TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Ram Sabaratnam]

For the Orrick app, does anyone have any tips, specifically how to approach the cover letter, at the moment I am focusing this on myself as there is a why comm law and a why Orrick question. Open to any ideas/suggestions.

These are the questions I am referring to:
1. Please paste your covering letter here 500 words
2. Why have you decided to pursue a career as a commercial lawyer working in an international law firm? What factors and influences have affected your decision 250 words
3. Why specifically are you interested in training at Orrick? What makes us different to the other firms you have applied for? 250 words

Hiya @OliverTwist

Completely agree with @Jessica Booker here, and this is basically the approach I adopted when applying to Orrick. I tried to use the cover letter to discuss/address “why me” and use examples/points that didn't fit neatly into my "why Orrick"/ "why commercial law" answers. As Jess mentioned, the cover letter is a great place to highlight what interests you about Orrick’s culture or any experiences you might have had meeting people at the firm.

To avoid overlapping with the “why Orrick” question, I tried to focus my answer to that question on the firm's practice area strengths and sectoral expertise. Orrick's quite unusual combination of not only tech expertise, but also energy and finance expertise made it stand out to me compared to other firms that I'd applied to, including Cooley and Vinson & Elkins. They'd also worked on really interesting EC/VC matters that allowed me to distinguish them from the other US-headquartered firms in London whose client bases typically encompass key private equity firms and their portfolio companies.

By dedicating the cover letter to address why you and what it is about the culture/training at the firm that interests you, I think you can avoid repetition when answering the "why Orrick" question. You'll also be using the “why Orrick” question to focus directly on specific areas where the firm excels, like their strengths in technology, energy, or venture capital, etc.

Hope this helps and good luck with the application!

 

[isabelle888]

guys how do you stop yourselves from checking email every 10 minutes. I got used to getting lots of responses from firms in december and now I'm getting withdrawal symptoms.

I was the same - until 3 rejections came in within one hour, have PTSD now

 

[isabelle888]

Does anyone have any insight into Burges Salmon AC? First AC so anything is helpful!

I did a Burges Salmon AC a while back and i was SO underprepared (my first AC), not sure if its the same but you had to do watson glaser, interview, written task, and group case study all within one day, its pretty long:
- in my opinion - it felt like they placed the most importance on the interview then the group case study.
The interview goes on for an hour so make it conversational and as enjoyable as you can, they aren't trying to catch you out, if anything they are gonna ask questions to try and best let you pass, expect the normal questions (why firm, etc) and if you say something genuinely interesting (like a niche hobby or interest) they will prob ask more questions about it, so just sell yourself and your knowledge on the firm.

 

[Kakaboo]

Does anyone have any insight into Burges Salmon AC? First AC so anything is helpful!

When did you get your email! And what office? I’m still waiting should I assume PFO?

 

[GettingThereSomehow]

Does anyone have any insight into Burges Salmon AC? First AC so anything is helpful!

Congrats! I also got invited to the Burges Salmon AC ☺️

When did you get your email! And what office? I’m still waiting should I assume PFO?

I applied for Bristol spring/summer VS and got the email half an hour ago. I'm not sure if they're sending out mass emails for each office- but I wish you the best of luck 🤞

 

[Tattyasha]

guys how do you stop yourselves from checking email every 10 minutes. I got used to getting lots of responses from firms in december and now I'm getting withdrawal symptoms.

You’re doing well lasting 10 minutes. If I go more than 3 I get nausea and the shakes 😂

 

[Kakaboo]

Congrats! I also got invited to the Burges Salmon AC ☺️

I applied for Bristol spring/summer VS and got the email half an hour ago. I'm not sure if they're sending out mass emails for each office- but I wish you the best of luck 🤞

I think I’ll assume PFO as the dates are first come first served, congratulations and good luck though!!!

 

[floral.tcla]

bro how long does it take to send decisions? obviously, I am the best candidate so why take so long to make me a partner, smh
😒

(obviously this is a joke and ik how few hr staff there are and how high the number of applicants are)

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

"Describe three characteristics that you believe make an outstanding Ropes & Gray lawyer and how that lawyer would drive our business. (500 MAX)" - would I also need to discuss examples where I have demonstrated these characteristics?

Thank you 😊

@Ram Sabaratnam @Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu

Hiya @KBanana

While tempting to do so, I think the focus of the answer should be on how the characteristics you've identified enable a Ropes & Gray lawyer to drive the firm’s business (rather than turning the question into a discussion about your own skills and experiences). This question is an opportunity to show your understanding of what makes a successful commercial lawyer and your awareness of the skills that matter most at Ropes & Gray’s London office.

I'm sure you've already thought about this, but you could discuss characteristics like client focus, technical excellence, adaptability, creativity, or commercial awareness. If you can, I'd encourage you to make the discussion of these traits more specific to Ropes & Gray. When making the link, you could consider how the traits you identify relate to the firm's strengths in areas such as private equity, high-yield finance, or in sectors such as the life sciences, and explain how they allow the firm's lawyers to contribute to the firm’s success in London and globally. This will demonstrate your thoughtfulness and commercial awareness while keeping the focus on the firm.

For instance, if you mention adaptability, why is this important to a firm such as Ropes, especially given its considerable private equity and leveraged finance focus? How does adaptability help clients in these areas when considering the specific market conditions they typically face? When drafting my answer to these type of questions, I also tried to incorporate research from certain publications about the specific sectors in question. Additionally, I'd also try to incorporate recent research about law firms themselves and what traits were particularly important for lawyers operating in big law. This allowed me to 'make the case' for why the specific trait was useful for lawyers operating in particular sectors or particular kinds of firms.

Hope this helps!

 

[klazza]

Hi did you receive a general email about this or did you personally email them to find out?

personally emailed as I knew they originally planned on starting ACs this week, so assumed it was a PFO and asked for confirmation

 

[adrk1234]

personally emailed as I knew they originally planned on starting ACs this week, so assumed it was a PFO and asked for confirmation

Is this for spring VS following a VI, or summer VS ?

 

[amieclark]

When did you get your email! And what office? I’m still waiting should I assume PFO?

I got it today at 13:05 for the Bristol office spring/summer VS

 

[j.thelu]

No they called me yesterday to offer me the VS, and said they would send over an email with the offer in writing in the next 5 days but I haven't received anything yet. I've had no other communication from them since yesterday! My AC was the first one I think (?) so they may be waiting a bit longer to make all their decisions.

mean before the AC!

No they called me yesterday to offer me the VS, and said they would send over an email with the offer in writing in the next 5 days but I haven't received anything yet. I've had no other communication from them since yesterday! My AC was the first one I think (?) so it's very possible they're waiting a bit longer to make all their decisions.

I mean before the AC after completing the WG! I completed mine monday and got sent an email a few days ago saying they are reviewing them all and to hear back by the end of feb but im just worried this is a preemptive PFO haha. Huge congrats btw!

 

[l789]

Anyone heard from aspiring solicitors Amazon scheme yet since completing stage 2 of the online form

 

[FutureTraineeMaybe]

Need a bit of advice
For everyone that has been successful with AC's this year, what would be the key economic developments that could come up in a case study?

 

[crt1s]

Has anyone interviewed with Fieldfisher in the last two weeks and heard back? Direct TC

 

[Amma Usman]

would stating that the firm has band 1 rankings in xyz, and then naming any firm which also has a band 1 rankings in those areas as competitors be a good way of structuring an answering? so for example, if a firm has a band 1 ranking in infrastructure, and so do 5 other firms, would it be correct to say those firms are competitors because they all have band 1 rankings in infrastructure?

@Jessica Booker @Amma Usman @Andrei Radu

Hey @murm and @AnAnonymousDuck ,

I have actually made a thread on this which I have linked below.

Looking at the thread also, I now see the need to expand on certain areas to enable candidates to be more specific with the question on a law firm’s respective competitors.

I’ve included a more detailed analysis below:

If you’re trying to figure out if firms are competitors, I wouldn’t rely on Band 1 rankings alone. It’s a good starting point, but there’s more to it. For example, just because a firm is Band 1 in infrastructure and five other firms are too, doesn’t mean they’re all direct competitors. You’ve got to dig deeper into what they actually do within that area. Are they working on the same type of projects? One firm might specialise in financing infrastructure deals, while another focuses on disputes or PPP projects, so they might not be directly competing.

You also need to look at where they’re operating. If one firm’s focus is primarily in the UK and the others are big in Asia or Africa, they’re not really clashing for the same clients. Cross-border work is another factor. If two firms have a strong global reach, they’re more likely to compete than if one only works regionally.

Another thing to check is their client base. Are they going after the same kinds of clients, like government bodies or private equity investors? If you notice they’re working for completely different sectors, they might not even be on each other’s radar. Rankings won’t tell you that, but their deal announcements or case studies might.

Then there’s reputation, beyond just being ranked Band 1, are these firms seen as leaders in the field? Do they publish thought pieces, host events, or push innovation like new ESG approaches? Sometimes a firm might technically rank the same but not have the same level of influence in the market.

Volume and size of deals also matter. A firm doing smaller or mid-sized infrastructure work won’t really be competing with a firm that handles billion-pound projects. It’s about scale, not just rankings.

One thing that really gives it away is lateral hires. If two firms are always poaching talent from each other in a certain area, it’s a big sign they see each other as competitors. And finally, you’ve got to think about strategy. If a firm has publicly said it’s focusing on growing its infrastructure practice and targeting the same regions as another Band 1 firm, that’s a clear overlap.

So yeah, Band 1 rankings are helpful, but they’re just scratching the surface. You’ve got to think about clients, geography, deal size, and strategy to really figure out if firms are competing. It’s all about the bigger picture.

Guide to Identifying a Law Firm’s Competitors

In this guide, I’ll be talking about how to identify a law firm’s competitors. This is a skill that’s not only useful for applications but also helps you get a much better understanding of the legal industry as a whole. Honestly, this was something I initially struggled with. I found it hard to...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

 

[wqueens8]

Bakers VI! Would love any insight at all, this is my first proper VI invite.

 

[OliverTwist]

Hiya @OliverTwist

Completely agree with @Jessica Booker here, and this is basically the approach I adopted when applying to Orrick. I tried to use the cover letter to discuss/address “why me” and use examples/points that didn't fit neatly into my "why Orrick"/ "why commercial law" answers. As Jess mentioned, the cover letter is a great place to highlight what interests you about Orrick’s culture or any experiences you might have had meeting people at the firm.

To avoid overlapping with the “why Orrick” question, I tried to focus my answer to that question on the firm's practice area strengths and sectoral expertise. Orrick's quite unusual combination of not only tech expertise, but also energy and finance expertise made it stand out to me compared to other firms that I'd applied to, including Cooley and Vinson & Elkins. They'd also worked on really interesting EC/VC matters that allowed me to distinguish them from the other US-headquartered firms in London whose client bases typically encompass key private equity firms and their portfolio companies.

By dedicating the cover letter to address why you and what it is about the culture/training at the firm that interests you, I think you can avoid repetition when answering the "why Orrick" question. You'll also be using the “why Orrick” question to focus directly on specific areas where the firm excels, like their strengths in technology, energy, or venture capital, etc.

Hope this helps and good luck with the application!

Hey thanks for the in-depth answer, no one does it quite like you Ram! ☺️

The firm's emerging companies/tech/VC practice areas are what has drawn me to the firm. Did you explicitly mention how the firm differs to Cooley, Brown Rudnick, Goodwin etc?

I have followed a similar approach for the why Orrick, mentioning my interest in VC/EC and where how this has developed through my current work. I then go on to talk about their unique qualities, but I haven't mentioned explicitly the other firms I am comparing and contrasting against.

I will be sure to hammer home the culture/small trainee intake etc in the covering letter.

 

[Misty Meanor]

Anyone heard from Weil post VI? Don't even care if it's an acceptance or rejection, just want to be able to move on with my life