TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[jacksollaf]

Does Greenberg send pfos? I read somewhere on the thread that they don’t send them? I applied mid December and haven’t heard back!

I think I saw someone say they got a PFO in January

 

[yeezyee]

cleary wg!!

 

[member7830]

Has anyone emailed W&C post ac?

I had an AC yesterday and they said all responses will be around mid-feb

 

[Chris Brown]

cleary wg!!

Congrats 🥳

 

[zonnonomo]

cleary wg!!

when did u apply talented maestro

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

I have a 30 min virtual interview with Cooley next week. This is my first interview with a corporate law firm so any advice would be appreciated!

Hiya @corporatelore (and also to others who've already asked me, including @James Wakefield)

First off, well done to everyone who has made it to this stage! Just wanted to add some Cooley-related information to the excellent response by @Andrei Radu.

As I'm sure you'll already know, the Cooley video interview typically involves two senior fee earners who will ask a mix of motivational and competency-based questions (there were no real commercial awareness questions - these are typically dealt with during the assessment centre). The interviewers will likely have read your application beforehand, so it’s a good idea to reflect on your experiences, particularly any work experience you’ve mentioned, and your motivations for joining the firm.

For example, I was asked about my background as a career changer and why I had decided to pursue law at this stage. I was also asked to elaborate on two of the legal work experiences that I'd mentioned in my application, with follow-up questions requiring competency-based answers. The interviewers were clearly interested in understanding my thought process behind how I carried out certain tasks during these work experiences and I'd recommend sticking to a clear STAR structure when answering such questions.

Additionally, I was given the names of my interviewers in advance. This was really helpful in allowing me to prepare tailored questions about their careers and their reasons for joining Cooley. If you've received your interviewers' names, it’s worth looking them up briefly.

Overall, I’d recommend thinking about any aspects of your application that stand out or could benefit from further explanation, as these might be areas your interviewers choose to explore. Good luck to everyone doing their video interviews!

 

[BobThebIlly]

After receiving my final rejection for this year’s VS cycle, I've quickly realised that I underestimated just how competitive it really is. I only applied to four firms (all extremely competitive) and assumed that my extensive experience with two of them would be enough to secure an AC invitation. Looking back, I see that this was a naive approach, but this was my first real taste of rejection at this level.

I would really appreciate any advice, especially from @Amma Usman , as your daily commercial updates have been incredibly helpful.

I want to make sure I prepare as effectively as possible for the next VS and TC cycle. Im currently in my penultimate year, so I’ll be entering my final year in September. My key questions are:

1. How should I balance my applications between vacation schemes and direct training contract applications? Ie should I split it between 10 VS applications and 10 TC or is it based on other factors?

2. Where can I find someone who can provide detailed, constructive feedback on my applications? I found that the person I previously relied on did not offer the most helpful insights.

3. How do I strategically select firms to apply to? I am still keen on the MC firms and US firms

4. For those who secured VS or TC offers after rejections in previous cycles, what changes did you make that had the biggest impact?

Any guidance would be massively appreciated!

 

[Gin]

Definitely a rumour. Firms set deadlines for a reason. As long as you apply before the deadline you will be fine. I am also looking to apply to SH by mid Feb.

Of course firms like BCLP, Bird & Bird and DLA Piper do take rolling recruitment more seriously but most ‘rolling’ firms will consider your application regardless of which date you applied. 🙂🙂

White & Case and Willkie are technically rolling but still review every application. I applied a week before their final deadline for both and I was fine. I would strongly recommend you still apply to SH if you like their firm! Best of luck! 🙂🙂

I see. Thanks a lot!!!

 

[miscocrossover]

I had an AC yesterday and they said all responses will be around mid-feb

great thanks!!

 

[miscocrossover]

I had an AC yesterday and they said all responses will be around mid-feb

Was your ac for spring ?

 

[Smart water 0403]

During a written assessment, if you are acting as a trainee and directly contacting a client, should you write using we or I- 'we have reviewed the documents' or 'I have reviewed the documents' for example?

 

[g.cl.2020344]

Hi @Amma Usman , I hope you are well! I've just received an invitation to attend Gibson Dunn's first-stage interview with Grad Rec and wondered if you could advise what to expect? I understood from your LinkedIn that you're a future trainee with the firm.

I would be very grateful for your advice!

Heya huge congrats! Out of interested when did you apply? And was this the stage after the initial app?

 

[s9111]

Just received Freshfields WG invite for TC. The email says your test score, combined with your application, will form the basis of whether you are then invited through to the final AC stage. Does that mean I have 'only' passed the SJT, and that they have not read my application yet, they only will in conjunction with my WG test? Or they have read my form, then invited me to do the WG, and they will look at both again to decide ACs?

 

[Chris Brown]

Just received Freshfields WG invite for TC. The email says your test score, combined with your application, will form the basis of whether you are then invited through to the final AC stage. Does that mean I have 'only' passed the SJT, and that they have not read my application yet, they only will in conjunction with my WG test? Or they have read my form, then invited me to do the WG, and they will look at both again to decide ACs?

I think you passed the SJT and they have now read your application and invited you to take the WGT.

By test score, I think they are referring to the WGT test result and not the SJT. Best of luck for Freshfields TC!

 

[Gday33]

During a written assessment, if you are acting as a trainee and directly contacting a client, should you write using we or I- 'we have reviewed the documents' or 'I have reviewed the documents' for example?

I use ‘we’ in professional emails - you’re speaking for the firm after all 👍🏻 I only use ‘I’ when speaking to people I know more informally (who are usually other professionals, not clients)

 

[legallady123]

This really depends on the condition the individual has and what adjustments they may need - please feel free to PM me about this.

Not necessarily a stupid question but may need more context as to why you are asking it to help frame it to your interviewers.

Hi Jessica, I messaged you a few days ago and not sure if it has been missed. Just wanted to follow up 😊

Yes - you can PM me regarding this

 

[yeezyee]

when did u apply talented maestro

omg too kind ahaha and just last week 29th jan!

 

[Chris Brown]

After receiving my final rejection for this year’s VS cycle, I've quickly realised that I underestimated just how competitive it really is. I only applied to four firms (all extremely competitive) and assumed that my extensive experience with two of them would be enough to secure an AC invitation. Looking back, I see that this was a naive approach, but this was my first real taste of rejection at this level.

I would really appreciate any advice, especially from @Amma Usman , as your daily commercial updates have been incredibly helpful.

I want to make sure I prepare as effectively as possible for the next VS and TC cycle. Im currently in my penultimate year, so I’ll be entering my final year in September. My key questions are:

1. How should I balance my applications between vacation schemes and direct training contract applications? Ie should I split it between 10 VS applications and 10 TC or is it based on other factors?

2. Where can I find someone who can provide detailed, constructive feedback on my applications? I found that the person I previously relied on did not offer the most helpful insights.

3. How do I strategically select firms to apply to? I am still keen on the MC firms and US firms

4. For those who secured VS or TC offers after rejections in previous cycles, what changes did you make that had the biggest impact?

Any guidance would be massively appreciated!

I asked @Andrei Radu a question similar to the 4th one because I believe he also faced rejections in his very 1st cycle and then after making some changes he secured 4 VS and converted 3 into TC’s in his 2nd cycle!! I have quoted it below:

He did VS at Slaughter and May, Milbank, Willkie and Davis Polk (where he is now a future trainee), so similar experience in terms of applying to US/MC firms! This might also be good for the 3rd question!

Hi @Chris Brown and thanks a lot !

If I were to name the most important difference at a high level of generality, it was being significantly more organized and consistent with my efforts. Firstly, I started the cycle a lot earlier and took the time at the beginning to make a list of all the firms I was interested in, to note down their deadlines, and then to allocate timeslots for completing them in every week from September to February. Simultaneously, I began to attend lots of firm events (most of them online or organized by my university) and started investing at least 30 mins to one hour per day in improving my commercial awareness (mostly by listening to podcasts while commuting or running errands). This quickly improved my understanding of the world of business and the role of law firms, which led to me discovering a interests in M&A, restructuring, and capital markets. This enabled me to write significantly more persuasive 'Why law?' and 'Why the firm?' answers and was extremely helpful later on when I started doing ACs and interviews.

Secondly, in my second cycle I stopped trying to do everything on my own. I applied for and joined the careers mentorship scheme at my university and had the incredible luck to be allocated an amazing mentor. Getting thorough reviews on my drafts and redrafts of my first few applications was beyond helpful, as I understood for the first time what great application writing looked like and was then able to model all my subsequent work on that. At the same time, I constantly worked together with friends, and we would take a look and give our thoughts on the each others' applications. This was both great both for improving the quality of our writing and spotting mistakes and for making the entire process a lot more enjoyable.

Finally, in my second cycle I invested a lot more of my time in applications: taking everything into account (research, writing, commercial awareness, events, interviews etc) I think I used to spend between 30 and 40 hours per week on it. Together with the other factors I mentioned, this meant I could write a significantly higher number of high quality applications. This is the number one factor that drastically improved my AC progression rate, which is ultimately what enabled me to get VS and TC offers.

 

[BobThebIlly]

I asked @Andrei Radu a question similar to the 4th one because I believe he also faced rejections in his very 1st cycle and then after making some changes he secured 4 VS and converted 3 into TC’s in his 2nd cycle!! I have quoted it below:

He did VS at Slaughter and May, Milbank, Willkie and Davis Polk (where he is now a future trainee) so similar experience in terms of applying to US/MC firms!

Oh my god thank you so much for quoting this Chris Brown 🙏

 

[Looper88]

Heya huge congrats! Out of interested when did you apply? And was this the stage after the initial app?

Thank you! I applied around Dec 12th!