TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

laurenn42

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Oct 7, 2022
21
10
Hi,

I have been trying to improve my commercial awareness by reading the news more etc.

However, I am unsure how to approach it e.g., should i focus on the PESTLE aspect, or the impact on the law firm and its clients - but with that i don't know what to say other than advisory work for x sector may increase etc

Would appreciate any guidance, thank you in advance :)
I really struggled with this at first, but a lot of firms hold virtual events that you can attend and they will talk about current topics like AI or things like the space sector and how it relates to their firm. Once you attend one of these you can start relating news stories to the legal field much more easily.
 
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Jessica Booker

Legendary Member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
Premium Member
Forum Team
Aug 1, 2019
14,452
20,132
Hi,

I have been trying to improve my commercial awareness by reading the news more etc.

However, I am unsure how to approach it e.g., should i focus on the PESTLE aspect, or the impact on the law firm and its clients - but with that i don't know what to say other than advisory work for x sector may increase etc

Would appreciate any guidance, thank you in advance :)
I’d try to not get too worried about taking one approach to reading the news. Some articles are going to do the analysis for you, so you don’t necessarily need to go into full PESTLE or SWOT type structures of analysis as that has already been done for you. Where it hasn't, rather than just going into in depth analysis through something like PESTLE, ask yourself more general questions like:

Why is this happening?
Who does it impact?
Why would lawyers care about this?
Why is this interesting to me?
What could influence this in the future?

These types of questions then start on a more foundation level getting you thinking about things that may make up a more formal analytical review like SWOT or PESTLE.
 
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Jessica Booker

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TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
Premium Member
Forum Team
Aug 1, 2019
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@Jessica Booker I got the bronze membership a few days ago but somehow created 2 different accounts with the same email address🤦🏼‍♀️. Could I please get some help trying to access the premium database/sorting out my accounts? Thank you!
Hi there - please can you PM me with the proof of purchase and also add the two account names you currently have, and which one you want the membership tied to. I can then change the settings on one of the accounts to you have access to the premium content. We will only be able to allocate this to one of the two accounts though.
 
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Jessica Booker

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Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
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Aug 1, 2019
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Does anyone know how to answer "tell us about your hobbies and interests"
Is this an application question or an interview question? And if an application question, have you also been asked about your extracurriculars/positions of responsibility elsewhere in the application?
 

lawyersum

Distinguished Member
Jun 28, 2024
66
49
Can anyone offer advice on Pinsent's blended assessment, in particular what type of questions they ask for the video portion of the assessment?
Hey, I did the Pinsent’s blended assessment last recruitment cycle and I do remember one of the video questions being scenario based. It was based on receiving feedback from your supervisor regarding improving your attention to detail and how you would react and implement this. Obviously the questions must have changed now, but basically do be prepared for maybe one scenario question. The other question was firm-based.

Apart from that, there’s a decent amount of numerical reasoning so keep a calculator and pen paper handy. The assessment itself I found to be quite time pressured given the firm advises you not to spend more than 1 hour on it. But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll smash it- hope this info helps! :)
 
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