TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Andrei Radu]

Hello All,

As assessment centres are starting to come thick and fast, I wanted to come here to ask for some tips.

I attended 2 AC's last year (Silver circle and US), and unfortunately both gave me the same feedback - I did not perform well in the case study interview.

I always knew I was going to find this bit the hardest.

Has anyone got any tips on where / how to practice case studies for law firm assessment centres? Are there case study books you can buy?

From my experience, some were more focused on mathematical calculations, some more on company structures, but overall, they always tended to involve some sort of merger or acquisition.

Do people have a specific method for answering these? I have always thought it is very hard to prepare for them, as each firm have their own type of way of doing AC case study interviews.

@Jessica Booker @Jaysen @axelbeugre

Hi @CHLTC I really empathize with your struggles, as case studies/written tasks were always the hardest part of ACs for me as well. I don't think there is a specific method you can prepare, since as you mentioned, they come in a wide variety of formats. In my view, the only way to prepare is by developing the underlying skills every case study will seek to test: time-management and work under pressure, clarity of writing and structure, commercial awareness and analysis, ability to digest large amounts of information, etc.

To do that, I think it is useful to both practice actual case studies and to read more widely about the commercial matters that might be relevant for them. A particularly helpful resource for me was the course offered by TCLA on the matter (which you can find here). It includes a number of mock PE and M&A case studies, recordings of two hour long sessions explaining how to think through written/interview style M&A case studies, and a number of questions that are analyzed in depth by the TCLA team. To link a few useful free resources on TCLA:

• An amazing guide for M&A case studies by @Jacob Miller, which includes both a mock case study and a model answer with detailed explanations of how you should think through the materials (which you can find here).
• A mock written case study offered by TCLA here.
• An excellent article written by @Jaysen Sutton, which explains the process, types, structures, and general terms of an M&A transaction (which you can find here).
• A glossary of M&A terms by @Amma Usman here.

Besides these, I have also found a few external resources you may want to take a look at:

• A great LSE article giving an overview of case studies and preparation methods for each element
• An article with tips from the Oxford Careers Service
• A Next City Lawyer case study available on a fee basis

Finally, I quoted bellow a recent post I wrote which I think you could find useful - it includes my top tips for any written task:

While I think different strategies apply for different formats, there are a couple of pointers which I would say are generally applicable for all or almost all types of written exercises:

1. Time-management: You might have heard this so many times already, but I have to stress that most written exercises are incredibly time-pressured. I remember I was always told this, but it is very easy to forget during the actual assessment. In the first 20-30 minutes I have always to an extent or another allowed myself to be tempted by thoughts such as 'Oh it won't take me that long to read/write that part, I will just speed up a bit later' and I would thus justify being less efficient than I could have been in the first half of the exercise. As I would be entering the second half and nearing the end, I would invariably then find that it was very difficult to increase my working pace to make up for lost ground and my work product would suffer as a result. Thus, my advice is to be on your guard against that and to try to spread out your efforts evenly across the allocated time. Take one or two minutes in the beginning to make a plan and divide your workload, allocate portions of your time to completing the different parts, and try to make yourself to stick to those time limits.
2. Efficient reading: In a substantial number of written exercises you will be given a large number of documents containing overlapping information and also big sections of text containing technical details which are not of great importance to your task. Once again, there is a temptation to ignore the time constraints and to try to read everything closely to ensure you are not missing anything. However, in my experience the main task of the assessment very rarely or never hinges on easy to miss details. As such, my advice for you is to try to quickly read and skim through the documents, and only once you have a big picture go back and look at the relevant sections in more detail.
3. Analysis: Almost all written assessments have an analysis part, in which you are asked to weigh different considerations and make a judgement. I would advise you not to focus too much on trying to "blow away" the reader with the depth of your analysis or creativity of your arguments. Given the time constraints and nature of the tasks, there is rarely scope for that and if you focus to much on this kind of goal you might miss explaining much simpler points that should have been included in your analysis. As such, concentrate on considering the position of all relevant stakeholders (if you have issues doing this, drawing out diagrams can be very useful), having all the main pros and cons properly laid out, and weighing which set of considerations should you give priority to. If you can further support your opinion by making any links to current news stories or commercial trends, try to do so.
4. Clarity and structure: Finally, ensuring your answer is very easy to follow is a point whose importance I cannot overstate. A essential skill for a prospective trainee is an ability for clear communication, both verbally and in writing, and this type of assessment is how they test the later. As such, you should focus on having a simple writing style and structure as much as you focus on the substantive points you are trying to communicate.

 

[mx.jsn]

This thread is a really good starting point for case studies:

Thread 'Definitive Guide to Law Firm Case Studies! *Monday Article Series*'
https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....firm-case-studies-monday-article-series.3232/

To add to this- this podcast from Baker McKenzie contains some really insightful examples on how to approach case studies. Particularly useful in exemplifying how to structure/articulate points at interview.

 

[Andrei Radu]

We’d love to know why you are motivated to pursue a career in a commercial law firm, in particular Squire Patton Boggs? (200 words max) *

Is this a why commercial law question or why the firm question or both ? (there is also another question asking about practice areas of interest)

The natural reading seems to include both elements, so I would try to address both - either as separate points, or, if you can, in a more narrative format. I would not interpret the question about practice area interest as replacing the broader why the firm or why commercial law question, though I would take my response there into account to avoid being repetitive. For instance, you might not want to focus on practice area strengths as your main 'why the firm' reason when answering the first question.

 

[camrxc]

Highly unlikely to be an issue - but I would make sure it is listed on applications/CVs as 3-4 days either by using appropriate dates or by saying something like “this 3 day programme” in the description.

Thanks Jessica, if I have two experiences on a cv which state it was one week when it was monday - thursday and wednesday - friday could this be a problem then and something to mention?

 

[fcac98]

Has anyone heard back from Dentons or Kennedy after submitting an application. Submitted back in October, should I assume PFO

 

[HLL]

hi all, is it normal to not get a confirmation email after applying to nrf's summer vs? (p.s. i applied on the deadline day) thanks!

 

[jacksollaf]

Is it normal that, from what it seems, no one has received invites for Gowling AC, even though it is supposed to take place on the 15th to the 22nd of Jan...

 

[EA95]

Hey @EA95 ,

I would not worry too much about this. It depends on the firm and/or their recruitment timelines. I know of firms that get back from anywhere between two weeks, to 2 months.

Thank you for your response.

 

[CG_101]

Hi Everyone,
for slaughters, how many people do they tend to interview for the vac scheme. Firms I've interviewed at in the past have tended to sit around interviewing twice as many candidates as they had places. I'm wondering if the odds are fairly similar?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Thanks Jessica, if I have two experiences on a cv which state it was one week when it was monday - thursday and wednesday - friday could this be a problem then and something to mention?

There will be a higher risk if you are presenting multiple entries as longer than they actually were. It is important to put such experiences in accurately into application forms.

When you are invited to the next stage of the recruitment process or if you have already been invited to a face to face stage or final round interview, I would notify the firm at the earliest opportunity about these discrepancies.

For future applications, ensure these two work experience entries are recorded accurately though.

 

[EA95]

Can anyone explain to me what PFO means?

 

[futuretraineeihope]

I applied to Simmons & Simmons Vac Scheme 2 days ago, their deadline is today but it says on the email that I have 10 days to complete the online blended assessment, is it okay to assume that I still have the 10 days as they have not stated that this needs to be completed prior to the deadline?

 

[suhana]

Hi Everyone,
for slaughters, how many people do they tend to interview for the vac scheme. Firms I've interviewed at in the past have tended to sit around interviewing twice as many candidates as they had places. I'm wondering if the odds are fairly similar?

wanted to know the same since they dont have a classic ac or a psychometric test

 

[Miss Chocolate]

CMS and Pinsent have forgotten about me since the online assessment. Do I assume I am waiting on the rejection pile?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Can anyone explain to me what PFO means?

Forum slang for a rejection from a firm - stands for “please f*ck off”.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Can anyone explain to me what PFO means?

It is an acronym for 'Please (the F-word) Off', which is one phrase that has been commonly used on the forums to refer to a rejection.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi Everyone,
for slaughters, how many people do they tend to interview for the vac scheme. Firms I've interviewed at in the past have tended to sit around interviewing twice as many candidates as they had places. I'm wondering if the odds are fairly similar?

I have heard that they have a roughly 1/2-1/3 candidate per place ratio, but that it sometimes differs on a year by year basis. I would say this places the pure statistical odds just about the same as in your average AC elsewhere.

 

[lawstudent2]

Hey there @lawstudent2 ,

I completely get the nerves - I had them too. This depends on the firm. I have been invited to ACs with two weeks - 4 weeks notice. At the same time, I had also been invited to ACs with less than a week’s/five days notice. The experience made me realise that interview skills building, was a competency I had to constantly develop. For example, most of these ACs assess commercial awareness, making a consistent willingness to know about current affairs necessary. I certainly did not build on that skill overnight, but a little knowledge gained here and there contributed to my overall performance. I also practiced talking to myself on these commercial awareness topics through the mirror (yes, yes I know this sounds funny haha). I found that the more I was able to practice my intonation and communication of certain topics I found complex, the more natural they came out during the actual interview.

Overall, please do not try to overwhelm yourself by the thought of how much notice you will be given. Looking back, I wish I gave myself this advice. Focus more on building those soft and hard interview skills, such as clarity of tone and thought.

Thank you !!!

 

[g.cl.2020344]

Pinsent masons PFO!

 

[pleasepleaseplease]

Pinsent PFO