TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[AlegalA]

Mine is less than one week after. I think it just depends on interviewer availability. 2 weeks after seems long - I feel for you!

Do you have any idea whether to expect a group exercise for the AC? I’ve heard mixed things

I didn't think it was a group exercise tbh, I thought it was three mini written exercises? they say we're "asked to complete a written task and a video question" for all three

 

[Aspiringsolicitor01]

10 rejections, 10 applications remaining. Praying that just one pulls through. Anyone heard from MDR for summer?

 

[thelawstudent]

hey, anyone have NRF grad rec interview insights? first time getting this far so would really appreciate any insights and help on pm tysm guys

 

[jacksollaf]

After a tough cycle: Hope, Light at the end of the tunnel, Silver lining. When everyone says you only need one, it truly is 100% true !!!

My favourite update so far:

HFW ✅✅✅ (AC on last Tuesday, received a call yesterday CONFIRMING MY ACCEPTANCE FOR THEIR SUMMER VACATION SCHEME!!!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳) They said that they'll reply within two weeks, and I got my offer two days after! HOWEVER, graduate recruitment told me that I was the first offer, so please do not be discouraged, she told me there are a lot of offers coming up as they still haven't done the rest of their ACs, so do not think me getting it should discourage you, there are still a bunch of other places and they hold three vacation schemes, so you got this!!

Gibson Dunn (VI was last week, awaiting 2 weeks for outcome)

Baker McKenzie ❌
Allen & Shearman | ❌
Goodwin
Pinsent Masons |❌
Mayer Brown |❌
Skadden ❌
Morrison Foerster
Slaughter & May | ❌
Jones Day | ❌
Cooley ❌
Linklaters
Willkie Farr & Gallagher | ❌
Latham & Watkins
Forsters LLP ❌
TLT
Dechert LLP ❌
Orrick
BCLP
Paynes Hicks Beach
Eversheds ❌
Clyde & Co
Addleshaw Goddard LLP
Kirkland
Covington LLP
White & Case ❌
Macfarlanes ❌
UN Legal Affairs Intern
Clifford Chance Dubai | ❌
Weil | ❌
Katten
Charles Russel Speechlys
King & Spalding (TC)
Quinn Emmanuel (Paris) ❌
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP ❌
Legal intern at random company in Scotland ❌ (ghosted so probably not)
Deloitte ❌
Vison & Elkins
Morgan Lewis
Walker Morris ❌
CMS
Hogan Lovells
Osborne Clarke
Davis Polk
RPC
Ropes & Gray
Paul Weiss
Squire Patton Boggs
Mills & Reeve
Simmons & Simmons
Norton Rose Fulbright
Withers (TC)
Joelson
Capsticks LLP | ❌
Gowling WLG ❌
Gide Loyrette Nouel London ❌ (ghosted)
DAC Beachcroft (TC)
Howes Spercival
PwC |❌
Cleary Gottlieb | ❌
Reed Smith | ❌
Farrer & Co
Shoosmiths
Freshfields ❌
Debevoise & Plimpton
Greenberg Traurig (TC)
Lockton ❌
Watson Farley & Williams ❌
HSF ❌

 

[BobThebIlly]

After a tough cycle: Hope, Light at the end of the tunnel, Silver lining. When everyone says you only need one, it truly is 100% true !!!

My favourite update so far:

HFW ✅✅✅ (AC on last Tuesday, received a call yesterday CONFIRMING MY ACCEPTANCE FOR THEIR SUMMER VACATION SCHEME!!!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳) They said that they'll reply within two weeks, and I got my offer two days after! HOWEVER, graduate recruitment told me that I was the first offer, so please do not be discouraged, she told me there are a lot of offers coming up as they still haven't done the rest of their ACs, so do not think me getting it should discourage you, there are still a bunch of other places and they hold three vacation schemes, so you got this!!

Gibson Dunn (VI was last week, awaiting 2 weeks for outcome)

Baker McKenzie ❌
Allen & Shearman | ❌
Goodwin
Pinsent Masons |❌
Mayer Brown |❌
Skadden ❌
Morrison Foerster
Slaughter & May | ❌
Jones Day | ❌
Cooley ❌
Linklaters
Willkie Farr & Gallagher | ❌
Latham & Watkins
Forsters LLP ❌
TLT
Dechert LLP ❌
Orrick
BCLP
Paynes Hicks Beach
Eversheds ❌
Clyde & Co
Addleshaw Goddard LLP
Kirkland
Covington LLP
White & Case ❌
Macfarlanes ❌
UN Legal Affairs Intern
Clifford Chance Dubai | ❌
Weil | ❌
Katten
Charles Russel Speechlys
King & Spalding (TC)
Quinn Emmanuel (Paris) ❌
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP ❌
Legal intern at random company in Scotland ❌ (ghosted so probably not)
Deloitte ❌
Vison & Elkins
Morgan Lewis
Walker Morris ❌
CMS
Hogan Lovells
Osborne Clarke
Davis Polk
RPC
Ropes & Gray
Paul Weiss
Squire Patton Boggs
Mills & Reeve
Simmons & Simmons
Norton Rose Fulbright
Withers (TC)
Joelson
Capsticks LLP | ❌
Gowling WLG ❌
Gide Loyrette Nouel London ❌ (ghosted)
DAC Beachcroft (TC)
Howes Spercival
PwC |❌
Cleary Gottlieb | ❌
Reed Smith | ❌
Farrer & Co
Shoosmiths
Freshfields ❌
Debevoise & Plimpton
Greenberg Traurig (TC)
Lockton ❌
Watson Farley & Williams ❌
HSF ❌

Huge congratulations!!! I wish you the best on their scheme and I pray I receive at least one VS this cycle too haha.

 

[Chris Brown]

After a tough cycle: Hope, Light at the end of the tunnel, Silver lining. When everyone says you only need one, it truly is 100% true !!!

My favourite update so far:

HFW ✅✅✅ (AC on last Tuesday, received a call yesterday CONFIRMING MY ACCEPTANCE FOR THEIR SUMMER VACATION SCHEME!!!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳) They said that they'll reply within two weeks, and I got my offer two days after! HOWEVER, graduate recruitment told me that I was the first offer, so please do not be discouraged, she told me there are a lot of offers coming up as they still haven't done the rest of their ACs, so do not think me getting it should discourage you, there are still a bunch of other places and they hold three vacation schemes, so you got this!!

Gibson Dunn (VI was last week, awaiting 2 weeks for outcome)

Baker McKenzie ❌
Allen & Shearman | ❌
Goodwin
Pinsent Masons |❌
Mayer Brown |❌
Skadden ❌
Morrison Foerster
Slaughter & May | ❌
Jones Day | ❌
Cooley ❌
Linklaters
Willkie Farr & Gallagher | ❌
Latham & Watkins
Forsters LLP ❌
TLT
Dechert LLP ❌
Orrick
BCLP
Paynes Hicks Beach
Eversheds ❌
Clyde & Co
Addleshaw Goddard LLP
Kirkland
Covington LLP
White & Case ❌
Macfarlanes ❌
UN Legal Affairs Intern
Clifford Chance Dubai | ❌
Weil | ❌
Katten
Charles Russel Speechlys
King & Spalding (TC)
Quinn Emmanuel (Paris) ❌
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP ❌
Legal intern at random company in Scotland ❌ (ghosted so probably not)
Deloitte ❌
Vison & Elkins
Morgan Lewis
Walker Morris ❌
CMS
Hogan Lovells
Osborne Clarke
Davis Polk
RPC
Ropes & Gray
Paul Weiss
Squire Patton Boggs
Mills & Reeve
Simmons & Simmons
Norton Rose Fulbright
Withers (TC)
Joelson
Capsticks LLP | ❌
Gowling WLG ❌
Gide Loyrette Nouel London ❌ (ghosted)
DAC Beachcroft (TC)
Howes Spercival
PwC |❌
Cleary Gottlieb | ❌
Reed Smith | ❌
Farrer & Co
Shoosmiths
Freshfields ❌
Debevoise & Plimpton
Greenberg Traurig (TC)
Lockton ❌
Watson Farley & Williams ❌
HSF ❌

Congrats on getting a VS with HFW! 🥳

Just out of curiosity, how were you able to send almost 70 applications in a time span of 3-4 months! Absolute machine! 😯

I’ve only managed 14 and planning on applying for one more: Stephenson Harwood. 💀

 

[jacksollaf]

Huge congratulations!!! I wish you the best on their scheme and I pray I receive at least one VS this cycle too haha.

Thank you!! You will, don't worry! You only need one!

 

[jacksollaf]

Congrats on getting a VS with HFW! 🥳

Just out of curiosity, how were you able to send almost 70 applications in a time span of 3-4 months! Absolute machine! 😯

I’ve only managed 14 and planning on applying for one more: Stephenson Harwood. 💀

Thank you!!

Basically, I made for myself a little list of firms I actually truly care about and love, which I wrote with the utmost level of care and effort (including HFW, which I am so happy about); and then other firms which I wouldn't mind working there, but aren't my favourite, which I took a fair amount of time, but not as much honestly as the ones I truly want.

My top 5 choices besides HFW:

1) Baker McKenzie (rejected though) 2) W&C (rejected though) 3) HSF (rejected though) 4) Debevoise 5) King & Spalding

 

[Aleila]

HSF AC 🥰 I’d be highly appreciative of any advice or tips from those who have done it before please (especially when it comes to the case study presentation)

Have you heard anything back from them yet?

 

[crt1s]

What are the different types of written exercises you can get at AC? I've seen letters, memos and reports. Are there any others I should prepare for?

 

[jojo23]

Nothing beats the rush of slapping in whatever cookie cutter responses you have lying around, for an application closing in 8 minutes

Pure vibes and chaos is our motivation✨️✨️✨️

...and maybe that 100k+ salary

 

[jojo23]

If I noticed i made an error with one of my grades, how can I rectify it in the submission through the additional details section without looking like a mess😭

 

[jta227]

Thank you!! I think I applied on the deadline if not a day before. Yes it was summer vac

Hmm, interesting. I haven’t heard yet and I was meant to be fast-tracked from going to their open day

 

[lawyersum]

Has anyone had experience with Vinson & Elkin's Winter Vacation Scheme? It says on their website that applications are open for about three months, but the scheme will only go ahead if they do not fill up all their TC places after the Summer Vac Scheme? From personal experience does the Winter vacation scheme usually go ahead then? Would love any insights, thank you!!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Thank you so much @Andrei Radu. This was incredibly insightful! 🙂

As a follow up, how did you navigate choosing which TC offer to accept between DPW, Willkie and Milbank?

What did you base your decision off of? Did you have a particular strategy for this as well? 🐐

At least initially I did not really have a particular strategy in mind, as I never imagined I would be in a position to choose between different TCs; and because regardless I would have been very happy with any of the three. My main course of action was to try to talk to as many people as possible at different seniority levels within the firms and get their perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of each firm when compared to the others. At the same time, I would ask them what they thought should be the key considerations I focus on when making my decision. As I was going through this process and also conducting further research on my own (particularly to compare prior mandates in the areas I was interested in) I started putting down the relevant considerations on paper, comparing the pros and cons of each option. As this went on, it became to me clearer and clearer that Davis Polk was the right choice for me for a number of different reasons such as:

• Client relationships and quality of work: the firm's US reputation, and especially its long standing institutional relationships in Wall Street, was an important consideration. For US firms in London a big part of their work will originate from clients in the US, so their renown there is a crucial (though often overlooked) factor to consider if you want top of the market work.
• Small but extremely efficient corporate practice in London: Davis Polk's London corporate team is very lean compared to most rivals, with competitors with the same Chambers M&A and equity capital markets rankings having teams from double to 4/5 times the headcount. That suggests that the firm's individual practitioners are extremely efficient, which is further evidenced by the rankings in The Lawyer's Corporate Efficiency report. In 2023 Davis Polk was first by a significant margin and in 2024 it came second only after Paul, Weiss, and had the best/second best revenue per corporate lawyer and revenue per corporate partner figures in both years. This quality-focused approach is illustrated in the firm's average deal value figures as well: while Davis Polk works on a significantly lower number of transactions than a Latham or Kirkland, the average value of a mandate the firm works on is around three times higher - in fact, in 2023 it was the highest in the world. As at this point I knew I wanted to be a corporate lawyer and to work in a lean team, this very quality-focused strategy was attractive to me.
• Seat rotation structure: Davis Polk's pinpointed corporate-finance focus and small size means that the firm foes not operate the usual strict 4 seats rotation structure. Instead, the process is a lot more "conversational" and it is not uncommon to do even 3 seats in corporate if you want to. Since I know this is the area I likely want to work in, this system was a lot more attractive to me than a more conventional and broader training experience.
• Strong financials and growth plan: Davis Polk has historically been leading global average PEP rankings, in the last 10 years having the 3rd average PEP per year in the world (only behind Wachtell and Kirkland). This signals a very successful business model, which allows the firm to make substantial investments when appropriate. This enabled Davis Polk to begin a period of expansion in London while keeping a very high quality-focused approach - its recent lateral hires only include Chambers-ranked star partners, poached from Paul Hastings, Sidley, and A&O Shearman; something that rival firms with a weaker financial position might not have been capable of.

 

[SSR27]

Hmm, interesting. I haven’t heard yet and I was meant to be fast-tracked from going to their open day

Perhaps, you might not have to go through the video interview stage and instead get fast forwarded to the step after that? I did not attend their open day but I am assuming they are sending them out in blocks. From the open day did they inform you how the structure of applications is meant to go? i.e. first stage test Arctic shores, recruitment interview - what's after that? thanks also good luck!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi everyone @Amma Usman @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu could I please get some advice on video interviews? Would also love to hear some thoughts from my peers who went from failing VIs to passing. Have received VI PFOs from Clyde & Co, DWF, Reed Smith, Baker McKenzie & CMS. So all tips welcome please as I do not know what I am doing wrong.

I have linked here the Complete Competency Interview Guide I have recently written. Take a look particularly at section 1 and 2 as they contain my most useful tips for VI preparation.

 

[Andrei Radu]

'As a firm, we operate across a number of sectors and specialisms, and offer sector-specific training contracts in each of our business services, health and marine groups.Which of our teams would you be most interested in completing a seat in and why?' for this question, are they asking about which stream we would like to do (marine vs health) or which seat within those streams we would like to do? such as shipping finance etc. thank you! @Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman

I have written a post with my thoughts on this issue, I will quote it bellow:

Having taken a quick look across Hill Dickinson's website, I think it's clear you have to choose only one of the three broad groups for your TC. However, then you get to choose between a number of different seats offered by each group. The way I see it, the question can be interpreted in two ways depending on what is meant by the term 'teams':

1. Which practice area in which group are you most attracted to?
2. Which of our groups are you most attracted to?

Your approach seems to track the first formulation. Intuitively, I think this first interpretation is likely the right one, since if the second interpretation was right using the word 'seat' would be completely superfluous.

However, I would also look at this from a upside/downside risk perspective. If all the firm wants you to do is explain your motivation for one of the groups, and you also explain your motivations for a practice area within a group, it should not hurt your chances too much. If anything, the more specific interest in a practice area can support a point about your more general interest in the group. If however the firm does want you to discuss a practice area interest as well and you only discuss your interest in one of the groups, you will have missed out on one of the key points of the question.

 

[Zaraa.x]

Hmm, interesting. I haven’t heard yet and I was meant to be fast-tracked from going to their open day

Omg I went to the open day as well! I’ve heard nothing too.

 

[Zaraa.x]

Perhaps, you might not have to go through the video interview stage and instead get fast forwarded to the step after that? I did not attend their open day but I am assuming they are sending them out in blocks. From the open day did they inform you how the structure of applications is meant to go? i.e. first stage test Arctic shores, recruitment interview - what's after that? thanks also good luck!

Open day attendees only bypass the arctic shores and go straight to application screening stage. I guess we just have to be patient!