TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Lastseasonwonder]

Anyone been rejected by W&C post-app (WVS)?

Give this a thumbs please if so.

Feels like they are ghosting me, and I don't believe I am the only one.

@NJS - thumbs down for PFO or yet to hear back?

@SamiyaJ - red cross for PFO or yet to hear back?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Thank you this is very detailed and highly appreciated.

I spoke to a partner as I liked their work and we spoke for about 15 minutes I was being myself and made jokes. I felt soo comfortable at the firm. A trainee came joined our conversation stating they’re a recruitment partner. I felt like an idiot as I didn’t know this and they interview people for TC’s. I asked many questions before this and held intense eye contact. I enjoyed the way they spoke about the firm. However I can’t get over not being more professional when speaking to them. They were drinking a beer but still I could’ve come across more intellectual rather than friendly.

I would not worry about this. To the extent that these interactions will matter at all at the interview stage (which is quite unlikely), I think it will actually be very helpful to have shown that you can establish more informal relations with people at the firm.

At many networking events and especially in my vacation schemes, I think students were generally erring by being too focused on having an exaggerated "professional" attitude. In many of these moments lawyers at the firm were looking to just unwind and relax a bit after long periods of work, so there was a mismatch of attitudes and expectations. Almost invariably, the students who were willing to discuss a mix of work and non-work related subjects, and more importantly, who did so in a relaxed manner, were the ones who left a better impression. As such, the always serious students would generally not fit in and most of them did not convert to a TC. This makes sense, because firms want to build cohesive teams, and for that you need people who can connect with each other beyond a merely formal relationship.

All that is to say, you should definitely not be upset at yourself for not coming across as more 'intellectual'. If anything, attempting to do so could have made people at the firm think you are taking yourself too seriously, which is not a very appreciated trait.

 

[SamiyaJ]

@NJS - thumbs down for PFO or yet to hear back?

@SamiyaJ - red cross for PFO or yet to hear back?

Have not heard anything back post app!

 

[Lastseasonwonder]

The assessment is untimed but we have 2 mins for each video interview question.

Thanks. how many VI questions

 

[IneedaTCASAP]

I would not worry about this. To the extent that these interactions will matter at all at the interview stage (which is quite unlikely), I think it will actually be very helpful to have shown that you can establish more informal relations with people at the firm.

At many networking events and especially in my vacation schemes, I think students were generally erring by being too focused on having an exaggerated "professional" attitude. In many of these moments lawyers at the firm were looking to just unwind and relax a bit after long periods of work, so there was a mismatch of attitudes and expectations. Almost invariably, the students who were willing to discuss a mix of work and non-work related subjects, and more importantly, who did so in a relaxed manner, were the ones who left a better impression. As such, the always serious students would generally not fit in and most of them did not convert to a TC. This makes sense, because firms want to build cohesive teams, and for that you need people who can connect with each other beyond a merely formal relationship.

All that is to say, you should definitely not be upset at yourself for not coming across as more 'intellectual'. If anything, attempting to do so could have made people at the firm think you are taking yourself too seriously, which is not a very appreciated trait.

Thank you. This has lifted my spirits. I totally agree with you.

 

[lookingforaTC]

For one of the questions on Simmons automatic SJT - why does it mention 'project delivery' and 'software' on the answers when none of these are stated in the diagram?
This was the case last year also.

 

[Lastseasonwonder]

Can anyone that completed the online blended assessment for Pinsent Masons please PM me?

 

[IneedaTCASAP]

Can anyone that completed the online blended assessment for Pinsent Masons please PM me?

I have done it, what do you need to know.
SJT is standard. There is a written element and a VI question. I won’t state the VI question and the written is untimed so you have ample time to complete it.

 

[NJS]

@NJS - thumbs down for PFO or yet to hear back?

@SamiyaJ - red cross for PFO or yet to hear back?

Yet to hear back

 

[NJS]

I will get a TC 😎 (1am positive affirmation, and everyone here will get theirs too 😎)

 

[Mariyam_M]

Hey guys! I have a very quick normal 2 AM application doubt that’s struck me. In the TW application, one of the questions is

• What motivates you for a career in law at Taylor Wessing, and what key skills would you bring?

Do I stick to “Why TW” for this answer, or should I delve into “Why a career in commercial law” as well?

 

[IneedaTCASAP]

I assume no W&C news means we’re being considered for the other schemes. I put down all three schemes. I guess if you put winter only you may be rejected given they are giving offers.

 

[asplawyer100]

I assume no W&C news means we’re being considered for the other schemes. I put down all three schemes. I guess if you put winter only you may be rejected given they are giving offers.

Or it just means PFO. That’s what I’m assuming at this point as that’s how it went for me last year

 

[Rosscarr08]

Has anyone heard from cleary post WG? I completed it about two weeks ago

 

[tc67]

Is Pinsent Masons blended assessment automatic or next stage? How many days do you have to complete it? Thanks

 

[HelpAStudentOut]

Anyone heard from HSF post-AC yet?

 

[LLB0711]

Anyone been rejected post-VI for W&C yet?

 

[Nick03]

Has anyone who applied to HL Liftoff or SVS gotten the Watson Glaser yet?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hey guys! I have a very quick normal 2 AM application doubt that’s struck me. In the TW application, one of the questions is

• What motivates you for a career in law at Taylor Wessing, and what key skills would you bring?

Do I stick to “Why TW” for this answer, or should I delve into “Why a career in commercial law” as well?

I think the natural reading of this question basically covers the three usual cover letter questions - why law, why the firm, why you. Thus, I think you should cover all three. However, to the extent that there is overlap between your why TW and why law motivations, you can try to write about the two together to save wordcount. You should nonetheless take care to ensure you still keep a clear and easy to follow structure.

I know that TW has overlap between the cover letter and the application form questions - so I thought it may be useful to quote a previous post here in which I discussed how to deal with the issue of repetition:

For the application form answer, I would still seek to answer the three main questions in the cover letter as well (Why commercial law, Why the firm, Why me) but I would seek to employ more of a 'narrative structure' and speak more about personal experiences. Essentially, you should describe your personal, academic, and professional trajectory more broadly, focusing on how your journey had led to where you are now. In the application form question, while answering the same questions, you should write in a to-the-point style and implement a very clear structure. Your points should be a lot more factual and the experiences you describe should be more academic/work related.

As for the 'Why the firm' section, as @Jessica Booker mentioned, you can make the application form question answer more around the work opportunities (seats and rotations; secondments; practice area and sector expertise; client base etc) and the cover letter answer more around the working environment and why that is a great fit for your personality (here, you can discuss the training programme specifics and culture more, but perhaps also the working environment in the teams/practice areas of the firm you are interested in and more broadly the working environment at a type of commercial law firm like Taylor Wessing).

The one thing I will add is that while avoiding repeating the experiences you mention is ideal, it is not an issue if the points that you are illustrating through those experiences and the details of the experiences you are describing are different in the application form answer and the cover letter. As said before, the cover letter is meant to allow you to show your personality more. As such, you could also provide a more detailed explanation as to your fundamental motivations from a personal perspective in it. For instance, say your basic answer to 'Why commercial law' in the application form question looks something like this:

1. Becoming a commercial solicitor because this is the only career path that involves working at the junction point of legal and business advisory.
2. I have this academic/professional experience (explained with a STAR structure) which has shown me I am attracted to/a good fit for a career that involves both business and legal advisory.
3. Therefore, I want to be a commercial solicitor.

In the cover letter, you could discuss the same experience and underlying motivation for commercial law, but from a different perspective. You could use the opportunity to dig a lot deeper into your deeper personal interests and motivations: what is it about you that makes you attracted to an advisory role as opposed to an executive one? What is it about the legal and business world that would make learning about it more interesting than other fields? When did you realise you had these interests, and did you consider any other career paths? If so, which did you consider, and what steps did you take to confirm that commercial law is indeed the optimal choice? How did this impact you and lead to the evolution of your professional interests and preferences over time? The point is, you can delve a lot deeper into all the thought processes and less significant prior experiences that led up to the point at which you are now. While the final conclusion of this exposition might be the same attraction to business and legal advisory you mention in your application form answer, this does add a lot of value to the recruiter's understanding of you as a person. This is a lot of useful information and contextualization that would simply be impossible to include in the application form answer due to the space constraints and would therefore likely not be deemed a mere repetition.

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

I’ve heard nothing I’m afraid, sorry. Re direct TC, do you know if those who have heard back so far post WG were rejections or further assessment invites?

I got an interview invite yesterday