TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Tintin06]

a way to cut down numbers in what seems like a blatantly discriminatory way.... targeting disabled/neurodivergent people to cut numbers is crazy💀

I never got a response either. Maybe I’ve dodged a bullet here. Pretty shoddy from the firm, honestly.

 

[Chris Brown]

a way to cut down numbers in what seems like a blatantly discriminatory way.... targeting disabled/neurodivergent people to cut numbers is crazy💀

Next thing it will be targeting anyone who went to state school or who was a first gen student. I think it’s a poor reflection on them tbh.

Doing all of this to cut down numbers is crazy work but it’s their loss not ours at the end of the day. 🙂

 

[toad92]

I hate it when law firms do this! Same thing happened to me twice, I received no reply for adjustments and had to just complete the test without it.

i didn't take that initiative unfortunately, i had too much trust in them! not sure how else to take this message in their email other than not taking the assessment, even if it was due...

'If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email us on ukearlycareers@freshfields.com to let us know what adjustments you require. We will consider your particular needs and implement any reasonable adjustments as far as possible. Please do not attempt to complete the test until you have heard back from us.'

 

[toad92]

Next thing it will be targeting anyone who went to state school or who was a first gen student. I think it’s a poor reflection on them tbh.

freshfields wants to be a boys club again i guess😍

 

[toad92]

I never got a response either. Maybe I’ve dodged a bullet here. Pretty shoddy from the firm, honestly.

yeah... they were good with all of this when i applied only last year, quick replies and i got through to AC... this year there must be different grad rec

 

[Chris Brown]

yeah... they were good with all of this when i applied only last year, quick replies and i got through to AC... this year there must be different grad rec

Imagine if it’s not anyone on graduate recruitment and instead it’s some dodgy automated AI system… 😱

Filter out all the disabled and state school applicants in a flash. 💥

 

[Jessica Booker]

i didn't take that initiative unfortunately, i had too much trust in them! not sure how else to take this message in their email other than not taking the assessment, even if it was due...

'If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email us on ukearlycareers@freshfields.com to let us know what adjustments you require. We will consider your particular needs and implement any reasonable adjustments as far as possible. Please do not attempt to complete the test until you have heard back from us.'

Given the number of people mentioning this (I have had several private message me too), I have contacted the firm's recruitment team to try and see if there is a way to resolve this. I will update everyone if I hear back.

 

[Chris Brown]

Given the number of people mentioning this (I have had several private message me too), I have contacted the firm's recruitment team to try and see if there is a way to resolve this. I will update everyone if I hear back.

Thank you for doing this @Jessica Booker! It means a lot to us all on this forum. 🙂

 

[toad92]

Given the number of people mentioning this (I have had several private message me too), I have contacted the firm's recruitment team to try and see if there is a way to resolve this. I will update everyone if I hear back.

thank you for this🙏🙏, it's really frustrating how firms to put on a huge song and dance about how diverse and inclusive they are just for them to turn around and treat people who need the support like they are at the bottom of the pile and not even worth responding to.

 

[Filosof]

Slightly embarrassed to admit this but after 4 years of applications, I have finally got through to the final stage of a vac scheme application for the first time and get to speak to actual people from the firm. No idea how to prepare but been told to celebrate the small wins a bit more so here we are. I'll give it my best 🫡

 

[b4PFO]

Has anyone heard from white and case post AC I did mine 2 weeks ago and still haven’t heard

 

[l789]

Next thing it will be targeting anyone who went to state school or who was a first gen student. I think it’s a poor reflection on them tbh.

Doing all of this to cut down numbers is crazy work but it’s their loss not ours at the end of the day. 🙂

I recently saw an article about freshfields with some secondment drama with two sisters both in the same trainee cohort…

 

[Chris Brown]

I recently saw an article about freshfields with some secondment drama with two sisters both in the same trainee cohort…

If it is true it reeks of nepotism and everything that goes against meritocracy in my opinion! 🥲🥲

Can’t forget to include the word *allegedly* though just to be on the safe side.

 

[lawyer195]

How did others find the Willkie Written Ex?

 

[mils2209]

I don't want to name drop, but am interested to hear your guys' thoughts on this...
At my AC, I was interviewed by an associate and partner. Both were very nice, but I was taken aback by the partner's phone use throughout my interview. I understand these lawyers are extremely busy, but seriously? He noted a few words down every 5 mins or so, and asked the first couple of questions. It then became a conversation between just the associate and I. This completely threw me off, and I panicked through the rest of the interview because I was worried about why he was not paying attention. He was looking and typing on his phone for a good 2/3rds of my interview, and quite honestly, I found this rude. Again, I understand how busy partners are but why offer to interview if you cannot afford the time to actually give a candidate your full attention?

 

[Chris Brown]

I don't want to name drop, but am interested to hear your guys' thoughts on this...
At my AC, I was interviewed by an associate and partner. Both were very nice, but I was taken aback by the partner's phone use throughout my interview. I understand these lawyers are extremely busy, but seriously? He noted a few words down every 5 mins or so, and asked the first couple of questions. It then became a conversation between just the associate and I. This completely threw me off, and I panicked through the rest of the interview because I was worried about why he was not paying attention. He was looking and typing on his phone for a good 2/3rds of my interview, and quite honestly, I found this rude. Again, I understand how busy partners are but why offer to interview if you cannot afford the time to actually give a candidate your full attention?

I think they do this on purpose to test how you react to it. Not sure what they are assessing by doing this. 🥲

I have heard of this being done at other firms and whilst it is odd it makes some sense.

I do wonder though whether they do this in an interview with a neurodivergent person who might not always be able to recognise this is the case.

 

[lou1707]

Hi lou1707, I'm afraid I don't have any helpful tips or advice to offer, having not had any interactions with Birketts myself. However, I met a chap from Birketts today while queuing for lunch after my first AC (with another firm) and he was lovely, chatty and engaging. Perhaps a brief glimpse into the type of people who work there?

In my (admittedly very limited) experience, firms that have a strong regional focus, like Birketts, aren't out there to trick you or trip you up, if the knowledge I gained today is anything to go by. These are people, at the end of the day – people who know what it's like to be nervous and apprehensive, and they want to help put you at ease and enable you to succeed at the interviews and ACs.

I wish you all the very best with your interview!

thank you so much for this, I only heard good things about them tbf but this confirms it
I really hope your AC went well!

 

[l789]

If it is true it reeks of nepotism and everything that goes against meritocracy in my opinion! 🥲🥲

Can’t forget to include the word *allegedly* though just to be on the safe side.

Yeah… It is very unfortunate.

Freshfields has an incredibly strong disputes practice which I’m really interested in, shame about this alleged incidents- and the adjustments issue.

Still… we don’t really know a firm unless we experience working there.

 

[thelawnet]

does anyone have any advice for how you'd go about structuring the following question, please, because it asks for soooooo many things in a short word count. I will give you a virtual cookie!

‘In no more than 500 words, please tell us about your extra-curricular activities, positions of responsibility and an achievement of importance which you are most proud of. How will these experiences help you excel as a Clifford Chance lawyer? Please note your interviewers will have access to this answer only at interview should you be invited to an assessment day. The rest of the assessment process is entirely CV blind.’

good luck

don't ignore this pls 🥸

500 words is NOT a short word count.
typical word count is 250 words.

it seems that you're being asked:

1) talk about your hobbies, and how they would help you as a lawyer
2) talk about your positions of responsibility, ditto
3) talk about an achievement of importance, ditto

so you might say:

1) I play chess, this helps me with strategic thinking, important as a lawyer. I also participate in chess clubs where I network and meet new people. This has provided me with useful contacts and expanded my social circle.
2) I am leader of the university chess club. I have responsible for budgeting, organising events, and fundraising. these skills are relevant as a lawyer. [explain in more detail.]
3) I won the university chess tournament. this required me to practise for years and also make strategic decisions. this shows my dedication and determination and my intellectual ability, important as a lawyer.

It does mention that it's blind, so if you mentioned your university name, then your application would probably be deemed worthless, and likewise avoid mentioning employer/law firm names, etc.

 

[thelawnet]

Anyone done the NRF Arctic Shores? Same as Gowling's?
My feedback from Gowling was:

"How you understand others": 4/4 - I always do well on emotion recognition games
"How you respond to change" 1/4 - I'm sure this is from reacting too slowly or wrongly in the press x/y type games
"How you attend to tasks & decisions" 1/4 - I'm not sure what this relates to specifically
"How you approach challenges" 3/4 - I think this is spending too long on the game at the end.
"How you identify patterns & rules" 4/4 - I will have performed very well on the maths stuff

So my concern is that research proves that reaction times decline with age and I'm 40+.

NRF have asked "If you have require any reasonable adjustments please do let us know as soon as possible and we can look at what adjustments cant be made."

I'm slightly confused by this because they say on their form that "We’re positive about employing disabled people and are an accredited Disability Confident Employer. As a Disability Confident organisation we offer interviews to disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for our roles."

On that basis I therefore disclosed that I have ASD (although I don't have a formal diagnosis, I would likely get one), so I'm a bit confused now about this, in that I've already disclosed a disability so there's some second-guessing perhaps on whether I should request an adjustment. In addition, I don't think that the people at Arctic Shores have considered that their games are age discriminatory specifically, and it says on the Arctic Shores page only that any of the following may warrant an adjustment and/or additional time:

"▶ ADHD ▶ Autism ▶ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ▶ Dyscalculia ▶ Dysgraphia ▶ Dyslexia ▶ Dyspraxia ▶ Epilepsy ▶ Mental Health Issue ▶ Multiple Sclerosis ▶ Physical Disability"

but age is not listed there.

I'm very much in doubt that it would be a good idea to email NRF and say "hey, your testing discriminates on the basis of age, which is illegal", even though it's obvious that it does. So maybe I just email and say "I'd like more time for the split-second games on the basis of ASD meaning I have slower reactions" [even though this is probably scientifically much less certain than the age issue, lol]? Anyone with experience dealing with this?!

Just as a minor update, NRF rejected my application "following my Arctic Shores". So the "Disability Confident" doesn't seem to mean that much, lol.