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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24
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Jessica Booker
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- Aug 1, 2019
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The key to answering this question is highlighting the downsides for you and specifically for the firm you are applying to. No career is perfect and there will be elements that the job doesn’t give you that you wish it could. But you should be happy to make that compromise because of there is enough other elements that make the job worthwhile.
So when answering the question although you can highlight what the downsides are you for, try to balance this out by highlighting how you will balance the downsides with the positives, or work around/with the downsides to make sure it isn’t going to be a career you don’t want to do.
Demanding clients, IMO. You have to separate their criticisms and demands from your sense of self-worth. E.g. I had a client who told me the other person they'd hired was much more proactive and in-tune with what they were looking for, and another who claimed I didn't know anything about the issue they needed help with. You just have to reflect, but not catastrophise.
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- Sep 14, 2023
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Hey @The6FigureSuccessfulSolicitor, I understand this could be a daunting question but I am sure you'll be able to find some useful things to mention.
You could potentially touch upon these points:
- Increase the growth trajectory in a particular area that the firm is not necessarily strong in or known for.
- Enhancing D, E & I initiatives at the firm to widen the access to the legal profession to more diverse candidates.
- Increase your portfolio of clients in a practice area you would potentially qualify in.
- Find new ways to improve yourself as a lawyer to better advise your clients, such as courses in some commercial area you'll be working in, potentially undertaking a master outside of the country and come back to the firm and use that knowledge to contribute more effectively and efficiently to the firm.
- Create a niche practice area for yourself, i.e. only advising a specific type of companies or companies operating in a specific area such as technology or consumer goods or something along those lines.
Hi @axelbeugre , What kind of questions would I expect to see in an interview that assess motivations and behaviours important to the role? Is this a strengths-based interview?
- Sep 14, 2023
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@Jessica Booker has already shared Jaysen's advice which I think it is pretty useful already. What I can add is something I already shared here which is:
- Read the article carefully once without taking any notes. Read it again and once you are done, write down what you remembered about the article. Read it again, and take notes whilst reading. Although it can seem repetitive, it will give you a very good understanding of what you read as well as the key points of the article. I got this advice when I was prepping for my article interview with Gibson Dunn last year and it worked perfectly for me, even though I did not have much time to do it!
- Look closely at the question. It does not only say to provide a general overview of the article but also to give key points. So I would divide my answer in a clear and precise, but concise overview; secondly, I would focus on three/four key points that the article highlights that are crucial to the understanding of the topic. I hope these tips will help you craft your answer! Although it is an unconventional question, I think it allows you to showcase your skills compared to other questions that some firms have so definitely give it your all and I am sure it will work out! Good luck with the application!
- Sep 14, 2023
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Hey @lovelaw223, thank you so much for the question which I think will be very useful to some people on here!
I think that some of the questions you might be asked are:
- Why do you want to become a commercial lawyer?
- This question aims to understand your motivations for entering the legal profession. In this kind of question you need to be both personal and professional, that is the approach I would take and I have always taken. So you start with a personal anecdote that pushed you to wanting to do law and you immediately connect it to a professional experience you have done that made you realise the importance of the law in the business field.
- What specific area of law are you most passionate about, and why?
- This question evaluates your interest and commitment to a particular field of law. They might ask you about a specific practice area so be ready to have a well-thought out answer for this.
- Can you describe a challenging problem you would face as a trainee solicitor and how you'd handle it?
- This question assesses your problem-solving skills and how you approach complex legal issues. As a trainee you might very overwhelmed sometimes so one thing they would want to understand is how you handle stress and anxiety as those would be part of the job.
- Tell us about a time when you had to work under pressure to meet a deadline. How did you handle it?
- This question assesses your ability to handle stress and work effectively in time-sensitive situations. This ties into the previous point a bit but this is a common question I have been asked quite a lot so having a confident answer to this is essential.
- Can you provide an example of a difficult client interaction and how you resolved it?
- This question evaluates your interpersonal skills and your ability to manage client relationships. This question might be asked to understand how you would handle a difficult client so always be positive when answering a question like this.
- Describe a situation where you had to work as part of a team. How did you contribute, and what was the outcome?
- This question assesses your teamwork and collaboration abilities.
Yes, this will probably both a strengths-based and motivations-based question so be ready to answer both types of questions!
Good luck with the interview!
Slaughters winter workshop PFO - a bit gutted, thought my cover letter was very strong. Oh well
Applied 12 Sept and had my VI last Friday. Fingers crossed for you!Sorry to hear!
What date did you apply? I haven’t heard back yet
Sorry to hear that :/ may I ask when you submitted your application (as I am still waiting to hear back from them)?
HSF PFO this morning after passing the benchmark for the test
May I ask which scheme did you applied for? Nevertheless onwards and upwards! 🫡
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