TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

B2025

Esteemed Member
Premium Member
Jun 28, 2024
79
190
OMG I won't say the firm name but they said I have to do their test even though I have been by pass from that same test by other firms. I have a neurodiversity and it is really annoying some firms still won't accommodate to make it fair for everyone and considering I spent 6 days on their application. I am just really annoyed with this and bet others will be feeling the same as me in this situation.
 

Parsorandini

Esteemed Member
Premium Member
Oct 8, 2021
94
219
I would generally include all of them. Sometimes it is possible to group entries together, particularly things like open day or legal clinic work, and it’s not a problem to do this as long as you are clear about the precise dates of each activity in the description. You don’t have to group them together though - 12 entries is not going to be excessive if you are only writing 200-250 words per entry on average (or less).
Thank you very much! One last thing (as I have heard contrasting opinions on this), should I link to 'why law'/why the firm in the work experience section? Also should I explicitly state skills I have learned? Wondering whether I do all of that or just stick to the facts of my role, its responsibilities, and maybe an outstanding achievement etc.
 

Tintin06

Legendary Member
Oct 23, 2019
580
1,326
I haven't done CC's Watson Glaser yet. I got 65% on a practice test today. I'm not feeling hopeful. I've already justified not passing the test owing to the firm's C score for work life balance on the Legal Cheek Junior Lawyer Survey. It's amazing how you can justify anything to yourself if you want to. This might be why I don't have a TC yet.
 
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IneedaTCASAP

Legendary Member
Oct 14, 2024
203
379
I haven't done CC's Watson Glaser yet. I got 65% on a practice test today. I'm not feeling hopeful. I've already justified not passing the test owing to the firm's C score for work life balance on the Legal Cheek Junior Lawyer Survey. It's amazing how you can justify anything to yourself if you want to. This might be why I don't have a TC yet.
A tip I got from an junior at a US firm was that.

A US firm Lawyer and a MC lawyer will be on the same case against each other. If the US lawyer is finishing at 11pm then the MC most likely will be to. It’s just that the US lawyer gets paid more. Yes the US lawyer has greater responsibility being in a team of 3 compared to the MC lawyer being in a team of 7 but their experience/exposure will succeed those at the MC firm. I wouldn’t focus too much on the hours between US and MC given that most of your applications are to US firms. I was also told by a partner that if hours are your focus go in house. As for CC Watson Glaser. the test is very similar to other Watson Glaser tests like CMS and Linklaters.
 

Tintin06

Legendary Member
Oct 23, 2019
580
1,326
A tip I got from an junior at a US firm was that.

A US firm Lawyer and a MC lawyer will be on the same case against each other. If the US lawyer is finishing at 11pm then the MC most likely will be to. It’s just that the US lawyer gets paid more. Yes the US lawyer has greater responsibility being in a team of 3 compared to the MC lawyer being in a team of 7 but their experience/exposure will succeed those at the MC firm. I wouldn’t focus too much on the hours between US and MC given that most of your applications are to US firms. I was also told by a partner that if hours are your focus go in house. As for CC Watson Glaser. the test is very similar to other Watson Glaser tests like CMS and Linklaters.
My focus is on money, mostly. I was being sarcastic. Any advice for passing the test?
 

Andrei Radu

Legendary Member
Staff member
Future Trainee
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 9, 2024
306
492
Thank you very much! One last thing (as I have heard contrasting opinions on this), should I link to 'why law'/why the firm in the work experience section? Also should I explicitly state skills I have learned? Wondering whether I do all of that or just stick to the facts of my role, its responsibilities, and maybe an outstanding achievement etc.
Hey @Parsorandini I think you should generally just stick to the facts. If you are sufficiently specific in your description of your tasks, it should be easy for recruiters to infer associated skills and attributes without your writing becoming very repetitive. However, you can also make a link explicit if (i) a given work experience has particularly strong connections with your motivations for why commercial law or why the firm; or (ii) if a given work experience has made you develop particularly relevant/unique skills. Nonetheless, I will emphasize that my advice is to only do so sparingly. The more links you explicitly draw, the less impactful will each particular connection seem.
 

Andrei Radu

Legendary Member
Staff member
Future Trainee
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 9, 2024
306
492
I haven't done CC's Watson Glaser yet. I got 65% on a practice test today. I'm not feeling hopeful. I've already justified not passing the test owing to the firm's C score for work life balance on the Legal Cheek Junior Lawyer Survey. It's amazing how you can justify anything to yourself if you want to. This might be why I don't have a TC yet.
Hey @Tintin06 try not to feel too disheartened. WG scores vary a lot between tests, as the difficulty levels of different tests also varies a lot. Furthermore, there is a significant chance element to this. While learning and internalizing the fine technical rules and distinctions of each test section definitely helps, you will still have many questions where you have two equally plausible options and will have to make judgement calls based on your intuition. Sometimes, you can get a lot of those right, while at other times you can get a lot of those wrong, with no other explanation besides chance.

I have seen this variation in my own results, scoring 98th percentile in some tests and not passing the benchmark in others. Also, a friend of mine who did well enough in the Linklaters WG to get the open day invite scored under 50% in another WG practice test. Point is, you should definitely hold yourself accountable and aim to improve your skills as much as you can, but you should not let one single bad result get you down.
 

Brandon93

Valued Member
Gold Member
Premium Member
M&A Bootcamp
Sep 25, 2018
123
113
Please use the space below to describe the reasons you want to be a solicitor.
Outline what first prompted your interest in the profession, your research on the profession, and particular areas of law that interest you. Max 300 words

Can anyone provide guidance on how to approach this question? Is this 'why commercial law' in disguise or do I need to just focus on the law aspect and leave out the 'commercial' bit?
 

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