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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25
- Thread starter Jessica Booker
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- vacation scheme
- Sep 7, 2024
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Hey @AS24 , great question.
The question is indeed a hybrid, so dividing your word count between "the steps you took" and "what appeals to you about this career" is a solid approach. However, don’t feel bound to an exact 50/50 split. Instead, use your discretion to ensure each point is fully developed. For instance, you may find that your interest in a career as a solicitor in an international law firm requires more explanation than the specific steps you took, especially if those steps can be covered succinctly with a few examples and some detail.
Consider the question as asking both, “What steps have you taken to confirm that this is the career you want?” and “How have these experiences solidified or deepened your interest in commercial law specifically?” For the first part, focus on experiences that directly exposed you to commercial law or the day-to-day work of a solicitor, such as open days, vacation schemes, networking events, or specific workshops. Highlight any moments that were particularly formative—such as learning about the role of solicitors in complex transactions or understanding the way international firms approach cross-border work.
When explaining what appeals to you about this career, go beyond the surface level to show why you chose commercial law over other fields like immigration, criminal law, or even professions in adjacent industries like banking or marketing. Reflect on what aspects of commercial law excite you most: is it the strategic problem-solving involved in high-stakes deals? The dynamic nature of working with international clients and navigating varied regulatory environments? This is also a great opportunity to discuss any insights you gained about the commercial or business side of legal work and why that focus appeals to you. For instance, perhaps your research or work experiences revealed the value lawyers bring by understanding clients' industries, or you realized you thrive in environments where legal expertise intersects with business strategy. Remember to solidify the points here with remnants from your past experiences, to avoid your answer being labeled as generic.
Additionally, because the question specifically references international law firms, consider contrasting the appeal of international work versus domestic-only practices. You might mention the diversity of clients, the chance to address complex cross-border issues, or the appeal of working with multiple legal frameworks and regulations. This could be through direct examples, such as a case study or insight you encountered, or through your own aspirations to engage in a more globally connected practice.
Overall, think of this answer as an opportunity to demonstrate both why this career path is meaningful to you and how you’ve actively engaged in exploring and validating that interest.
Super helpful thank you for sharing. Good luck with the AC in a few months.
my linklaters top attributes being respect and resilience and my worst being resource and work management doesn’t exactly instil me with confidence icl… no critical thinking or analytical skills to speak of 💀
We have the same weakness.My strengths were excellence and working with others. Out of all of them I don’t think our weakness is as bad. We could’ve got intellect!
I just completed the WG assessment, who did you email to get your WG results from? Also, is your application still on hold? (I applied for the Summer Vac Scheme).
My strengths were resilience and excellence, weakness leadership preference (having hated being a manager I wasn’t too surprised by that lol!)
I had working with others & excellence as my top and my lowest was respect :'(
Thank you for this & fingers crossed you get selected for the open day! I hate waiting on outcomes lol.
It’s better than the AOS feedback report which essentially said the exact same thing of ‘you showed some good …./you showed potential in…. BUT’ for basically every category 😭
tbf I wouldn’t really worry, you could make a case for every single attribute being the most and least important, they all sound bad when put as the lowest and seem like the most important.
Yea, you're exactly right! I've read a few on here which have had excellence as their lowest and thought if I had that result I would have been concerned about that too lol.
Congratulations on both open days! 🎉
Would it be okay to ask if m the Linklaters open day for the 13th or the 27th?
I think leadership is an attribute that can be lowest as it’s something that can be developed. Now you have to show you can be a at the AC to balance it all out ha.
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