TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

hey! i hope everyone is doing well here. for those who are about to give up my advice is to take a year off, focus on gaining some other experience and then come back to the race. It really helped me and I recommend taking a “gap year” after law school a lot.

other than that, to people who heard back from PW - did you apply to spring or summer scheme? simply wondering if they are maybe fast tracking the answers to the applications for the spring scheme
 

desperateTCseeker1998

Legendary Member
Gold Member
Premium Member
Jan 1, 2023
371
355
Paul, Weiss theory:

They may be looking for applicants who also have a good amount of legal experience too, kinda like a direct TC applicant would. Would you think considering its their first ever cohort, they would want students fresh out of uni with no experience? Just a thought I might be wrong
Well this was something I considered when applying… I have legal experience so might match up
 

iliaserr

Standard Member
  • Dec 16, 2024
    7
    17
    How long do they give you to do the WG? And do you know whether invites for the AC are based on your score alone or a combination of your app and score. Tysm!
    They said this in the email: The Watson Glaser assesses critical thinking skills and the results of this assessment will be used, in conjunction with your written application, to inform our decisions to progress candidates to the next stage of the process.
     
    • Love
    Reactions: yasmars

    Diana54

    Active Member
    Dec 31, 2024
    10
    7
    Waiting on my Latham rejection …
    Same. I went through the forum and from what I could see the last year the last AC invite that they gave was at the very beginning of February so I am pretty sure I will get a rejection. Really devastating as they were one of my top firms and I think my application was really strong
     

    sapphireoreos

    Distinguished Member
    Feb 20, 2023
    71
    107
    Is anyone still planning to apply to SH? Before I start properly writing out essay-style answers to the questions... They're rolling but say they don't fill out spaces until after the deadline so just wanna check if it will be worth it
    I am! I've got my application 1/3 written and plan to apply at the last week because I'm so slammed with uni work over the next two weeks
     

    Chris Brown

    Legendary Member
    Jul 4, 2024
    374
    681
    23
    I haven't heard back from P,W yet but this was my answer. I focused on linking each paragraph back to the client and what it means for them.

    Paul, Weiss’s full-service offering, underpinned by sponsor-side financial expertise, supports private equity clients from fund formation to IPO. Two-thirds of London lawyers specialise in private equity and debt finance, enabling Paul, Weiss to provide tailored, flexible financing strategies that balance stakeholder priorities. In TDR Capital’s acquisition of Acqua & Sapone, Paul, Weiss structured €400 million fixed-rate and €450 million floating-rate notes listed on the Euro MTF to attract institutional investors and secure competitive pricing alongside a €130 million revolving credit facility. This combination met the client’s unique needs by optimising the cost of capital and providing liquidity for funding the acquisition and post-transaction for strategic growth, exemplifying Paul, Weiss’s ability to deliver value-driven financing strategies.

    Coordinating advice across London, New York, and Brussels for General Atlantic’s Kyriba investment exemplified Paul, Weiss’s “one-firm” culture. The absence of billing targets eliminates internal competition, prioritising knowledge sharing and high-quality advice over billable hours. This enabled Paul, Weiss to reconcile US-UK tax frameworks and structure equity and financing arrangements that safeguarded General Atlantic’s minority investment and advanced Kyriba’s treasury technology leadership. Additionally, a capacity manager ensures efficient resource allocation, keeping critical activities like due diligence and financing coordination on track. AI tools like Harvey enhance this process by identifying red flags early and facilitating informed risk and deal viability assessments. This enables Paul Weiss to manage accelerated auction timelines, mitigate cross-border tax inefficiencies and deliver enhanced investor protections, all while securing strategic market positioning for clients.


    Expanding partnership by 54% with 16 strategic hires in 2024 exemplified Paul, Weiss’s ambitious growth trajectory. Recruiting former TDR General Counsel David Holdsworth, whose unique insight into sponsor priorities strengthens the firm’s ability to anticipate TDR-specific challenges, structure tailored financing, and drive long-term portfolio growth, reinforced Paul, Weiss’s position as a trusted adviser for transformative private equity investments.
    Seeing this has cemented my belief that I am officially cooked for Paul, Weiss. My answers are nowhere near as good as this. 🥲​
     

    Chris Brown

    Legendary Member
    Jul 4, 2024
    374
    681
    23
    Is anyone still planning to apply to SH? Before I start properly writing out essay-style answers to the questions... They're rolling but say they don't fill out spaces until after the deadline so just wanna check if it will be worth it
    I will most likely apply to SH as well. I will have to force myself to get through the amberjack test once more and hopefully I don’t mess up on it. 🥲​
     

    Jessica Booker

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Graduate Recruitment
    Premium Member
    Forum Team
    Aug 1, 2019
    14,988
    20,832
    Is there a way of muting words and phrases on here?
    You can choose to “ignore” accounts which is effectively blocking individual users, but there isn’t a way to block particular phrases or words.

    Is there anything you are looking to not see that you think we should be removing for everyone’s benefit? We are keen to get the balance of moderation of the forums right, but having received feedback that we both over and under moderate the forums, we are always keen to understand what our community may have concerns over but require our community to report such matters or raise things with the Community Assistant team.
     

    About Us

    The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

    Newsletter

    Discover the most relevant business news, access our law firm analysis, and receive our best advice for aspiring lawyers.