TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

[BillSikes]

Cheaper and a higher pass rate

Cheaper? I thought SQE was cheaper?

 

[axelbeugre]

Why do people prefer LPC over SQE?

Because it feels as though the SQE might be harder and test skills which are not going to be necessarily the same as those necessary in practice. Doing 360 multiple choice questions in 10 hours does not necessarily capture how good of a lawyer someone will be and some people feel that the process, rather than diversifying the legal profession, is actually making it more unaccessible to marginalised communities.

 

[axelbeugre]

How much weight do interviewers hold in decision making at ACs? I feel I built a strong rapport with one of my interviewers but my written exercise was slightly weaker - do they hold much influence or is it really firm dependent?

It really depends on the firm and the evaluation process but they would definitely have a big say into whether you are offered a place or not. If you feel like you impressed them in a way, that is really positive and I would focus on the positive experience you had on the interview.

There is no point in stressing over your written exercise right now and I am sure you did not do as badly as you might think. I would personally say to be hopeful. I found myself in your situations a couple of times and I was so insecure about my written assessment, but I always came out on top so I would encourage you to be hopeful and focus on the overall positive experience you had at the firm.

Good luck with the result!

 

[axelbeugre]

For a question asking to highlight interests and extracurricular activities/achievements/positions of responsibility, is it alright to bullet point my response? @Jessica Booker

I was recommended to never use bullet points in an application question. Always write your answers in prose as the application stage is also a way to evaluate how well you write, and it is not possible to do that if you write in bullet points.

If unsure, you might want to email the law firm and ask them directly, I think it is important to hear directly from them when it comes to issues like this as they might be fine with bullet points, or they might be strongly against it.

 

[oebb]

Mayer Brown AC!!

(Spring VS)

What was the AC like? Just got the AC offer for the summer VS

 

[axelbeugre]

What was the AC like? Just got the AC offer for the summer VS

Congratulations for obtaining the assessment centre!!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Why do people prefer LPC over SQE?

Pass rates and the way that it is assessed.

 

[Jessica Booker]

How much weight do interviewers hold in decision making at ACs? I feel I built a strong rapport with one of my interviewers but my written exercise was slightly weaker - do they hold much influence or is it really firm dependent?

Completely firm dependent and it may not just be about the individual exercises but also the e individual competencies assessed within them. Those competencies may also cross exercises too - meaning you can score slightly lower in one competency in one exercise but make up for it in another. But it all varies from firm to firm.

 

[Jessica Booker]

For a question asking to highlight interests and extracurricular activities/achievements/positions of responsibility, is it alright to bullet point my response? @Jessica Booker

Only if the form gives you the option to format bullet points. For instance, in the forum posts (on a laptop rather than mobile version), you have the option to change font size and format, change the alignment of text and like a word document, add bullet points. If the application form allows similar functionality, then use bullet points if it makes sense to do so with how you have written stuff. Be mindful a bullet point really shouldn’t be more than two lines long though.

Most application forms don’t have this functionality though, and so if you have to copy bullet points in or use the • symbol, avoid bullet points as the formatting will not be right.

 

[Jessica Booker]

I was recommended to never use bullet points in an application question. Always write your answers in prose as the application stage is also a way to evaluate how well you write, and it is not possible to do that if you write in bullet points.

If unsure, you might want to email the law firm and ask them directly, I think it is important to hear directly from them when it comes to issues like this as they might be fine with bullet points, or they might be strongly against it.

Your writing style can be assessed if you write in bullet points - it is just much more about using them appropriately.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Cheaper? I thought SQE was cheaper?

SQE is generally cheaper, and can be by about £6k.

What does happen though is that people do expensive LLM style SQE prep courses that are not dissimilar in price to the LPC LLM courses, and then pay the £4-5k of assessment fees on top of that meaning the SQE can become more expensive, and especially if you have to resit.

 

[lawbear123]

@Jessica Booker @axelbeugre how would you recommend going about a follow up email post AC? is there anything specific worth mentioning?

 

[axelbeugre]

@Jessica Booker @axelbeugre how would you recommend going about a follow up email post AC? is there anything specific worth mentioning?

I personally always thank them for their time and for making me feel comfortable throughout the process/interview (depending on if you are writing to graduate recruitment or to partners) and that I felt honoured to have been given a chance to attend the assessment centre.

I never added more than that to be honest, a very short email will suffice, also because they are really busy and potentially will not even remember about this, but it is just a nice gesture to recognise the effort they put into the recruitment process, as I can imagine not being an easy task with thousands of students applying each year.

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker @axelbeugre how would you recommend going about a follow up email post AC? is there anything specific worth mentioning?

It really depends what your purpose is for following up. Is it just a polite thank you, or are you asking for an outcome or update or when you will hear back?

 

[A worried graduate]

What was the AC like? Just got the AC offer for the summer VS

Does that mean a PFO is coming for me?

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker

Do you think giving two sets of mitigating circumstances could be cause for concern to a law firm?

They are well-evidenced and supported by a letter from my university. However, they are for 3 modules that are all low 2:1 but were out of line with my other grades. Do you think I should include the mitigating circumstances to explain the drop in a few modules, or would I be better off simply not mentioning them at all since the grades are not disastrous, and the firm may perceive me to be an "inconsistent" candidate.

Personal circumstances are such a difficult topic to advise on because it’s very much about individual circumstances rather than rules or principles.

You have to really use your judgment on whether to claim mitigating circumstances and especially whether you claim both aspects. Ultimately if you feel they cause a blip on your academic record and they are documented by the university, then I’d encourage them to be disclosed as there is clear evidence of them happening and the university taking them into consideration. If circumstances are complicated to explain though and especially if there are multiple sets of circumstances, I tend to advise considering whether you only claim the most impactful circumstances. In your instance, you may want to consider what is on your university documents.

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss your personal circumstances.

 

[Aussielawyer]

What does the written assessment entail? It is difficult to give you tips without necessarily knowing what it asks you to do.
However, I shared some tips in this post which I hope will be somewhat useful: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ns-discussion-thread-2023-24.8037/post-156677

Good luck with the assessment!

Thanks for the info!! I have no idea what the assessment entails which is scary. It’s a written assessment timed for an hour. No legal knowledge required.

 

[Lostlawstudent]

Hey guys!! Anyone done a written assessment for CRS?!?! any advise and tips are welcome!

 

[jenniferrrrrrr]

Hey guys!! Anyone done a written assessment for CRS?!?! any advise and tips are welcome!

is this for vs or direct tc?

 

[TCchaser24]

has anyone heard from withers post-test?