TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

lawyersum

Distinguished Member
Jun 28, 2024
66
49
Can't believe I can actually say this, but got the offer for Hogan Lovells' TC! Thank you to everyone on here for all the support and advice. I've been on this platform since 2020 and faced sooooo many rejections post-interview and post-VS. Never give up trying guys.

If anyone is applying to the firm, I'm more than happy to answer Qs and help where I can :)
Congrats!!!! This just gave me that extra bit of inspiration I've been needing lately :)
 

Jessica Booker

Legendary Member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
Premium Member
Forum Team
Aug 1, 2019
14,452
20,132
Can't believe I can actually say this, but got the offer for Hogan Lovells' TC! Thank you to everyone on here for all the support and advice. I've been on this platform since 2020 and faced sooooo many rejections post-interview and post-VS. Never give up trying guys.

If anyone is applying to the firm, I'm more than happy to answer Qs and help where I can :)
This is amazing news!! Congratulations!

Taylor Swift GIF by 2024 MTV Video Music Awards
 
  • Like
Reactions: NMA

Kay Aston

Star Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 8, 2024
28
49
Can't believe I can actually say this, but got the offer for Hogan Lovells' TC! Thank you to everyone on here for all the support and advice. I've been on this platform since 2020 and faced sooooo many rejections post-interview and post-VS. Never give up trying guys.

If anyone is applying to the firm, I'm more than happy to answer Qs and help where I can :)
Congratulations @NMA - fantastic news 🚀
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jaysen

Kay Aston

Star Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 8, 2024
28
49
in the application to A&O Shearman should I connect each of my work experiences to A&O? Like saying how it would benefit me as a trainee in A&O or just how it would help me as a lawyer generally?
Hi @saminoriya ! It is not necessary to directly spell out in each of your experiences how they would relate to A&O, but I would definitely be mindful of the qualities and values that A&O advertise that they are looking for in future trainees, and have these in mind while writing out your roles and responsibilities for each employment. Similarly, it is not necessary to say 'I do x and therefore this would make me a great lawyer because x', in the application form, the qualities that will make you a great lawyer will shine through from a well-drafted and thoughtfully written work experience section ✨
 

Kay Aston

Star Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 8, 2024
28
49
Hello, I am trying to polish up my answer for the first video question (I can give an example of how I approached the experience section if anyone asks)
The question is basically "Why do you want to be a commercial lawyer at x, and what qualities and skills do you require to be successful at this?"

ITS ONLY 2 MINUTES!
My approach to the question is to break down the question into three sections

why commercial law?
why x firm?
what skills and how do i demonstrate them?
The problem is that I only have time to go through this twice based on my script

eg GLOBAL SCOPE -> x's GLOBAL SCOPE -> SKILLS REQUIRED AND HOW I DEMONSTRATE RE. INNOVATION
INNOVATION -> x's INNOVATION -> SKILLS REQUIRED AND HOW I DEMONSTRATE THEM RE. INNOVATION

I would just appreciate some pointers on the video section. I'm going to finish drafting the script tonight and then record it tomorrow; then repeat the process for the second question
Hi @bollingdale ! I completed my fair share of video interviews, and found the hardest bit by a mile to be the time pressure! My advice would be (and it's easier said than done) to try not to say too much. In video interviews, you are being assessed on the content, but importantly you're also being assessed on your communication skills, how you speak and your non-verbal communications. If you try and make a million points and say it all really fast, it won't come across particularly well. So consider reducing your content, 2 minutes is enough time to make a compelling point about the 3 things you have outlined as long as you don't go into much detail. If you like, I am happy to take a look at your script if you DM it to me, and I can give you my thoughts about the level of detail?
 

bollingdale

Well-Known Member
Sep 12, 2024
21
29
Hi @bollingdale ! I completed my fair share of video interviews, and found the hardest bit by a mile to be the time pressure! My advice would be (and it's easier said than done) to try not to say too much. In video interviews, you are being assessed on the content, but importantly you're also being assessed on your communication skills, how you speak and your non-verbal communications. If you try and make a million points and say it all really fast, it won't come across particularly well. So consider reducing your content, 2 minutes is enough time to make a compelling point about the 3 things you have outlined as long as you don't go into much detail. If you like, I am happy to take a look at your script if you DM it to me, and I can give you my thoughts about the level of detail?
Thanks I’ll polish up what I have and send it through .you might be right, might only be able to focus on one of the points I run through. I’ll send it you later thanks so much.

I was wondering about sharing my experience section here. It might be helpful but I’m in an exam mindset where I’m paranoid recruiters won’t like to see “cheating”
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kay Aston

User5678

Star Member
Aug 16, 2024
49
35
@Kay Aston
I have recently just completed a placement scheme (1 year in my third year) at BCLP. I sat in their core real estate team for the year which is one of the strong sector of the firm. I am on track to receive a 2:1 at university.

I am looking to apply to more finance and private equity/m&a firms this year and I think my knowledge is limited in these sectors as compared to real estate and tax sectors.

Do you have any suggestions for me and are their any specific firms which you think I will have an upper hand applying to considering I have one year of legal experience and also a part time job at flex legal considering I am still facing rejections :(

Thank you in advance for helping
 

SoonToBeTrainee

Distinguished Member
  • Dec 29, 2023
    64
    161
    @Kay Aston
    I have recently just completed a placement scheme (1 year in my third year) at BCLP. I sat in their core real estate team for the year which is one of the strong sector of the firm. I am on track to receive a 2:1 at university.

    I am looking to apply to more finance and private equity/m&a firms this year and I think my knowledge is limited in these sectors as compared to real estate and tax sectors.

    Do you have any suggestions for me and are their any specific firms which you think I will have an upper hand applying to considering I have one year of legal experience and also a part time job at flex legal considering I am still facing rejections :(

    Thank you in advance for helping
    There’s a lot of firms which have real estate M&A teams, so perhaps those will help bridge your interests.
    Some firms with strong PE M&A offerings also specialise in real estate investments.
    I’m pretty sure HL is strong on real estate M&A and Jones Day real estate PE.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Jessica Booker

    Kay Aston

    Star Member
    Staff member
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    Sep 8, 2024
    28
    49
    @Kay Aston
    I have recently just completed a placement scheme (1 year in my third year) at BCLP. I sat in their core real estate team for the year which is one of the strong sector of the firm. I am on track to receive a 2:1 at university.

    I am looking to apply to more finance and private equity/m&a firms this year and I think my knowledge is limited in these sectors as compared to real estate and tax sectors.

    Do you have any suggestions for me and are their any specific firms which you think I will have an upper hand applying to considering I have one year of legal experience and also a part time job at flex legal considering I am still facing rejections :(

    Thank you in advance for helping
    Hi there @User5678 ! @SoonToBeTrainee has given some great advice which I definitely second, locating firms which are strong in both Real Estate and the Finance/PE work that you are interested in, will be your best bet. There are so many full-service firms which will have great reputations in both of these areas, and as @SoonToBeTrainee suggested, they often go hand in hand. For example, when I spent time at Clifford Chance, I sat in their SABRE team (Structured Asset Backed Real Estate), which is a team based within Global Financial Markets (finance), but specialising in real estate and asset-backed sectors, because these things intertwine so frequently. I hope this helps, but happy to discuss further!
     

    👩🎓

    Star Member
    Premium Member
    Oct 31, 2023
    43
    9
    Hi @Jessica Booker, what would you recommend the cover letter divide to be for why law, why the firm, and why you - my section on why the firm is the longest with 2 paragraphs (but I have linked personal experiences/interests in there, as it is relevant to the firm's practice areas) and my other sections are 1 paragraph each. Any thoughts would be highly appreciated.

    Thank you.
     

    Jessica Booker

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Graduate Recruitment
    Premium Member
    Forum Team
    Aug 1, 2019
    14,452
    20,132
    Hi @Jessica Booker, what would you recommend the cover letter divide to be for why law, why the firm, and why you - my section on why the firm is the longest with 2 paragraphs (but I have linked personal experiences/interests in there, as it is relevant to the firm's practice areas) and my other sections are 1 paragraph each. Any thoughts would be highly appreciated.

    Thank you.
    There won’t be a set answer to this but it sounds like you have got a balance of all three elements in there, so I don’t think you should worry about how many paragraphs there are (as this is not really important).
     

    TheInevitableTCholder2024/25🙏

    Distinguished Member
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    Mar 16, 2022
    50
    45
    For the Latham open day application the first question is 'What area of law are you interested in learning more about, and why?' Would it be okay to say employment law - is this something the firm has a focus on?
    I mean yeah they’re full service so they have a good employment team, but it’s not what you think ofwhen you hear of Latham Watkins- you think of Leveraged Acquisitions, PE-led M&A, debt finance, Equity Capital markets (IPOs), etc. Then again , they never said what are we more known for, they said what are you lost interested in learning about, but I’d stick to what they’re traditionally known for to be on the safe side
     
    • Like
    Reactions: legal18

    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.