TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

Tintin06

Legendary Member
Oct 23, 2019
670
1,515
Has anyone been actually rejected by W&C WVS or are they just waiting to send them out in one single batch?
I've heard nothing but it was a very quick turnaround from invite to AC last year (three days) and I hadn't heard by this time a year ago. It's still possible we get an AC, unless they've explicitly confirmed they're full for the WVS.
 
  • Like
Reactions: g.cl.2020344

Jessica Booker

Legendary Member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
Premium Member
Forum Team
Aug 1, 2019
14,653
20,347
Hi @Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu!
I am planning to write cover letters for Freshfields/ Davis Polk, and was wondering if you have any advice on how I can discuss my mitigating circumstances (which seriously impacted my first and second-year grades) without breaking the flow of my cover letter?

Thank you
I would personally not include them in cover letters or personal statements but include them elsewhere. In the Freshfields form I think there is somewhere else to provide such details and if not, you could always send them as a seperate email after applying rather than putting them into a cover letter/personal statement.
 

Jessica Booker

Legendary Member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
Premium Member
Forum Team
Aug 1, 2019
14,653
20,347
Hi @Andrei Radu @Jessica Booker @Ram Sabaratnam !

Any advice on how to tackle the following question (and how I should divide the word count)?: "Please choose a recent (less than 12 months) development in UK/European news. How are such developments relevant for Skadden’s clients?"

I was thinking of writing 1-2 sentences outlining the recent development. Then, I am not sure about whether I should discuss why I find the development I chose interesting because usually the 'commercial' question like this in an app would explicitly state "a news story that interests you" in the question, but this is not the case in here. So, should I spend the rest of my word count simply outlining how the news/developments would affect Skadden's clients and how Skadden would get involved as a result?

Thank you!
You don’t have to mention why the development interests you (as it is not asked) but I have seen people weave this briefly into their answer at the same time.

I would focus more on how it will impact clients rather than how Skadden could help, as the latter is not being asked in the question either.
 

Arbiter141

Standard Member
Nov 13, 2024
6
7
I applied for King+Spalding's Insight Day and was rejected due to a lack of space. However, in the same email they invited me to their second virtual insight day being held later if I was to be interested. I emailed back in earnest last week (when I got the email) and sent a follow up yesterday since I have still not received an email back from them. Should I be worried or wait a little more (the virtual Insight Day deadline is in December anyways).
 

legalxp2

Star Member
Jan 4, 2024
34
14
So for the Freshfields graduate workshop they advertise that they'll - 'Show you what life as commercial lawyer is like, and what sets us apart from other firms, so you can make a confident decision on whether to apply for a vacation scheme or the trainee associate programme.'

However the vacation scheme for Freshfields states that 'You’re eligible to apply for the Summer Vacation Scheme if you are a penultimate-year undergraduate student studying any degree discipline.'

Could someone confirm whether a graduate can apply to the vacation scheme or am I limited to applying straight to the TC? Thanks!
 

yasmars

Legendary Member
Premium Member
Jan 1, 2021
282
400
So for the Freshfields graduate workshop they advertise that they'll - 'Show you what life as commercial lawyer is like, and what sets us apart from other firms, so you can make a confident decision on whether to apply for a vacation scheme or the trainee associate programme.'

However the vacation scheme for Freshfields states that 'You’re eligible to apply for the Summer Vacation Scheme if you are a penultimate-year undergraduate student studying any degree discipline.'

Could someone confirm whether a graduate can apply to the vacation scheme or am I limited to applying straight to the TC? Thanks!
VS is only for second year students. Anyone over that will need to apply directly for a TC.
 
  • ℹ️
  • 🤝
Reactions: The-PFO-Collector and legalxp2

Jessica Booker

Legendary Member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
Premium Member
Forum Team
Aug 1, 2019
14,653
20,347
I applied for King+Spalding's Insight Day and was rejected due to a lack of space. However, in the same email they invited me to their second virtual insight day being held later if I was to be interested. I emailed back in earnest last week (when I got the email) and sent a follow up yesterday since I have still not received an email back from them. Should I be worried or wait a little more (the virtual Insight Day deadline is in December anyways).
If you have emailed twice, I don’t think there is value in emailing again. I don’t think there is anything to worry about - I suspect they will come back to you to confirm detail in time.
 

Jessica Booker

Legendary Member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
Premium Member
Forum Team
Aug 1, 2019
14,653
20,347
So for the Freshfields graduate workshop they advertise that they'll - 'Show you what life as commercial lawyer is like, and what sets us apart from other firms, so you can make a confident decision on whether to apply for a vacation scheme or the trainee associate programme.'

However the vacation scheme for Freshfields states that 'You’re eligible to apply for the Summer Vacation Scheme if you are a penultimate-year undergraduate student studying any degree discipline.'

Could someone confirm whether a graduate can apply to the vacation scheme or am I limited to applying straight to the TC? Thanks!
No - you won’t be eligible for the vacation scheme unfortunately. I think the wording for the graduate workshop is just a mistake with referring to the summer vacation scheme.
 
  • Like
Reactions: legalxp2

About Us

The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

Newsletter

Discover the most relevant business news, access our law firm analysis, and receive our best advice for aspiring lawyers.