TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Jessica Booker]

I’ve just seen a post on LinkedIn about how “You should not be working retail or hospitality if you want a top graduate job” in relation to training contracts.

I’d be interested to see what people think of this and the benefits of retail. Considering it’s been all I’ve known since I was 16, and it’s nerve wracking to think I’m more experienced in retail than law, however gaining legal work experience in any capacity has been extremely tough- especially throughout university and summer holidays.

I’d recommend reading the comments to the post, which overwhelmingly disagree with it. Retail work is great evidence for an application - it shows a lot of transferable skills and also the fact you can do a normal, sometimes boring, sometimes demanding job where you have to serve others. That actually sets you up for law very well!

 

[Chris Brown]

Thanks for the advice…. I do feel torn between giving up working retail and taking on unpaid voluntary or unpaid internship roles… which would mean I have no income to survive but a good opportunity to pad out my cv

Most law firms value retail jobs because there are way more transferable skills that you can develop and strengthen from these jobs than doing one week of shadowing a solicitor. I don’t have any legal work experience and it hasn’t massively impacted my chances of progressing for firms just yet. I have been able to get past the application stage for White & Case, Willkie, BCLP and Paul, Weiss!

If retail is a primary source of income and without it you would struggle financially, I don’t think it’s a good idea to give it up in the hopes of securing a career in law. If anything, I think working alongside submitting applications to law firms would be a lot more impressive to graduate recruiters and partners.

The only time legal work experience is needed or expected is when you apply for DTC but even then if you have substantial non-legal work experience (which you definitely have seeing that you have worked in retail since you were 16), I don’t think it matters too much.

Similar to what @Tclarocks123 has mentioned above, I have also heard from partners, associates and graduate recruitment staff of US firms that they value non-legal experience way more than legal experience. I would say to keep your non-legal retail job and if you can find voluntary or internship roles that you can balance with your job then do those as well.

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[latome19]

I guess the better question is: why would achieving excellent grades be incompatible with working in hospitality roles, and vice versa? I don’t think that either of these takes genuinely addresses the question of which skills are most important for a lawyer. Imho, this is just rehashing a debate about class in a way that has recently been very unproductive for the legal profession.

 

[l789]

I’d recommend reading the comments to the post, which overwhelmingly disagree with it. Retail work is great evidence for an application - it shows a lot of transferable skills and also the fact you can do a normal, sometimes boring, sometimes demanding job where you have to serve others. That actually sets you up for law very well!

Thanks Jessica. Personally, my only problem is that my cv is predominantly retail (3/4 retail jobs) with tutoring, a consulting project, open days, an insight scheme and a research volunteer role.

I’m seeing if I can take on a casework volunteer role but the vast majority of applicants have this experience already- tutoring/ probono casework - so it’s nothing that stands out.

I am thinking of going unemployed to take on two different volunteering roles.

It’s difficult as I’m trying to push myself and increase my candidacy, but it’s a hard judgement call to make as to what to sacrifice.

 

[Wannabe_Lawyer]

Thanks Jessica. Personally, my only problem is that my cv is predominantly retail (3/4 retail jobs) with tutoring, a consulting project, open days, an insight scheme and a research volunteer role.

I’m seeing if I can take on a casework volunteer role but the vast majority of applicants have this experience already- tutoring/ probono casework - so it’s nothing that stands out.

I am thinking of going unemployed to take on two different volunteering roles.

It’s difficult as I’m trying to push myself and increase my candidacy, but it’s a hard judgement call to make as to what to sacrifice.

I hope you're also including in your work experience descriptions all of the things you learned about how the retail businesses operate because that's all very relevant commercial awareness that you wouldn't get from doing purely legal work!

 

[otw2atc]

Hi all

I’m in the very fortunate position of having secured my first vacation scheme at a dream firm which I’m so excited about.

A bit of background to me, I’m a career changer having spent the last few years working at a UK finance company in a variety of roles.

Initially my plan was to take two weeks of annual leave for the vacation and not say anything to my employer, however I dug out my contract yesterday and I found that it says:

18. Other Employment

You may not during Your employment without Your line manager's prior written consent, be in any way directly or indirectly engaged or concerned with any other business or employment. Such consent will not be unreasonably refused.

Now I guess I’m faced with a dilemma. I’ve never mentioned anything to my current employer about me wanting to make a career change and transition to law so this would be very much out of the blue. I also don’t want them to question my loyalty to the company and burn any bridges as I need to plan for a worst case scenario of not being successful at the vacation scheme. I don’t want to be in a position where I’m suddenly sidelined and then I find myself (in a worst case scenario) out of a job one day.

This is why I was initially not going to say anything and just take annual leave. I’d love any advice on what the best thing to do here is. I’m afraid that if I don’t say anything and then my company finds out e.g. through a LinkedIn tag/photo or some other means. Is this realistic? Would they have any way of actually finding out?

A part of me is thinking is it worth the risk? Would the law firm look at me differently if they knew I had misled my company by withholding this information? I’m really stuck at the moment and I would appreciate any advice, especially if you’ve been in a similar position to me. @Jessica Booker

Thanks!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thanks Jessica. Personally, my only problem is that my cv is predominantly retail (3/4 retail jobs) with tutoring, a consulting project, open days, an insight scheme and a research volunteer role.

I’m seeing if I can take on a casework volunteer role but the vast majority of applicants have this experience already- tutoring/ probono casework - so it’s nothing that stands out.

I am thinking of going unemployed to take on two different volunteering roles.

It’s difficult as I’m trying to push myself and increase my candidacy, but it’s a hard judgement call to make as to what to sacrifice.

Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this.

Instead, I would consider whether you could build up annual leave in your current role to do a short internship or volunteer role, whether paid or unpaid.

 

[GettingThereSomehow]

Any tips or has anyone done the Burges Salmon AC? 🙏
There's 4 tasks; WG, group exercise, written exercise and partner interview

Also how would an executive summary be structured? Is it a subheading itself? Is it necessary for written exercises? 🤔

 

[jta227]

Thanks for the advice…. I do feel torn between giving up working retail and taking on unpaid voluntary or unpaid internship roles… which would mean I have no income to survive but a good opportunity to pad out my cv

Theoretically you can use annual leave for short internships. But I agree with what everyone else has said in that the person posting on LinkedIn is objectively incorrect. Have heard personally from many extremely competitive firms that they value retail experience a lot.

 

[Gr33n]

Anyone done Reed AC?