TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Miss Chocolate]

Hi @Miss Chocolate, of course ! I do not think you have to change it. If it is your most recent or substantial work experience, recruiters will understand it is natural to keep it. But while the substance of your points may stay the same (though do analyze whether you can analyze any parts of the experience in more depth or make more convincing connections to skills/values), I would definitely consider ways to improve the form. It is likely you will find ways to improve the writing style and structure: perhaps some sentences should be shortened or broken into two, or perhaps some can be rephrased to make them easier to read? Maybe some points can be expressed more concisely, maybe some words are insufficiently formal, perhaps others are unnecessarily jargon, etc. Point is, it is likely you will find at least some minor improvements to make. Doing that will make it less likely for the system to flag the answers as the same, and even if it does, it should show recruiters you have a drive to improve year-on-year.

Amazing, thank you so much for this!!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi @Andrei Radu ! Just to follow up on the question about Video Interviews, can you give some tips and advice on how to best prepare and succeed at them? They're my biggest roadblocks

Hi @legaldruid I actually wrote an in depth guide discussing this issue which you can access here. I would advise you to read section A (as it describes my general VI/competency interview preparation method) and section B (as it provides my best VI-specific tips), but please let me know if you have any further questions.

 

[Lizzy]

Have you received an invitation for their AC? If so congrats🥳

Yeah. Thank you so much!

 

[tc2025hopeful]

Jones Day PFO...

 

[lawstudent523]

Has anyone done K&E AC?

 

[kokoprep]

Has anyone received sidely AC Summer, Latham AC Summer, Baker Summer Test?

Also how many W&C Spring invites have gone out? If you received one, can you please let me know when you did the VI?

 

[jacksollaf]

Has anyone received sidely AC Summer, Latham AC Summer, Baker Summer Test?

Also how many W&C Spring invites have gone out? If you received one, can you please let me know when you did the VI?

I think Baker still hasn't sent them out yet; they told me they will by the 10th of Jan (or at least, aim to...)

 

[Andrei Radu]

@Amma Usman @Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu

What is the best way of approaching answers to why law vs why commercial law? I did law undergrad and had debated changing careers until I decided to pursue masters degree in international commercial where I took a practical M&A module which made me realise i wanted to go into commercial law. This is what I have talked about in my applications/VIs and have given this answer regardless of whether I was asked why law or why commercial law. If asked in an interview to elaborate on the difference between the two, how would you suggest approaching an answer to this?

thank you so much in advance!

I agree with Jessica's points, I will just add that for the simple 'Why law' question you should seek to emphasize more general features of legal practice that attract you. It is perfectly acceptable to say that your masters confirmed your interest in pursuing a legal career because you have found commercial law significantly more interesting than any other areas of the law. However, you should be careful that your answer does not become a simple 'why commerce'. You want your stated motivations not to be equally applicable to other careers in international commerce, such as consulting, investment banking or corporate development. As such, I would try to point out some of the general features of legal practice that can be attract someone: using legal reasoning to interpret complex cases, statues and regulations; drafting documents to allocate rights, responsibilities and business risk; leveraging textual analysis and advocacy skills; doing complex research on legal and commercial precedents etc.

 

[papaya]

Has anyone heard from HSF spring recently? I’m assuming PFO but I just want to be put out of my misery officially

 

[chrisbrown]

If an application question is asking ‘why do you want to pursue a career in a city law firm’, is it right if I interpret this as ‘why commercial law’ or is this asking something different?

I haven’t come across ‘why city law’ before so I am a bit unsure. Not every city law firm will be a commercial law firm so I don’t know how to approach this part of the question.

 

[LegalSara04]

Does anyone have any insights into the Latham AC?

Congrats 🥳 when did you apply and is the AC for spring for summer?

 

[NJS]

Anyone apply to Kirkland around Christmas Eve heard back??

 

[EA95]

People that applied for Latham&Watkins, do you mind let me know what you got for your strengths and weaknesses in the feedback report?

 

[Andrei Radu]

I have an interview with Davis Polk and a Cleary AC next week- would be very thankful for advice on either!

For Davis Polk here is a 2021 thread discussing different candidates' interview experiences which should give you a broad idea of what you can expect. I will also take the opportunity to plug the new Davis Polk firm profile I have written this year. If you have not already, I definitely advise you to take a look, as it has a lot of useful information on the firm's history, reputation, work, practice areas, and strategy. One thing I would advise you to cross check is Chambers rankings, as since publishing the profile Chambers has published its new 2025 UK Guide and I think a few have changed. Also, consider reading some of the more recent news about the firm's London practice, such as the lateral hire of Sidley's Restructuring co-heads.

For Cleary, take a look at this in depth description of a candidate's AC experience. It is a bit old, but it should provide you with a overview as to what you might expect. I have also linked TCLA's profile for Cleary here. Although it has not been updated for this cycle, it still has a very detailed analysis of the firm's London practices, work and client base. As before, if I were in your stead I would invest a bit of time into just browsing the internet for news relating to the firm - particularly lateral hires and significant mandates or market recognition. I think some of the legal press websites (The Lawyer, Law.com, Legal Business, The Global Legal Post etc) should be quite useful - simply use the search bar function to type the name of the firm and find relevant articles.

 

[lawstudent2]

I am also working on my Travers Smith Summer VS application at the moment and had the exact same thoughts. 🥲🥲

I have quoted what @Jessica Booker advised to do when I asked this same question. 🙂🙂

thats amazing thank you

 

[Andrei Radu]

If an application question is asking ‘why do you want to pursue a career in a city law firm’, is it right if I interpret this as ‘why commercial law’ or is this asking something different?

I haven’t come across ‘why city law’ before so I am a bit unsure. Not every city law firm will be a commercial law firm so I don’t know how to approach this part of the question.

I think most of the answer for 'why a city law firm' will be similar to the usual 'why commercial law', but I would use one or two different sentences to reframe it and address the City element. I would focus on the City's standing as one of the world's leading financial centres and the corollary - that the biggest international commercial clients will look to City firms to advise on their complex transactions and disputes. City law firms will also tend to coordinate and lead numerous other offices and counsel from a variety of jurisdictions to deliver on their clients' mandates. Thus, if you are particularly interested in high-end and cross-border commercial matters, you can justify an interest in working in a City law firm as opposed to any other commercial law firm.

 

[Reem2024]

Has anyone done K&E AC?

do you have any insight on the VI? I have mine today and I was wondering how many questions there are/ the structure of it like timings

 

[AS24]

Hi @Andrei Radu and @Amma Usman,

I trust you are well and happy new year.

I am applying to Orrick which, in addition to why commercial law and why specifically are you interested in training at Orrick, the application also requires a cover letter. I am struggling to understand what to include in my answer. Should I mention my skills and why the firm?

I am also applying to Mayer Brown and would like your opinion on how to structure my answer tell us about any academic or non-academic achievements and interests. I do not want to sound silly, but should I mention if I developed specific skills which could help me succeed as a trainee at MB?

Thank you in advance for your help

 

[NCTC2025]

cooley with the heart attack status update email...

 

[SamiyaJ]

cooley with the heart attack status update email...

I know right! But I do have to say that it super thoughtful of them to keep us updated every step of the way.