TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

[legallyells]

Hi! Thank you very much for letting me know! It definitively puts me at ease now. I will keep waiting and hope to hear back from them soon. If I may ask, when did you do the test and got the feedback? For me, I got the invite on the 16th and did it on the 22nd and got the feedback on the 23rd.

I also applied for their open day this december so I am also waiting on that but I think they wait until the deadline this week passes and then choose. How did this go for you?

i applied on the 30th sept for the VS, then got the feedback on the 2nd oct. so it was pretty quick really! my bclp open day was 23rd feb, and I heard on the 10th, so about 2 weeks notice. fingers crossed for you for both!

 

[yasmars]

Is it too late to apply for Mishcon's spring vac scheme? They have a rolling deadline that closes 3rd Nov

 

[Claristered]

i applied on the 30th sept for the VS, then got the feedback on the 2nd oct. so it was pretty quick really! my bclp open day was 23rd feb, and I heard on the 10th, so about 2 weeks notice. fingers crossed for you for both!

Thank you so much for the help! Yeah it makes sense then. I did one at Clyde & Co a few years ago and they also told me with 2 weeks notice. I will wait until the end of November then. Please do keep me posted on how it goes for you and I will do the same.

 

[Freya Ruparel]

Anyone heard from HSF?

Yes I have

 

[Aaj03]

Has anyone heard back for White & Case Open day?

 

[baj5]

has anyone heard from covington or Cleary?

 

[Izzy1026]

Anyone heard from W&C post VI?

 

[Izzy1026]

has anyone heard from covington or Cleary?

Met the HR lady from Covington last week she said they aim to send interview invitations later this week. The interviews will take place on 8 and 9 November

 

[adeptfork]

They have a stage after that interview now, it’s 5h at their office. The email I received was very vague!

I also have this, any information would be greatly appreciated!

 

[adeptfork]

Anyone have any insight into Jones Day’s AC? Have mine tomorrow and there isn’t anything online

How was it?

 

[Ellewoodz]

Has anyone heard back from A&O post AC or know when we will hear?

 

[catlover123]

Has anyone heard from Hogan Lovells post WG? I did mine last Friday.

 

[prospectiveswitcher]

HSF PFO (made the benchmark on the test)

 

[Petallove1]

Finally got a HSF PFO 🥳 also made benchmark on test

 

[Mathsdebater]

Got a Jones Day first-round interview in a few days. Urgently need help, any tips would be much appreciated 😬😬😬😬

 

[axelbeugre]

Hi thanks a lot for the feedback

Would you say that talking about work experience is always much better than talking about forage virtual work experience schemes, online courses or online lectures. I have complete a couple of legal work experiences at high street firms and whilst they have allowed me to experience various legal sectors, i am a little worried that it might seem like somewhat of a leap to link those to the practice areas of major commercial law firms.

In a "why this firm" question with a 250 word world limit, how much would you reccommend talking about personal experiences as opposed to showing research into the firm.

I think that anything that genuinely explains why you are mentioning a specific aspect of the firm works really well. I would not necessarily say that only actual work experience should be mentioned. Everything that gives a good picture of you as a good candidate is worth mentioning.

For instance, when I was applying to Latham & Watkins, I mentioned how I was very interested in their Africa practice, and I linked this to both my African origins but also a volunteering experience I did in Ivory Coast and I think that that worked well. In fact, it showed a genuine reason why the firm was appealing to me. However, when I was applying to Goodwin (where I'll be doing my TC), I specifically focused on my work experience in start-up and emerging companies since that was an aspect of the firm I really enjoyed learning about (the fact that they work with small companies too!). I also used these experiences I had in start-ups to emphasise my interest in their Technology practice. It was not necessary for me to mention any courses or modules taken as I was genuine in expressing what really inspired me to be interested in that practice area.

I hope these examples help you a little bit more in understanding what I mean. In conclusion, I would say that it is important for you to mention everything that genuinely inspired you to be interested in a specific practice area or trait of the firms you are applying to.

In a 250 word limit answer on ''why this firm'', I would say that you need to focus on the reasons why you are particularly interested in the firm, pick 2/3 and link them to your experiences, they can be either personal or professional. Make sure those make sense to you and your background. There is not a rule as to what to say, as long as it is genuine and aligned to the strengths of the firm, you are on the right track.

Good luck again! @F AJMI

 

[axelbeugre]

Linklaters WVS offer! I received it on Friday 😀

Congratulations! Huge achievement! You should be so proud of yourself!

 

[axelbeugre]

Hi, for a VC application question of 'why do you want to be a lawyer?', is it worth mentioning my interest in being a commercial lawyer specifically?

Hey @chikajessica,

I personally believe that with these kind of questions you can use any angle you want to express your reasons why you want to join the legal sector.

Since you are applying to a commercial law firm, I would say that it is worth mentioning your interest in being a commercial lawyer specifically as it will make much more sense.

I would also say that you want to be as genuine as possible in the answer. With this, I am not trying to tell you to write that your passionate for commercial law was there ever since you were a baby, but try to think about a personal anecdote that truly pushed to look further into the profession: was it an internship you did, a person you met that inspired you?, whatever it was, make sure to mention it as it will make your answer so much valuable and personal to you.

For instance, I used to talk about helping my mother with translating contracts from French to Italian for her business when I was young and seeing the impact I had on her dream pushed me to wanting to be helpful to people like her in the future and that is why I chose commercial law. An example like this is personal but I hope it also allows you to see how the interest in commercial law was born, and it is also very genuine!

I hope I was of help and good luck with the cycle!

 

[axelbeugre]

Bird & Bird VI Invite!!

Congratulations!!

 

[axelbeugre]

W&C VI! Had started to lose hope after not hearing from them for so long but I guess not [Edit: I applied close to the deadline, one or two days before.]

Congratulations!!