- Sep 14, 2023
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I would personally attend the assessment day as it can be an opportunity for you to develop your interview skills, experience another firm, other lawyers and just see a different law firm overall.Hey everyone - I have a question about vacation scheme clashes.
I have a confirmed Cleary Gottlieb vacation scheme in July (which I'm really pleased about!) But I have also been invited to an Assessment Day for Clifford Chance's Spark Programme. Essentially I would not be able to go to their week-long 'classroom-based learning' this year (Year 1) (SPARK insights), but if I was lucky enough to receive the offer, I would be able to go the week in Year 2 (SPARK Shadowing), where you spend a week in one of the firm's practice areas. My question is - should I attend the assessment day in the hopes of receiving an offer and then possibly deferring / asking whether I would be able to the important half of the programme? Or should I email them right away about my predicament? (The thing is, I don't want to miss out on the opportunity and have them say that I should simply reapply next year!)
I would worry about this once you get an actual offer but ideally you could ask them to postpone the experience as you said, or fast-track you for a direct training contract.