TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[andreilover01]

I think this is a question that is meant to enable you to showcase some of your personality. I would not focus too much on the word 'inspirations', I interpret the prompt to cover a discussion of any enterprise or activity that is of value to you outside of school and professional endeavors. The question clearly invites you to include broader and more personal projects as well, so I would definitely considering mentioning sports or arts-related activities, even if you do not think you have achieved particularly impressive results. Ultimately, this answer is your opportunity to show yourself as a well-rounded individual.

Can I talk about debate and the steps I took to improve?

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Can I talk about debate and the steps I took to improve?

Hi @andreilover01

I’m sure you'd just LOOOOOVE some insight from @Andrei Radu (and I would too tbh), but I just wanted to chime in to say YES, you can absolutely talk about debate and the steps you’ve taken to improve your skills. It’s a great example that can be taken in a lot of interesting directions. That said, the question isn't mainly asking you to focus primarily on how you've developed your competency in the activity, but trying to explore what you find interesting or appealing about this activity. You can definitely mention your ability to use/develop certain skills when carrying out this specific extracurricular activity and describe how you've gone about doing so. Just make sure not to lose focus of what the question is mainly asking you to do, which is to describe why you find the activity interesting/inspiring. Is it the intellectual challenge, the challenge of presenting a strong argument and persuading others, or the collaboration with teammates to find the best arguments for your position? If it's one or another of these, bring that reason right up top when discussing the activity. Showing what interests you will help bring your response to life and give the reader a real sense of your personality.

If the word count allows, it might also be worth mentioning another interest or two which showcases a broader range of activities and what you enjoy about them. For instance, if you’re into art, a particular sport, or anything else really, how do these hobbies inspire or challenge you in unique ways? By discussing multiple activities, you can demonstrate different facets of your character and the skills or qualities they’ve helped you develop. Ultimately, as Andrei mentioned, the question is about giving the reader a glimpse of your personality: what excites and motivates you outside of education and work. So while debate is one great activity to mention, try to give the reader a multifaceted window into your personality. Good luck with your application!

 

[milo]

Hiya @Tclarocks123 👀

I think it's understandable that you don’t want to change what worked (I remember feeling this way with some firms that I re-applied to during my second cycle), but depending on how long ago you applied, giving your application a bit of a facelift is important. Without some updates, there's a risk that your application may come across as though you haven’t developed your experiences or motivations, which could reflect poorly.

Not everything needs to change. Your academic results, degree, or some work experience entries may still be relevant and appropriate to keep. However, here are just some things to keep in mind when updating and strengthening your application:

1. Work Experience: Have you undertaken any new roles, attended any legal or commercial events, or gained insight through extracurricular activities? Even if the roles are unrelated to law, think about transferable skills you’ve developed, such as teamwork, leadership, or analytical thinking.
   
   
2. Motivations for the Firm: Your core interests in the firm might remain the same. For example, you might still be interested in a firm's strength in private equity or disputes or certain sectors. However, how has your understanding of the firm's capabilities in these areas deepened since your last application? Have you read about recent deals, awards, or initiatives that resonate with you? Have you had any new experiences that have given you fresh insights into these areas? Again, you don't need to radically rethink your main motivations for joining the firm, but think about how your personal experiences and the firm's work have developed since your last app.
   
   
3. Commercial Awareness: For any commercial related questions, it's worth reflecting on any industry trends or challenges the firm might face. If you're still mentioning news stories or trends that are a bit outdated, this is your chance to think about how to update this area in a way that makes your application more relevant.
   
   
4. Personal Growth: Think about how you’ve evolved since your last application. Have you developed skills like resilience or adaptability, especially if you’ve faced challenges (like the video interview itself)? Share how these experiences have prepared you for a legal career.

By addressing these areas, I think you should be able to preserve the basic aspects of your original application while demonstrating growth and a stronger connection to the firm. Best of luck with the application!

Hi there, obviously I appreciate an application can always be refined or updated, but do you know whether firms can access/retain old applications and if not, how will they know whether or not you've updated your app?

 

[bella98]

@Ram Sabaratnam I recall you previously mentioned avoiding the generic response, 'I am interested in both law and business,' when addressing the question of why I chose commercial law. I typically prefer a structured approach to these types of questions where I write three key points, starting with how my interest in the field began and so on. Could the intersection of law and business be one of those points, or does that come across as too broad? The reason I ask is that I studied law and also ran a small business, so I often incorporate that into my answer as one of the key points. Thank youu

 

[bella98]

Still waiting for the test here. How long did it take you to get it?

applied on 23/10 - received email about the test on 28/10 and received the test on 01/11 and then nothing 😭

 

[ashwright]

W&C rejection post-app.. whilst not the ideal outcome, getting some closure is nice.. I knew a rejection was imminent!

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Hi there, obviously I appreciate an application can always be refined or updated, but do you know whether firms can access/retain old applications and if not, how will they know whether or not you've updated your app?

Hiya @milo


I think @Jessica Booker would have a better sense of this, but my impression is that this will depend on a firm's data retention policy, as well as other factors. I know some firms have application forms which explicitly ask whether you're re-applying and what stage you'd previously reached (you should answer this question honestly). I suspect firms who do so will look for evidence to see if much has changed since your previous application. Additionally, I've spoken to some recruiters who've told me their firms use anti-plagiarism software which can bring up similarities between different applications. If your answer is exactly the same as an application from a previous cycle, this could potentially be another way to raise a red flag. Overall, I think the safe option here is just to update your application, which shouldn't be too time consuming. Again, I'd be curious to see what Jess has to say here, but hope this was helpful/accurate.

 

[AlegalA]

Kill me nowwww spent an hour putting in all my grades and work experience for macfarlanes app yesterday, only to log back in today and see everything had been erased. These apps are gonna be the end of me 😭 😭 😭

 

[AlegalA]

On another note, do we ever get back the results for the AG test or no...?

 

[g.cl.2020344]

W&C rejection post-app.. whilst not the ideal outcome, getting some closure is nice.. I knew a rejection was imminent!

sorry to hear this! was this for WVS? I've still heard nothing...

 

[axele]

You total application word count cannot be more than 25% over the word limit, or up to 200 words over the limit if the total application word limit is less than 800 words.

Therefore, if this is just one question that is 100 words over, then this won’t be an issue. But if you had three questions that were all 100 words or more over, this would equate to a 33% over the limit, and we’d either ask you to cut down your application answers or purchase an additional word count reduction service.

If it is 3 questions with 300 words each, my total word count can’t exceed 1,125? Just want to be sure

 

[cjwx]

@Jessica Booker @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu
Got rejected at from DLA piper which stings because the AC was actually quite fun and I liked the firm. Owell, does anyone have know whether you are supposed to filter in firm specific facts about, Eversheds Sutherland for the application.
When have you worked in an ambitious goal?
When have you delivered a piece of work where quality was an important factor?

 

[Jessica Booker]

I am reapplying to a firm after failing the video interview. The issue is I do not want to fix what is not broken. How do I go about "updating" my app without losing the essence? @Jessica Booker @Ram Sabaratnam

I think the trick is to consider that just because your application was successful last time, does not mean it will be successful the next time around.

You will either be applying to a different type of vacancy or will be applying later on in the recruitment cycle/next cycle, and so it is important to go in with the mindset of what has changed/what has improved since my last application and making sure that is reflected in the next one.

It can be important to also review with a fresh pair of critical eyes what you have presented and change where needed. For instance, certain aspects of my CV haven’t really changed (eg my past work experiences haven’t changed) but everytime I review my CV I question why I focused on something or think I could redraft the same point in a more persuasive style.

 

[Jessica Booker]

If it is 3 questions with 300 words each, my total word count can’t exceed 1,125? Just want to be sure

That’s correct.

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

@Ram Sabaratnam I recall you previously mentioned avoiding the generic response, 'I am interested in both law and business,' when addressing the question of why I chose commercial law. I typically prefer a structured approach to these types of questions where I write three key points, starting with how my interest in the field began and so on. Could the intersection of law and business be one of those points, or does that come across as too broad? The reason I ask is that I studied law and also ran a small business, so I often incorporate that into my answer as one of the key points. Thank youu

Hiya @bella98

That's so impressive that you ran a small business whilst studying - wowza!

Yes, I think a structured approach is great (it's how I typically answered this type of question). I also recommend adding a tad bit of nuance when discussing your interest in both law and business. Oftentimes, applicants simply make this point without much further explanation.

Instead, try to think about what makes the blend of law and business interesting. For instance, working with businesses means helping them with legal decisions that can affect not just one person but entire organisations, their employees, shareholders, and customers. For this reason, commercial law often requires engaging with legal issues that are both complex and multi-faceted. Alternatively, maybe you're interested in this area of law because of the high level of collaboration it typically demands. Again, in commercial law, you’re not just working with your own team to offer legal advise, but also with other departments at your firm, as well as engaging with teams of in-house counsel, executives, regulators, and professionals from other fields like finance or consulting. This level of collaboration can make commercial law particularly interesting when compared to other types of client services or other areas of law.

Overall, just try to be specific and demonstrate that you can make the point in a more sophisticated way. Thus, you should avoid simply stating that that the blend of the two is 'complex', 'collaborative', or 'dynamic'. Rather, you should try to show the reader how that's the case (in the way I've tried to do above).

Hope this helps and best of luck with your application!

 

[Andrei Radu]

@Andrei Radu and others, thank you in advance for answering: if a firm allows max 5 experiences including actual WE, extracurriculars, volunteering, sport activities etc. on its application form, is it a good idea to merge some of them into one? such as all extracurriculars done at uni societies as 1 experience, or all volunteering activities as another one. Further, if limited to 5, should I include the firm's Forage job simulation or that'd be a waste? (they don't ask elsewhere on the app form if I did it or not). I feel like I have much more valuable work experience but they could care about their own job sim more

I think it is a good idea to list more experiences under one heading when there is a natural way you can organize them under a label. What you mentioned are good examples of that, so you can definitely put down broader headings such as 'university society roles' or 'volunteering roles' or 'law firm events'. A bad example would be something like 'Internships' when you have done internships in very different roles and in different industries. This is because there would not be enough commonality between the experiences to justify bundling them together and this might be interpreted by recruiters as just an attempt to sidestep their listing limit.

As for your second question about the Forage experience, I think given the space constraints, if you cannot find a way to bundle it with other work experiences it may indeed be preferrable to prioritize more substantive jobs. However, I would still try to mention it, even if very briefly, in one of your answer to application form questions or in the cover letter.

 

[VMS]

W&C and PwC rejections today...

Has anyone heard about the Cooley Open Day yet? They said we'll be hearing back by today. Bad news often comes in threes, but I'm hoping that won't be the case this time!

 

[g.cl.2020344]

W&C and PwC rejections today...

Has anyone heard about the Cooley Open Day yet? They said we'll be hearing back by today. Bad news often comes in threes, but I'm hoping that won't be the case this time!

Heya sorry to hear this! Which state did you get to from PWC? I’m waiting to hear back post AC

 

[helloj]

Sullivan & Cromwell replied to my application today saying they have reviewed my application for the Summer Vac but I have been put on hold until the app deadline and they will let me know about if I have been invited to an interview post deadline. Anyone have any thoughts on this I don't know how to feel...

 

[KBanana]

@Ram Sabaratnam @Jessica Booker
On the Vantage application portal, it states "Please add any supplementary educational information including extra study and international qualifications". Would it be appropriate to mention a language course I am currently taking during my gap year?

Thank you!