how this cover letter has made it through, but it became clear after I found out their parents arranged for them to meet with a senior member of the law firm.

    To be honest, I would understand if they wrote about how their meeting inspired them to be a commercial lawyer or work in S&M but there was not a single sentence about that on their cover letter.

    Thus, I have come to two conclusions. Either nepotism prevails. Or your cover letter doesn’t matter at all and its only down to grades (they have decent grades for the most part).
    Tell Tea Time GIF by Dreezy
     

    mfuturetrainee

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  • Sep 21, 2021
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    Slaughtered & Dismayed: Does your cover letter not matter? Or is it nepotism?

    Yesterday, I read a cover letter of someone who has made it to the assessment centre stage at Slaughter & May. Prior to reading it, I was keen to see what a successful cover letter looked like and what I can learn from it; but after reading it I was beyond baffled.

    The cover letter was the most generic cover letter you can imagine, it was to the point you could replace the name ‘Slaughter and May’ with any other law firm, and send it out. There was nothing that was specific to the law firm (e.g. I want to join S&M because of their emphasis on the value of teamwork and I value teamwork because I played basket ball in sixth form, type of sentences).

    I was confused how this cover letter has made it through, but it became clear after I found out their parents arranged for them to meet with a senior member of the law firm.

    To be honest, I would understand if they wrote about how their meeting inspired them to be a commercial lawyer or work in S&M but there was not a single sentence about that on their cover letter.

    Thus, I have come to two conclusions. Either nepotism prevails. Or your cover letter doesn’t matter at all and its only down to grades (they have decent grades for the most part).
    valid conclusions tbf 😭 giving my own two cents to the matter, in my own personal experience w the firm, I have found that there is an emphasis on grades where they r looking for high 2:1s and 1sts in your modules throughout for you to make the cut
     

    crt1s

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    Sep 2, 2023
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    93rd Percentile for Linklater WG! At the start of this cycle I was not meeting benchmarks so very happy with the progress.

    For anyone who's struggling, I recommend watching Idin Sabahipour's YouTube video and using practice sites such as JobTestPrep. Also, I found writing myself an explanation that I understood to really help.
     

    axelbeugre

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    Sep 14, 2023
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    Hi guys, how would you suggest answering the question 'why commercial law' when you have no previous experience related to anything within the legal field? Should I literally talk about why I want to be a commercial lawyer, or is it necessary to link the answer to experiences as a form of evidence as to why I want to go into commercial law?
    I had no previous experience in law either when I was applying last year so my strategy was to be completely honest and explain from where I developed my interest in commercial law.

    What I used to was start with a brief sentence highlighting that my goal would be to help businesses with my legal knowledge and sort of quench the gap between law and business. Subsequently, I used to talk about (very briefly, usually one to two sentences) about how I used to help my mom when I was young translating business contracts from French to Italian for her and seeing the impact that I had pushed me to pursue a career in law. I underlined how the commercial and legal world was the only sector I could develop my advisory and communication skills to become a successful business lawyer.

    Additionally, I linked it back to one/two experiences I had with start-up companies where I was exposed to the implications of the law on small businesses. I also included an experience in a law firm when I was in high school too, even if it was very brief.

    As a non-law student and an international student with an undergraduate degree outside of the UK I was really scared of using this structure, but it ended up being extremely successful and interesting to graduate recruitment. Every single AC I have attended, graduate recruitment and partners has remarked how interested they were in reading how my interest in the law developed.

    I hope this can help you and good luck with your application! @lawyerinzootopia
     

    axelbeugre

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    Sep 14, 2023
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    I was wondering how long should the covering letter of w&c be?
    Mine was 670 words more or less and I got through the video interview stage! I do not think it should be longer than 700 words in my opinion since the application for the firm is full of questions anyway, where you can put all your experiences and academic qualifications.

    I hope this helps!
     
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    lawapplicant

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    Jan 19, 2023
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    Small rant and sorry to be so up front but I don't get how firms can value grades the same. It's objectively more difficult to get a first in law than it is in history. Looking back I wish I'd studied history as the few modules I completed in the course I got high 70s. I graduated with a 2:1 from a top 5 English law school (67% overall) and respectfully it was just much harder getting that than at a lower level University. I don't think it's fair that firms should 'diversify' the universities they hire from. It requires a lot harder work to get a high 2:1 at an Oxbridge/LSE/UCL than it would getting a 1st (70) from Leeds/Birmingham. Some of us just studied hard to get in and put more effort during uni to get a 'lower' overall score than our non-law counterparts who apparently represent half the workforce. Not aiming this on a personal level at everyone just sharing my pov.
    Bro thinks going to Oxbridge is a disadvantage Una
     

    lawyergirl

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    Apr 12, 2023
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    Small rant and sorry to be so up front but I don't get how firms can value grades the same. It's objectively more difficult to get a first in law than it is in history. Looking back I wish I'd studied history as the few modules I completed in the course I got high 70s. I graduated with a 2:1 from a top 5 English law school (67% overall) and respectfully it was just much harder getting that than at a lower level University. I don't think it's fair that firms should 'diversify' the universities they hire from. It requires a lot harder work to get a high 2:1 at an Oxbridge/LSE/UCL than it would getting a 1st (70) from Leeds/Birmingham. Some of us just studied hard to get in and put more effort during uni to get a 'lower' overall score than our non-law counterparts who apparently represent half the workforce. Not aiming this on a personal level at everyone just sharing my pov.
    I mean, the people who go to lower level universities still work hard to get the grades though, whether it's easier or not. And getting offers isn't just based on the grades (for a lot of firms) so 🤷‍♀️ clearly they work hard doing other things to make themselves and their applications as strong as possible. Also, if you go to a prestigious uni, you're already a fair way in as opposed to a non-RG surely?
     
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    lawyergirl

    Distinguished Member
    Gold Member
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    Apr 12, 2023
    67
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    I had no previous experience in law either when I was applying last year so my strategy was to be completely honest and explain from where I developed my interest in commercial law.

    What I used to was start with a brief sentence highlighting that my goal would be to help businesses with my legal knowledge and sort of quench the gap between law and business. Subsequently, I used to talk about (very briefly, usually one to two sentences) about how I used to help my mom when I was young translating business contracts from French to Italian for her and seeing the impact that I had pushed me to pursue a career in law. I underlined how the commercial and legal world was the only sector I could develop my advisory and communication skills to become a successful business lawyer.

    Additionally, I linked it back to one/two experiences I had with start-up companies where I was exposed to the implications of the law on small businesses. I also included an experience in a law firm when I was in high school too, even if it was very brief.

    As a non-law student and an international student with an undergraduate degree outside of the UK I was really scared of using this structure, but it ended up being extremely successful and interesting to graduate recruitment. Every single AC I have attended, graduate recruitment and partners has remarked how interested they were in reading how my interest in the law developed.

    I hope this can help you and good luck with your application! @lawyerinzootopia
    Thank you so much for this Axel!!
     
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