TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

[Seven]

White & Case VI

Hey congrats - can I ask when you submitted your application?

 

[Izzy1026]

Congratss, this is such a cool thing and I would count it as a referral for sure. I honestly do not know how influential it will be but it will definitely not hurt you in the slightest so make sure to apply to the firm and I am sure you will have a fair shot at securing the Vacation Scheme offer! Good luck! @Izzy1026

Thank you Axel! This is very reassuring!! 😇 I have already submitted my application, fingers crossed that it'll work out

 

[Tintin06]

Hey congrats - can I ask when you submitted your application?

Around the time they opened.

 

[kab]

Congrats on the TC! Do you need to go to Latham's open day to do well in the application process?

Thanks! I didn’t attend Latham’s open day or any other firm’s open day. Although Open Days can be helpful, I don’t think they guarantee success in the application process.

I attended a Legal Cheek law fair where I got to speak with Latham trainees and grad rec. This helped me understand what they were looking for in the application and prospective trainees.

I also attended Latham’s practice area presentations which were presented by partners and associates and hosted via All About Law’s Digital Campus. I learnt about Latham’s offering and how the firm differentiated itself. I used this to justify my motivations for wanting to work at the firm. So, I’d say keep an eye on Latham’s grad rec website and the above mentioned platforms for any events. You typically don’t have to apply to attend which makes them a great option to learn more about the firm.

 

[TC seeker]

@Jessica Booker Hi Jessica! Can I ask how to explain the "why me" in the personal statement of Freshfields? as the personal statement should be mainly focused about myself, I‘m wondering how I link my experience to the firm? thank you !

 

[lonelycruise]

What are everyone's thoughts about including more personal experiences in law application questions? Cooley has a question about strengths and weaknesses, and I was considering about mentioning a successful battle with illness to show my perseverance and how I grew from the experience. Not sure if I should keep it solely focused on professional skills and leave that to mitigating circumstances.

 

[sm99]

Has anyone received DLA pfo post WG? Wondering if they’ll drag them out again lol

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker Hi Jessica! Can I ask how to explain the "why me" in the personal statement of Freshfields? as the personal statement should be mainly focused about myself, I‘m wondering how I link my experience to the firm? thank you !

You don’t have to directly connect everything back to the firm, although indirectly you should include elements that the firm will be interested in.

The first thing is to think about what you have already provided in terms of information elsewhere in the application form, and try to avoid repeating that information unless there is an additional element to it.

Then focus on your USPs - what are the things you have done or the motivations you have that not many candidates will be able to claim. These don’t have to be exceptional things - it just has to be the things that have really shaped you through being challenging, interesting or showing your own drive and determination to make things happen.

 

[Jessica Booker]

What are everyone's thoughts about including more personal experiences in law application questions? Cooley has a question about strengths and weaknesses, and I was considering about mentioning a successful battle with illness to show my perseverance and how I grew from the experience. Not sure if I should keep it solely focused on professional skills and leave that to mitigating circumstances.

I have seen this work well in application/interviews, and I have also seen it not work at all.

You have to focus more on the characteristic (eg perseverance) rather than the illness and also focus on the growth/learning/your efforts from the circumstances. Sometimes people just focus on the circumstances impacting them rather than how they have made the best out of the situation through their efforts (rather than the efforts of medical professionals).

 

[Deleted member 27336]

Ashurst final interview! Any tips, plz dm me

 

[Livjharrison]

Hi everyone!
Does anyone know if White & Case send rejection emails at application stage, or are they one of those firms where you have to assume rejection if you don't receive anything after a reasonable amount of time?
The ability to apply for multiple of their vacation scheme at once has confused me - I'm intrigued as to how you would know whether you're outright rejected or being considered for a future scheme.

 

[BM99]

Besides an AC invite and a rejection anyone heard from Sidley in the last few days?

 

[axelbeugre]

What are everyone's thoughts about including more personal experiences in law application questions? Cooley has a question about strengths and weaknesses, and I was considering about mentioning a successful battle with illness to show my perseverance and how I grew from the experience. Not sure if I should keep it solely focused on professional skills and leave that to mitigating circumstances.

Hey @lonelycruise, that is a good question. Here is my advice:

• Focus on how you successfully battle the illness and the positive achievements you got: I think that it is important to focus on the steps you have taken to mitigate the negative consequences of your illness. Subsequently, discuss how those did not stop you from being successful in achieving your goal. I talked about a personal struggle in one of my applications and I made sure to focus on the fact that despite that, I managed to achieve a first class at uni and graduate on time as one of the most achieving students. I believe that this approach will help you massively because you are focusing on how you overcame your challenges.
• Make sure not to focus too much on the illness itself. It can come natural to talk about the illness in much more depth to explain the gravity of the situation you were in. I know this is what I used to do. However, this is not effective as that does not highlight your ability to face the adversity. Try to stay away from describing the illness.

If you follow these two steps, I am convinced you will be able to use this personal experience to make the firm understand that you are resilient, perseverant, and a hard-worker. Basically, a successful future trainee solicitor! This is because your personal experiences allow you to convey your story and make the application more personal so do not shy away from talking about them. Just be mindful of tackling the most important aspects that will make you stand out as a potential trainee at the firm.

Good luck with the cycle!

 

[axelbeugre]

Ashurst final interview! Any tips, plz dm me

Congratulations @hp23, huge achievement!
In terms of tips, I shared some tips on how to tackle interviews here https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ons-discussion-thread-2023-4.8038/post-151352

I hope they are useful and good luck with it, I am sure you will smash it!

 

[Lopez2017]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before (but I can't find it on here), does anyone know what the seat rotations/options are at Bird & Bird? It's not clear to me from their website...

 

[Deleted member 27336]

Congratulations @hp23, huge achievement!
In terms of tips, I shared some tips on how to tackle interviews here https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ons-discussion-thread-2023-4.8038/post-151352

I hope they are useful and good luck with it, I am sure you will smash it!

thanks @axelbeugre

 

[Deleted member 24543]

Hey guys, is it worth emailing hogan lovells grad rec again about the outcome of my direct tc? We've all been completely aired after submitting applications in July, but I do really want to know if they can consider me for 2026 TC or the upcoming WVS as well

 

[axelbeugre]

Hey guys, is it worth emailing hogan lovells grad rec again about the outcome of my direct tc? We've all been completely aired after submitting applications in July, but I do really want to know if they can consider me for 2026 TC or the upcoming WVS as well

I think it is worth contacting them in this situation and letting them know that you would be willing to be considered for those opportunities too!
Good luck with the process!

 

[F12M34L]

Hey guys, is it worth emailing hogan lovells grad rec again about the outcome of my direct tc? We've all been completely aired after submitting applications in July, but I do really want to know if they can consider me for 2026 TC or the upcoming WVS as well

I had a conversation with them, but they didn't provide a definitive answer. From our discussion, it seems they may not have available space for the 2025 TC, and those who met their WGT benchmark are currently on a waiting list due to the fact that many prospective trainees are not passing the SQE exams.

 

[Jaysen]

Hey everyone,

The October to February period is the busiest period in the TCLA forum. I wanted to use this opportunity to flag how the TCLA team can help you if a user is acting inappropriately:

Our terms and rules can be found here, which includes any personal attacks on users, from the language they use to posts that are deliberate attempts to anger other users. A user's first offence leads to a warning, followed by a temporary ban and a permanent ban. If the offence is a serious breach of our terms and rules, it will lead to an immediate ban.

We take a harsh stance because there is no place for users who put other people down in this community. This is a community for providing support and advice and there are other communities they can go to if they want to do this.

Now, during this time of the year, we always see one or two users with provocative posts. They are dismissive of other people, deliberately provocative in the language they use and arrogant, often with the thought process of 'the legal journey is tough, everyone else is being too nice, so I need to be the one to point this out'. They also come in with many assumptions about what they feel the profession is actually like and present this as a truth.

With this in mind, you can really help @Jessica Booker, @axelbeugre and I to identify these posts by reporting any language or behaviour that falls foul of our terms and rules. To do this, simply hit the report button underneath a post and we are notified. If this takes place through private messages, you can also private message @Jessica Booker or @axelbeugre with the details and we will take action.

Thank you very much. I would stress that I feel very lucky that 99% of our community is so kind-hearted and supportive of one another. I want to make sure that we are doing our part in supporting you and keeping it that way.