TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Andrei Radu]

Who are the remaining 2? just to have an idea

Very difficult to say, because different firms assess candidates on different criteria. Slaughter and May may be very competitive if you do not have a first, while Kirkland might be very competitive if you do not have substantial PE/M&A related work experience. Chambers published an article on law firm application statistics a few years back (which you can access here), but I am not sure how representative that still is. To the extent it is still illustrative, it seems like US firms with small trainee intakes who are nonetheless active on the recruitment front have the highest applicant/offer ratios. However, I think the most common 1st choice firms for the really successful candidates I have spoken with tend to be the larger (and more full service) US firms like Latham or Skadden.

However, I do not think this should be a major factor in your applications decision-making. Besides some outliers like Paul, Weiss who will benefit a lot from their constant recent headlines, the level of competition at SC, MC, and 'elite' US firms (which as a rule of thumb you can take to mean the firms paying Cravath or near-Cravath scale salaries) will be very similar. I would just apply to whichever firms I liked most within this group, as genuine interest will allow you to write better applications which will in turn increase your success chances. Besides this however I would advise you to also write at least a few applications for firms outside this group, as they are definitely the most targeted. Just as you would for actual capital, when it comes to the choice of where to invest your labour and your time you want to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank goodness for that.

I don’t know enough about AI to be 100% certain on this.

I think being restrictive on using AI is absurd though. I suspect it feels like when firms wouldn’t let people write typed answers to applications and made them still submit handwritten application forms 😂

 

[hfbjsdhfbhf]

Was this after the test?

After the application, the test and VI are part of the same stage

 

[legal18]

Is there a recording of Willkie's interview event tonight?

 

[RonRod13]

After the application, the test and VI are part of the same stage

I didnt get any test or VI after submitting and a few others i know didnt either

 

[Andrei Radu]

is it too late to apply for rolling deadlines (esp ones in december or even early jan) like weil, bird & bird, hogan lovells etc? wouldn't wanna hurt my chances in the future by sending off an application that won't even be looked at...
also is davis polk rolling?

Besides a few firms that are known to emphasize early submission as a really important criterion, if you can write a strong application I would say it is worth submitting even very close to the deadline. For instance, I progressed past the application stage with two firms who were recruiting on an a rolling basis despite the fact that I only submitted my application on the last day.

Moreover, you still have the opportunity to set yourself apart from the crowd. Anecdotally, even for rolling applications the vast majority of submissions only happen in the last 2-3 days, so if you can send yours before that it's likely it will still be seriously considered.

 

[hfbjsdhfbhf]

I didnt get any test or VI after submitting and a few others i know didnt either

It's not automatic! I sent my application in at the start of October, they probably haven't reviewed your application yet

 

[Andrei Radu]

Fried Frank’s application does not have a word limit. How many words should I write for each application answer? Would 250-300 words be sufficient?

It will likely be sufficient in that I wouldn't expect recruiters to mark you down for writing a standard-sized answer. However, I think you should not focus too much on a particular 'target' wordcount. Instead, I would take the opportunity to simply concentrate on writing the best possible answer, even if this ends up with a slightly higher word count than normal. If you observe the usual norms of conciseness and your write in a very structured and to the point manner, I would not expect recruiters to have an issue even with 500-600 word answers.

 

[Andrei Radu]

I’m currently working on the HL Summer VS application, and one of the questions is “tell us about any open days or events you have attended”.

I did both my schooling and undergrad degree abroad, and moved to the UK only a few months back. I was able to attend a Taylor Wessing in-person open day, but apart from that my experience is limited to Legal Cheek events (the law fairs and firm specific events). Moreover, I haven’t really interacted with HL specifically at these events.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can go about this question?

Just to add to @carys09 's great answer, I think even if you did not have any interactions with HL you can perhaps discuss how the events you have attended have developed your interest in practice areas or sectors the firm is really good in. This is the approach I took when writing an answer for the same question in my successful White & Case application - I have copied it bellow in case it is useful for you to see an example of this:


I have attended more than 20 events at the offices of City firms and more than 50 online and campus events. I benefited in three principal ways. Firstly, I enjoyed learning about businesses and the role of lawyers in supporting their operations. After attending several events in my first year, at a recent insight evening with Kirkland & Ellis I was able to discuss the challenges of higher borrowing costs for Private Equity dealmaking. The fact that associates agreed with my conclusions regarding the increased use of NAV loans was a rewarding experience, which motivates me to further improve my commercial awareness. Consequently, these experiences uncovered my attraction to a career which combines legal and business advisory. Secondly, at open days and presentation events I found out about the work of leading firms in almost every practice area. I learnt about banking from Latham, dispute-resolution from HSF, M&A from Davis Polk, private funds from Macfarlanes, and competition from Freshfields. This improved my understanding of work in commercial law and enabled me to identify practice areas I have a special interest in. Thirdly, by networking with trainees I was able to ascertain the strengths of the US and the UK training model. My proactive character is better suited to a US firm, but I also recognise the value of structured training. Thus, I decided to seek firms that combine the best elements of both models.


At the ‘BIUCAC x White & Case Trainee Webinar’, Samiya Malik explained that the firm offers numerous training sessions, for both legal work and soft skills. She also emphasized that White & Case is a full-service law firm with larger teams than most rivals, providing a broader training contract experience. Together with the opportunity to earn high-responsibility work, these features make White & Case the ‘best of both worlds’ for training. Consequently, I also decided to attend virtual presentations of the firms’ following practice areas: corporate M&A, dispute-resolution, capital markets, financial restructuring and insolvency. This confirmed my interest in White & Cases’ cross-border transactional and contentious work, motivating me to apply for a vacation scheme.

 

[Andrei Radu]

I have a CC Middle East Video Interview coming up. Anyone have tips for what competencies I should prep for? Would appreciate any help!

I really do not know much about this topic, but I have heard for places in Middle East offices firms will expect you to have: (i) a really strong reasoning as to why you want to work there as compared to any other offices; and (ii) to show you have the necessary language skills and capacity/desire to work and live in a different culture.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi, I submitted my Latham Watkins Vac scheme application last night and received an email with an online assessment link today. Can anyone explain what it’s like?

From what I am told, its first part is a situational judgement test while the second is basically a short video interview.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Has anyone heard back from Slaughter and May for their London Summer vac scheme, I applied end of october and haven't heard anything?
Thanks

I would not worry too much. I also applied around the end of October last year and only heard back with an AC invite around the end of December.

 

[Andrei Radu]

If you get and accept a VS offer from a firm, is it advisable to continue applying to other firms, even if the dates of the schemes clash, or withdraw applications from other firms / stop applying?

Is there any merit in continuing to apply, ie. if I don't get the TC following the VS, would it be possible to leverage VS offers from other firms to support subsequent TC applications?

Not sure if this makes sense, but hopefully you get the gist!

To add to @Amma Usman 's great response, I definitely agree that you should continue to apply to other firms. Mentioning a previous vacation scheme experience as part of an application/interview with another firm will definitely boost your chances. Not only will it give you substantive experiences that you can reference, but I believe it boosts your profile in the eyes of firms generally. It essentially communicates to them that you were considered to be good enough as a candidate that you were specifically selected from a very high number of applicants. While they will still assess you on your VS performance, in a game of small margins this will definitely improve your odds. Furthermore, if you end up getting a VS offer from another firm before you actually commence the first VS, for the same reason this will increase your conversion chances with the current firm as well. From my experience in competitive vacation schemes at US firms, it tended to be people with multiple VS offers that got the TC offers.

 

[Miss Chocolate]

I think being restrictive on using AI is absurd though. I suspect it feels like when firms wouldn’t let people write typed answers to applications and made them still submit handwritten application forms 😂

I was thinking that too 😂 like I am sure the firm has loads of AI tools the trainees use. One of the firms (CMS I think?) even has a 'time when you used AI to help with a project' type question in their form. Surely it's a good thing to be using AI as long as you aren't like getting it to completely write it for you (which wouldn't be good anyway).

 

[AlegalA]

For fieldfisher's app- the academics sections is a bit weird. "Qualification name" and "qualification type" is pretty straightforward for uni (Title of degree for name and BA or other for type), but for School grades I'm a bit confused?
Are we meant to put every subject? (Eg, English, A levels) - or is the qualification name and type the same for that section?

Any advice would be appreciated!! thank you!

 

[Shah74k]

Completed Linklaters Cappfinity and WG yesterday - when do they usually send their report?

 

[0livia.pope]

Has anyone heard from Bird & Bird regarding the Spring VS?

 

[legal18]

Where could I find more info about ALSPs for a question on challenges to law firms?

 

[addy2004]

If White & Case asks for a cover letter but where you submit it on the portal it has a word count of 1000 (which is more than one side of A4), do I still need to stick to writing a traditional cover letter with an address and use less words, or fill the 1000 word count?

 

[legally.brown]

Has anyone heard from Bird & Bird regarding the Spring VS?

Still waiting after WG