TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[zq522]

Has anyone been told they have successfully passed the test for Trowers & Hamlins?

Very much in same boat waiting. I applied and sat the test almost 2 months ago. They might be mega busy with the insight days etc ?

 

[Reem2024]

I have no clue how to answer the 'why commercial law' question because my interest in the career is an accumulation of different experiences. For example, working with my parents on their legal immigration documents/ translating what the lawyers would say when we moved to the UK, as well as working with the family companies litigation cases that happened over the years/ hearing about them and the process which they decided to follow (based on the advice of the legal team). I feel like its not clear when I write it or seems uncertain. How would I best frame these to link to commercial law/ the work companies do?

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Does anyone know if there are any firms with a strict zero-typo policy? 😭I spent weeks on an app, attended firm events etc, had it reviewed by multiple people, SPENT TWO DAYS PROOFREADING ( not continuously obviously but at random points) - stupidly made a last-minute change in the work experience section which caused my automatic keyboard to change the word to my last name ( I forgot it was on) - it obviously doesn't fit in the sentence and its capitalised so there's no chance graduate recruitment will miss it. It's so disheartening - I've been applying for so long and it just seems to be going nowhere because I keep making stupid little errors which is obviously my own fault but ouch.😟.

Hiya @AB

Just wanted to chime in and add to the fantastic response by @jta227. The good news is that a single typo is very rarely a dealbreaker for most firms. They tend to evaluate your application as a whole and focus on the bigger picture when deciding whether to invite you to the next stage. In fact, during one of my vacation schemes, the firm actually held a presentation where they showed us examples of grammar and spelling mistakes from our own applications! Their point was to reassure us that these slip-ups happen and aren’t the end of the world. That said, they did encourage us to double-check future applications to minimise errors and develop our attention to detail. I wouldn't stress too much about this. Instead, focus on improving your application writing and strategy overall and remember that you can use this as a learning opportunity for next time. Best of luck with your applications 😊

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi @Jessica Booker and anyone who can help!

I had a quick query regarding one of the questions in my application. The question reads:

“Please detail all your positions of responsibility, including title, date, and a brief description. Please separate each position with a bullet point - 500 words.”

For some reason, I find myself repeating a lot of my work experience.

I’m currently holding a society position and also held one last year, which I plan to mention. However, since the word count is quite high, I wanted to ask if volunteering, such as pro bono work, could come under "positions of responsibility." Additionally, I’m a campus ambassador for a law firm, but I feel that role leans more towards work experience rather than a position of responsibility, especially since it’s a paid role. I’m a bit confused because I typically categorise pro bono work and my campus ambassador experience as work experience. Do you have any tips on what else could be included under positions of responsibility without repeating my work experience?

Another issue I had was with the formatting of the bullet points. I wanted to clarify whether I’m supposed to write the description and my responsibilities in bullet points (similar to a CV), or if they expect each experience to be listed as a bullet point with the description written in prose.

I’d really appreciate some insight on this.

Just to add to @Ram Sabaratnam's great response here, I think a useful way to conceive of a positions of responsibility is as a role in which you are entrusted to do something which has an impact on others. This definitely captures society/club roles, but I think it goes beyond that. For instance, although debating/negotiations/mooting/another competition would normally count as an extracurricular, if you got to represent your society/university in an intervarsity competition, I think that could could count as a position of responsibility - because you are entrusted with the responsibility of representing a large group of people and the reputation of an institution. Similarly, although they may not be counted as official committee or subcommittee positions, contributing as a judge or trainer is also a position of responsibility.

 

[jojo23]

Hiya @jojo23

Great questions! I'll take these in order.

First, I generally recommend that applicants avoid reusing part of their answer to 'Why commercial law' answer in their answer to 'Why this firm'. I think these questions serve different purposes:

• 'Why commercial law' is all about your broader motivations—why you’re drawn to the challenges and opportunities that are really distinctive of working in commercial law.
• 'Why this firm' is your chance to show you’ve done your research and understand what makes this firm unique. This is where you demonstrate why it stands out to you beyond just being a commercial law firm.

That said, I think it's possible to reframe your points so that your answers don't sound repetitive. For example, if you mention you're interested in working on cross-border deals in your answer to why commercial law, and you want to mention a similar point in your 'why this firm' question, then reflect on why the firm's cross-border expertise really stands out here. Are there certain sectors or matters they've advised on which are particularly tricky from a cross-border perspective? Does the firm's cross-border expertise extend beyond transactions to include regulatory or disputes capabilities? These are just some points to reflect on in order to ensure that your answer to the two questions seem distinct.

Second, comparing firms can work, but I usually suggest focusing on what excites you about this firm specifically. Drawing explicit comparisons can be tricky to get right. Instead, you can mention experiences that shaped your interest in a practice area or sector and then highlight why this firm is particularly appealing. Here's one way that I approached this in my own application:

• “By attending open days at several US-headquartered firms with life sciences expertise, I became interested in the way commercial lawyers often assist in areas such as drug discovery and development, often working closely with key regulators and leading life science researchers. Firm X's work in this area particularly stands out to me because of its unique combination of both transactional and regulatory expertise in the life sciences, as seen in [specific example and brief explanation of why the deal/case is commercially/legally interesting]..."

This kind of comparison shows thoughtful engagement with certain sectors/practice areas without explicitly comparing the firm you're applying to with other firms you might've interacted with.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your application! I'm also sure that @Andrei Radu and @Amma Usman would have much more brilliant insights to add here.

Thank you so much @Ram Sabaratnam this is really helpful, I noticed some of my previous answers could be drastically improved 😅

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Thank you so much @Ram Sabaratnam this is really helpful, I noticed some of my previous answers could be drastically improved 😅

That's okay! Remember: movement > perfection! You'll develop your approach to written applications in due course!

 

[cjwx]

Does anyone know if it is worth still applying for Trowers & Hamlins? I know they recruit on a rolling basis and it is quite late.

 

[tholds]

I just did the HSF test and the report feedback is literally the exact opposite of everything I clicked?? Is this a bug or something, fairly sure I didn't contradict myself between answers as well...

Literally same. I was really surprised and somewhat disappointed. Tempted to email their Graduate Recruitment team and ask but I don't want to appear as if I'm on a high horse or anything D:

 

[lolololol]

does anyone know who HFW's competitors would be and how they differ?

 

[futuretrainee2503]

Hi all Anyone heard back from Paul,Weiss Dec open day?
I understand they just closed but was wondering anyone had any experience with the previous open days.
Would help me plan my travel. Thanks

 

[CarolineC]

Hey all, for VI - when responding to the question 'Why our firm?' I struggle to provide a thorough breakdown of 3 arguments (as I would do in a written response). I think all 3 which I want to mention are important, but I run out of time when trying to provide evidence of research/explanation. In a written response, it's easier to cut down the words/redact and make them fit within the word count.

What structure would you recommend for that question? Should we focus on a number of reasons (if so, are 2 sufficient?)?

 

[cjwx]

Has anyone heard from CC

 

[helloj]

has any1 heard from Skadden? Their apps are closed but haven't heard anything since my sept application.

They sent an email stating we will all hear back on the 16th Dec if we have moved forward to the written exercise. These will be taking place on the 19 and 20 Dec!!

 

[James Wakefield]

Does anyone know if it is worth still applying for Trowers & Hamlins? I know they recruit on a rolling basis and it is quite late.

Hi- I went to their London Insight Day and they confirmed they are non-rolling. So absolutely worth applying to them!

I’m going to write my app later in December.

 

[James Wakefield]

They’ll send you a free account for practice tests. Do em all! Final test is very similar.

Thanks! Is it Assessment Day and is the test the same as Addleshaw Goddard (if you know?)

 

[cjwx]

Hi- I went to their London Insight Day and they confirmed they are non-rolling. So absolutely worth applying to them!

I’m going to write my app later in December.

Oh perfect.

 

[yasmars]

Any updates from AG?

 

[SerGo2507]

Thanks! Is it Assessment Day and is the test the same as Addleshaw Goddard (if you know?)

Not applied to AG but the practice tests for TW are from Test Partnership.

 

[KBanana]

Hi @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu @Jessica Booker !

I am currently answering a 'Which other firms are you applying to and why? (Max 200 words)' question, and I would appreciate your feedback on my approach. Thank you 😊

I plan to discuss how, as part of my application strategy, I first prioritised firms with strengths in my key areas of interest. I would list the three practice areas I am interested in and outline that each firm I applied to excelled in at least two of them.

I would then discuss how my additional criteria included the DEI initiatives and trainee cohort sizes (linking this to training quality).

Would this approach be ok?


Also, for commercial questions such as 'Discuss a commercial issue that has particularly interested you...', is it ok to discuss a macroeconomic topic such as inflation? Is it a bad idea to do this, or does it depend on how I cover the issue?

 

[Reem2024]

Does anyone know if it is worth still applying for Trowers & Hamlins? I know they recruit on a rolling basis and it is quite late.

Theres over a month left before applications close, I think your fine to apply. Deadline: 06/01/2025