TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Audric_T]

Hi,

I received the DLA Piper VI on thursday and it said i had 5 working days so i assumed (thursday - friday - mon - tuesday - wednesday) with today being the last day but link expired

#pfo

Oh my god, have you reached out to the recruitment team to see if they can assist by chance? What is PFO please? Sorry new to the platform

 

[fingersarecrossed]

Oh my god, have you reached out to the recruitment team to see if they can assist by chance? What is PFO please? Sorry new to the platform

noo its like nearly 5 and maybe it was meant to be done by 23:59 yesterday oh well i'll just take it as a pfo post-interview sdfsfs
pfo (please f*** off) by the firm aka a rejection haha

 

[3000to1shoteverytime]

They're a law firm so work weekends too remember! I would have assumed Wednesday too! Was it after the actual time the link was sent. E.g. if you got the response at 10am did it expire at 10 am?

 

[fingersarecrossed]

They're a law firm so work weekends too remember! I would have assumed Wednesday too! Was it after the actual time the link was sent. E.g. if you got the response at 10am did it expire at 10 am?

it said within 5 working days and the test was sent near 6pm

 

[Andrei Radu]

Thank you! Do you by any chance remember the turnaround time between application (so completing the SJT) & hearing back?

Also - was there an interview stage for Latham's open day? I've heard there's an interview stage after the initial SJT stage but I'm not sure if that's the case for open days. There was a question where we had to record our video answers but I'm not sure if that's all that is meant.

Thank you.

@ashwright I do not remember very well, but I think it was roughly 1 month to 1 month and a half (I applied in December, but the open day was only taking place in March). I would not expect there to be another interview stage for the open day - even the VI element at the end of the SJT is rather exceptional.

 

[3000to1shoteverytime]

it said within 5 working days and the test was sent near 6pm

They must be including Saturday too is the only thing I can think. I would have thought today. Have you managed to get hold of them?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Would someone be willing to provide any tips/ guidance on the DLA Piper VI ? How did you guys best prepare ? What ‘type’ of questions should I expect ?

Thanks a lot !

Hi @abhuzaifa! I actually wrote a comprehensive post on this recently, I have quoted it bellow. However, if you have any further questions about VIs or DLA Piper I am very happy to discuss that !

Hi, @Pola123! First of all, congrats on the progression and good luck in the VI!! I did the DLA VI last year and from what I remember it mostly had the basic usual mix of motivational/competency questions you find in video interviews. While I don't know what questions they will use this year, I would not expect a very different approach. As such, most of the tips I can give you will be the broad, generally-applicable VI tips.

However, I can list bellow (a) some examples of DLA-specific questions you may want to prepare; (b) some general VI tips; and (c) a step by step guide for interview preparation that proved very effective for both VIs and final round interviews for me:

A. DLA-specific questions:

• Why are you applying to this DLA Piper office specifically?
• What is unique about DLA Piper's international approach? Are there any disadvantages and advantages compared to other models?
• Who are our biggest rival firms, and how can you distinguish us from them?
• Why do clients keep coming back to DLA Piper?
• Tell me about a challenge and an opportunity you see for the firm?
• Tell me what attracts you to our client base and the work we specialize in?
• Which one of our practice areas are you most interested in and why?

B. General VI tips:

• Prepare really well for the big 3 (Why commercial law, Why DLA, Why me) and a few of the other very common questions (such as about a new story you have been following and its impact on the firm).
• Also, prepare for variations of the big 3 - instead of just 'Why DLA' and 'Why commercial law' independently, you could be asked both questions at the same time - 'Tell us about why do you want to be a commercial solicitor at DLA Piper'.
• Try to get to a point where you can, on the spot, answer both the independent questions and the broader combinations of questions in 1 minute, 1.5 minute, and 2 minute timeframes. Then record yourself and assess your performance. The more you do this, the more will you improve your flexibility to answer different variations of questions in varying timeframes.
• Prepare for some less common/curveball type of questions. There's no way of predicting what more unique questions DLA may go for this year, but at least one question could be more unusual. The best you can prepare for that is by improving your ability to think of the spot and flexibility in how you can refer to your experiences.
• Do not overcommit when you first start answering a question. This was by far the biggest issue for me last year. I would try to be structured and signpost, so I would start my answer by saying 'I will give you three/four reasons why ...'. However, midway through articulating my answer I would realise I did not have enough time to comprehensively state what I indented to. Thus, I would have to sacrifice either on the quality of my explanations or just not talk through everything I said I would, neither of which is a good look. As such, when in doubt, go for less rather than more. Your purpose should not be to blow away the recruiters, but to simply communicate good substantive points in a clear, concise, and composed manner.

C. A step-by-step preparation guide:

 

[Andrei Radu]

Does anyone have tips on improving VI performance? It seems to be that one thing I always get stuck on in an application process. I work so hard on my written apps to get the VI but somehow could never pass it. So frustrating Would appreciate some tips

Hi @Izzy1026! So I've listed bellow a number of tips for improving VI performance. In terms of how to 'prepare', I would advise you to simulate VI conditions and then record yourself, exactly as you would in the actual exercise.

• Prepare really well for the big 3 (Why commercial law, Why the firm, Why me) and a few of the other very common questions (such as about a new story you have been following and its impact on the firm). These will form the basis for the questions.
• Also, prepare for variations of the big 3 - instead of just 'Why the firm' and 'Why commercial law' independently, you could be asked both questions at the same time - 'Tell us about why do you want to be a commercial solicitor at our firm'.
• Try to get to a point where you can, on the spot, answer both the independent questions and the broader combinations of questions in 1 minute, 1.5 minute, and 2 minute timeframes. Then record yourself and assess your performance. The more you do this, the more will you improve your flexibility to answer different variations of questions in varying timeframes.
• Prepare for some less common/curveball type of questions. The best you can prepare for that is by improving your ability to think of the spot and flexibility in how you can refer to your experiences.
• Do not overcommit when you first start answering a question. This was by far the biggest issue for me last year. I would try to be structured and signpost, so I would start my answer by saying 'I will give you three/four reasons why ...'. However, midway through articulating my answer I would realise I did not have enough time to comprehensively state what I indented to. Thus, I would have to sacrifice either on the quality of my explanations or just not talk through everything I said I would, neither of which is a good look. As such, when in doubt, go for less rather than more. Your purpose should not be to blow away the recruiters, but to simply communicate good substantive points in a clear, concise, and composed manner.

 

[Deleted member 37508]

noo its like nearly 5 and maybe it was meant to be done by 23:59 yesterday oh well i'll just take it as a pfo post-interview sdfsfs
pfo (please f*** off) by the firm aka a rejection haha

I mean I wouldn’t take the L. Email them in a weeks time asking for an update say you didn’t get the VI. Then hope they’ll resend. I wouldn’t just leave it. Kinda silly.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hello, just wondering. I attended a firm’s open day last year, can I refer to this when making my application for them this year? I was looking for online events on AllAboutLaw, Legal Cheek etc but couldn’t find any for this year until after the deadline 🥲

I think you definitely can and should mention the open day. Many firms actually host open days with the specific purpose of informing candidates for the next application cycle. Moreover, the mere fact of having attended an open day will help a lot with distinguishing you from other applicants by showing a proactive attitude and proven interest in the firm.

The only thing I would be careful about is about the specific information you learnt in the open day that you will want to reference in the application. You might want to double check that it is still accurate this year - especially if it concerns aspects that commonly change between the years, like financial results and lateral hires.

 

[Shah74k]

It's 24th October (tomorrow) -> https://www.cov.com/en/careers/lawyers/london/our-opportunities/vacation-schemes

Thank you - do you know if its midnight/midday - some firms even have it at 5:00pm?

 

[Tintin06]

Is there a specific way you're meant to put your mitigating circumstances? I only say that I suffered from severe illness, which had a negative impact on my studies. Should I add anything?

I do this in a single box just after the exam results. They usually ask about it.

 

[KBanana]

Hi @Andrei Radu @Jessica Booker

1. I am currently completing a law firm application that I plan to submit tomorrow. In my work experience section, I have included a part dedicated to open days. I recently secured a place on Paul, Weiss' open day and was wondering whether it is ok to write something along the lines of "I secured an open day at Paul, Weiss, which will take place on 30 October"? On the one hand, I thought maybe it would make me look like a competitive candidate, but on the other hand, I don't have any insights to share from this event yet, so I do not know if it just does not add anything to my application.

2. From a presentation POV, will it reflect poorly if I complete a VI at night time? Do you recommend only doing VIs in natural daylight?

Thank you!

 

[ashwright]

Has anyone been accepted onto the Freshfields call which is meant to be happening now? I've been waiting to be allowed in for a while.

 

[0livia.pope]

Has anyone been accepted onto the Freshfields call which is meant to be happening now? I've been waiting to be allowed in for a while.

Have you been let in yet?

 

[neena12]

Anyone know anyone who has got offer for HSF winter vac scheme post AC?

 

[fingersarecrossed]

I mean I wouldn’t take the L. Email them in a weeks time asking for an update say you didn’t get the VI. Then hope they’ll resend. I wouldn’t just leave it. Kinda silly.

it feels too unethical for me and i already clicked the link

 

[LawLawLawLawLaw]

Has anyone heard back yet for the Mishcon Open Day? and do you know when we should expect to hear?

 

[Audric_T]

Hi @abhuzaifa! I actually wrote a comprehensive post on this recently, I have quoted it bellow. However, if you have any further questions about VIs or DLA Piper I am very happy to discuss that !

Hi Andrei, apologies it looks like you got cut off. Could I kindly ask for the step by step please?

 

[Deleted member 37508]

it feels too unethical for me and i already clicked the link

A lot of things in law are unethical 😔