TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

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Jessica Booker

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Hi everyone and @axelbeugre I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to tackle the below question for DLA Piper's application please? I am struggling in exactly what it is asking me for and especially the latter part of the question as it doesn't seem I can tailor it specifically to DLA Piper and I don't want to sound generic. How do I structure it that I answer it well. Any tips would be much appreciated thank you in advance.

If successful in securing a training contract after the Summer Internship, what do you anticipate will be the key challenges of the International Training Programme for you? How would you approach these challenges, and what resources or support do you believe you would need to overcome them? (Max 200 words/1,500 Characters)
As the question is asking you about DLA’s programme specifically, I think it is important to tailor it to the opportunity with the firm.

The key part is identifying the individual challenges you will experience rather than what generally any trainee would find challenging. The “for you” part is very important and so focus on your development areas.

You then have to highlight the actions you would take to overcome this (not just explaining other people’s responsibilities or actions to help you as this will be more of the resources you would use to support you with how you would overcome the challenges). Try to make sure the resources part is also more specific to the firm where you can.
 

kr

Standard Member
Dec 27, 2019
5
4
As the question is asking you about DLA’s programme specifically, I think it is important to tailor it to the opportunity with the firm.

The key part is identifying the individual challenges you will experience rather than what generally any trainee would find challenging. The “for you” part is very important and so focus on your development areas.

You then have to highlight the actions you would take to overcome this (not just explaining other people’s responsibilities or actions to help you as this will be more of the resources you would use to support you with how you would overcome the challenges). Try to make sure the resources part is also more specific to the firm where you can.
thank you Jessica :)
 
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F12M34L

Legendary Member
  • Apr 28, 2022
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    I applied to the Macfarlanes Vac Scheme and was asked to do an online assessment. This is the third time I've applied but all previous incidents have resulted in an outright PFO with no request to do an assessment. Has Macfarlanes changed their application process this year from previous years, so all applicants are now required to complete the online test?
    What is the online assessment? SJT or WGT
     

    ZiHe77

    Standard Member
    Apr 12, 2023
    8
    1
    If you have completed a HL AC before, please can you share some tips/info on the AC? What were some tricky questions they asked you? What was the case study on?

    I have an AC for the WVS coming up asap.
     

    S87

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    Hi guys, I am currently applying to Clifford Chance and I was wondering if I could have your opinion on how to approach the question.

    "In no more than 500 words, please tell us about your extra-curricular activities, positions of responsibility and an achievement of importance which you are most proud of. How will these experiences help you excel as a Clifford Chance lawyer?"

    Do you think I should only explain the skills I developed or I should link them to the firm's practice areas/ activities?
    @Jessica Booker and @axelbeugre would love your feedback too.

    Thank you in advance.
     

    Jessica Booker

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    Graduate Recruitment
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    Hi guys, I am currently applying to Clifford Chance and I was wondering if I could have your opinion on how to approach the question.

    "In no more than 500 words, please tell us about your extra-curricular activities, positions of responsibility and an achievement of importance which you are most proud of. How will these experiences help you excel as a Clifford Chance lawyer?"

    Do you think I should only explain the skills I developed or I should link them to the firm's practice areas/ activities?
    @Jessica Booker and @axelbeugre would love your feedback too.

    Thank you in advance.
    When you say “only” the skills, I don’t think this is sufficient. You will need to focus on explaining your extra curriculars and also the achievement (and why you think it’s your greatest achievement).

    Given the world count, I don’t think it is necessary to link these to the firm or the skills you have developed unless this is necessary for the part of your answer as to how those experiences will allow you to excel as a trainee specifically at the firm.
     
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    S87

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    When you say “only” the skills, I don’t think this is sufficient. You will need to focus on explaining your extra curriculars and also the achievement (and why you think it’s your greatest achievement).

    Given the world count, I don’t think it is necessary to link these to the firm or the skills you have developed unless this is necessary for the part of your answer as to how those experiences will allow you to excel as a trainee specifically at the firm.
    Thank you @Jessica Booker
     
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    Flanker01

    New Member
  • Mar 10, 2023
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    Congrats. Just to confirm, this was the process that opened like 2-3 weeks ago. That is very fast and very rolling indeed.

    How were the first round and two stage second round? Were there many others there too?
    For me it was only one interview, since I was applying for the HK office instead of the UK one.

    The interview was definitely not what I expected, since I thought I’d get asked about something technical (legal questions, commercial awareness etc). Throughout the interview the partners were more interested in my personal life studying abroad in the UK, my hobbies and why I didn’t do anything for August (Had a major surgery back in HK, was stuck in a hospital and literally could not speak at all). No technical questions were asked, but they did ask me why I wanted to be a regulatory lawyer, since I wrote that on my cover letter.

    I’m not sure how many people were there in the same application stage as I was. I asked the partner who was interviewing me about it, but she said she wasn’t too sure as well.

    Overall, really chill experience. I think they were more keen on finding the right people to work with then than anything at the interview stage.

    Again, do note that I applied to the HK office, so things may very well differ in the UK stream.
     

    Flanker01

    New Member
  • Mar 10, 2023
    4
    25
    Btw, just wanted to give my 3 cents on vac scheme applications. The recruitment process for HK Vac schemes operate similarly, so hopefully it will be of some help.

    I applied for 15 firms last year, and guess what? I got PFOs for all of them. I was really doubting my personal ability back then, but the idea that I had 15 PFOs and all my other friends who got vac scheme offers just fuelled me even more to find out what I was lacking.

    1. Cover Letter: Show yourself!
    Looking back, one of the first things I noticed was how bad my cover letters were. I couldn’t showcase myself in any of them. I was basically repeating what I had on my CV, and I couldn’t link it back to the firm. So this time around, I focused on my personal experiences. I drew my experiences abroad and where I lived, and connected to why I wanted a career in commercial law. Similarly, I drew upon my volunteering experiences, my experience as an athlete in high school etc and linked them back to the firm, saying how its training style or work culture would benefit me/be a good fit for them. This way, I can weave in my personal qualities and talk about the firm, without needing a separate paragraph talking about myself.

    Oh btw, never, ever use ChatGPT or any AI bot to write your cover letters.

    2. Quality of Quantity
    People think that more applications = more chances of success. Well you can look at me and basically tell it’s not the case. Last year, I didn’t attend open days or any career events, thinking my grades alone were sufficient. Boy was I wrong. As part of researching the firm, these carer events are super important if you want to learn more about the firm, so always try to go to them, even though you personally aren’t really interested in the firm. You probably won’t get the Managing Partner or GR to remember you, but the info you get out of it is extremely valuable. I think partially why I got an offer was that I drew upon what they talked about in the career talk, especially their work and why I was interested in pursuing a career in this line of work (private equity, regulatory etc). If you’re doing this already, you’re halfway there so don’t worry.

    3. Review, Review, Review
    Always review sections of your application that requires you to type it out. Always try to have a word document dedicated for this since you can check your grammar and spelling beforehand. My CC application was littered with grammar and spelling mistakes in my 1st cycle, so that’s probably the main reason why I got PFOed. If you want to, you can definitely have someone proof read for you, just in case you miss anything. This rule of thumb also goes to your cover letter. Read it out loud, or have someone read it for you. Always nice to get a 2nd opinion.

    4. Read the news
    This is often the most overlooked aspect of vac scheme applications, but this is how you truly build commercial awareness. If you’re finding it very difficult to understand some of the more technical terms, that’s fine. Here’s how you can dice it up into smaller, more consumable chunks. I found it way easier to understand market info than just reading through the whole thing without understanding what was going on half the time.

    First, I created a word doc just for commercial news. I then looked at the firm’s business and clients and go onto the news to see if any deals/ practices coincided with market developments. In my case, I chose to read up on private equity and IPOs in Japan. Whenever I came up with a term I didn’t know on the news, I highlighted it, and searched it up. I then had a section dedicated to explaining this term, like a glossary. My explanation for the term would be easy for me to understand, and slowly, I understood what was going on. It doesn’t even need to be a technical commercial term: it can be any term you don’t understand!

    This system really helped me expand my commercial awareness, at least in a sense why businesses were making those decisions. I credit this worksheet that I made to being able to successfully get through the interview process, since the partner and I got on a very nice chat about the Japanese market by the end of the interview.

    5. Don’t be arrogant - Reflect on yourself
    It’s always tempting to think that because I go to law school, and I got a 70 something in a module, or an A for that assignment, I must be the best. Well actually, no you’re not. I used to be that kind of guy, but the 1st cycle of my application process really humbled me and made me reflect on my weaknesses. It made me work harder and focus on myself, rather than comparing myself to others. Getting good grades only gets you so far. I know this guy from law school who is by far the most hard working person I’ve known, but he was super arrogant and aggressive to everyone. He loves talking about himself on the law group chat, and it was not a surprise when he complained that he didn’t get any offers for vac schemes. A hardworking and positive attitude is something firms want to see, and the application process goes beyond who gets better grades.

    If you don’t get any offers this cycle, that’s totally fine as well! A rejection is another opportunity to reflect and learn. You don’t always get it right at first, just like law firms don’t expect trainees to get it right at first too! 15 PFOs certainly was not fun, but here I am now! After reflecting on my mistakes and on things I didn’t do well, I certainly grew a lot as a law student and as a person. The lessons you learnt will be reflected in your next cycle, and you’ll definitely improve if you keep reflecting on yourself!

    Hope this helps! And like my contract law professor says all the time to us: Per Ardua Ad Astra!
     
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    F AJMI

    Active Member
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    Nov 11, 2022
    10
    6
    Hi guys, got a general question about answering the " why this firm answer"

    Is it helpful to talk about some of modules you have studied as law student, and link that to why you are interested in certain areas that a law firm specialices in. I do understand that there is a huge difference between studying law at uni and actually working in a legal field, but i think it could be used to show a gerneral understanding of a particular sector (to be backed up with evidence of further research).

    @Jessica Booker
     
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    lawyergirl

    Distinguished Member
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    Apr 12, 2023
    67
    94
    Btw, just wanted to give my 3 cents on vac scheme applications. The recruitment process for HK Vac schemes operate similarly, so hopefully it will be of some help.

    I applied for 15 firms last year, and guess what? I got PFOs for all of them. I was really doubting my personal ability back then, but the idea that I had 15 PFOs and all my other friends who got vac scheme offers just fuelled me even more to find out what I was lacking.

    1. Cover Letter: Show yourself!
    Looking back, one of the first things I noticed was how bad my cover letters were. I couldn’t showcase myself in any of them. I was basically repeating what I had on my CV, and I couldn’t link it back to the firm. So this time around, I focused on my personal experiences. I drew my experiences abroad and where I lived, and connected to why I wanted a career in commercial law. Similarly, I drew upon my volunteering experiences, my experience as an athlete in high school etc and linked them back to the firm, saying how its training style or work culture would benefit me/be a good fit for them. This way, I can weave in my personal qualities and talk about the firm, without needing a separate paragraph talking about myself.

    Oh btw, never, ever use ChatGPT or any AI bot to write your cover letters.

    2. Quality of Quantity
    People think that more applications = more chances of success. Well you can look at me and basically tell it’s not the case. Last year, I didn’t attend open days or any career events, thinking my grades alone were sufficient. Boy was I wrong. As part of researching the firm, these carer events are super important if you want to learn more about the firm, so always try to go to them, even though you personally aren’t really interested in the firm. You probably won’t get the Managing Partner or GR to remember you, but the info you get out of it is extremely valuable. I think partially why I got an offer was that I drew upon what they talked about in the career talk, especially their work and why I was interested in pursuing a career in this line of work (private equity, regulatory etc). If you’re doing this already, you’re halfway there so don’t worry.

    3. Review, Review, Review
    Always review sections of your application that requires you to type it out. Always try to have a word document dedicated for this since you can check your grammar and spelling beforehand. My CC application was littered with grammar and spelling mistakes in my 1st cycle, so that’s probably the main reason why I got PFOed. If you want to, you can definitely have someone proof read for you, just in case you miss anything. This rule of thumb also goes to your cover letter. Read it out loud, or have someone read it for you. Always nice to get a 2nd opinion.

    4. Read the news
    This is often the most overlooked aspect of vac scheme applications, but this is how you truly build commercial awareness. If you’re finding it very difficult to understand some of the more technical terms, that’s fine. Here’s how you can dice it up into smaller, more consumable chunks. I found it way easier to understand market info than just reading through the whole thing without understanding what was going on half the time.

    First, I created a word doc just for commercial news. I then looked at the firm’s business and clients and go onto the news to see if any deals/ practices coincided with market developments. In my case, I chose to read up on private equity and IPOs in Japan. Whenever I came up with a term I didn’t know on the news, I highlighted it, and searched it up. I then had a section dedicated to explaining this term, like a glossary. My explanation for the term would be easy for me to understand, and slowly, I understood what was going on. It doesn’t even need to be a technical commercial term: it can be any term you don’t understand!

    This system really helped me expand my commercial awareness, at least in a sense why businesses were making those decisions. I credit this worksheet that I made to being able to successfully get through the interview process, since the partner and I got on a very nice chat about the Japanese market by the end of the interview.

    5. Don’t be arrogant - Reflect on yourself
    It’s always tempting to think that because I go to law school, and I got a 70 something in a module, or an A for that assignment, I must be the best. Well actually, no you’re not. I used to be that kind of guy, but the 1st cycle of my application process really humbled me and made me reflect on my weaknesses. It made me work harder and focus on myself, rather than comparing myself to others. Getting good grades only gets you so far. I know this guy from law school who is by far the most hard working person I’ve known, but he was super arrogant and aggressive to everyone. He loves talking about himself on the law group chat, and it was not a surprise when he complained that he didn’t get any offers for vac schemes. A hardworking and positive attitude is something firms want to see, and the application process goes beyond who gets better grades.

    If you don’t get any offers this cycle, that’s totally fine as well! A rejection is another opportunity to reflect and learn. You don’t always get it right at first, just like law firms don’t expect trainees to get it right at first too! 15 PFOs certainly was not fun, but here I am now! After reflecting on my mistakes and on things I didn’t do well, I certainly grew a lot as a law student and as a person. The lessons you learnt will be reflected in your next cycle, and you’ll definitely improve if you keep reflecting on yourself!

    Hope this helps! And like my contract law professor says all the time to us: Per Ardua Ad Astra!
    Thank you for sharing this, very insightful and helpful!! :)
     
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    jlee01

    New Member
    Oct 26, 2023
    2
    1
    for questions like 'Tell me more about yourself/ can you introduce yourself?', do interviewers expect you to give answers about your career motivations and experiences or answers like my hobbies that are something more personal?
     
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