TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Chris Brown]

Hi @Andrei Radu,

I hope you are keeping well. 🐐

Similar to one of the questions I had asked on the forum previously (for which you gave an amazing answer), how would you describe Willkie Farr & Gallagher in terms of its position in the City of London (apart from it being one of the leading transactions and disputes firms in London)? How would you describe the firm as a whole, taking into account its growth and strategic decisions over the past decade? 🙂

Also, who would you say are the firm’s closest competitors, looking at their key practice areas such as PE and Litigation, but also as a US firm in London more broadly? I believe you did a VS at Willkie and received a TC offer. Is there any advice or insight you could share in relation to the partner interview e.g., how to prepare for it and navigate the different elements? I am nervous as I haven’t actually ever spoken to partners before, not least partners of a leading US law firm in London. 🥲

Please help. 🥲​

 

[Andrei Radu]

Best US firms here for training? Applying to many US law firms. Is the intake a good guide? Less than 10 a bad sign? Thanks in advance for your help.

While sometimes a larger intake can signify a higher likelihood of a higher availability of formal training programmes and organized support structures, this is not always the case (with a firm like White & Case it definitely is, but at a firm like Kirkland a lot less); and furthermore it is definitely not indicative of overall training quality in my view. The risk that comes with a larger cohort size consists of each trainee getting less visibility and becoming more of a "cog in the system", which is exactly what many people who apply at US firms seek to avoid. As such, I would not say a trainee cohort size of under 10 is a bad sign. I would rather just infer that you will likely get a lot of visibility and responsibility (perhaps more than at some US firms with larger cohorts) and that you should also likely not expect much in organized support (perhaps somewhat less than at the US firms with larger cohorts). Whether that is good or bad will just come down to your preferences.

As for the questions about the best US firms for training, I can only comment based on the firms I have had the opportunity to interact with and research, so I will undoubtably miss a number of great ones. The ones I can say I have seen some quite positive reviews for are White & Case (although I have been told it is more similar to MC training than US training in many regards nowadays), Willkie and Davis Polk (who are examples of places with small cohorts but where the cultural elements I mention seem to be working well), and Latham (which I understand comes with a more hands on experience than a White & Case but less so than firms like Willkie and Davis Polk).

 

[Reem2024]

Everyone asking about links, they said that their last week of AC is next week

Hi @Reem2024 for the first question, I think you should focus on (i) explaining why you are interested in working both in the Middle East and London, as opposed to any other locations; and (ii) why you are particularly interested in Linklater's work and culture, as opposed to that of any other firm. You should also aim to connect your motivations to examples from your experiences which best illustrate them.

For the second question, I would advise you to take a look at TCLA's Linklaters Firm Profile, which goes into a lot more depth on the following points:

• Achieves great depth without sacrificing depth: Linklaters is arguably the most well-rounded firm in the Magic Circle, but this is not to the detriment of excellence in chosen areas - Linklaters has 25 London departments with a Band 1 Chambers ranking, more than any other firm.
• Energy transactions with a strength in renewables: constantly ranked number one in renewables and energy and projects work both in Europe and global league tables, Linklaters is thought to be the leader in the Magic Circle in this area.
• Multi-sector disputes expertise: The firm has great expertise in almost all fields of disputes, including corporate litigation and investigations, business crime, competition litigation, IP litigation, and ADR.
• Trend leader in capital markets: Linklaters has a particularly strong reputation for innovating in the debt capital markets space, having come up with a number of first of a kind bond offerings, particularly in the green finance space.
• Leading administrative and public law practice: alongside A&O Shearman, Linklaters is know to be a market leader in this area in the UK.

thank you so much!

 

[B101]

Does anyone know if Stephenson takes a healthy amount from their DTC?

 

[badmintonflyinginsect]

While sometimes a larger intake can signify a higher likelihood of a higher availability of formal training programmes and organized support structures, this is not always the case (with a firm like White & Case it definitely is, but at a firm like Kirkland a lot less); and furthermore it is definitely not indicative of overall training quality in my view. The risk that comes with a larger cohort size consists of each trainee getting less visibility and becoming more of a "cog in the system", which is exactly what many people who apply at US firms seek to avoid. As such, I would not say a trainee cohort size of under 10 is a bad sign. I would rather just infer that you will likely get a lot of visibility and responsibility (perhaps more than at some US firms with larger cohorts) and that you should also likely not expect much in organized support (perhaps somewhat less than at the US firms with larger cohorts). Whether that is good or bad will just come down to your preferences.

As for the questions about the best US firms for training, I can only comment based on the firms I have had the opportunity to interact with and research, so I will undoubtably miss a number of great ones. The ones I can say I have seen some quite positive reviews for are White & Case (although I have been told it is more similar to MC training than US training in many regards nowadays), Willkie and Davis Polk (who are examples of places with small cohorts but where the cultural elements I mention seem to be working well), and Latham (which I understand comes with a more hands on experience than a White & Case but less so than firms like Willkie and Davis Polk).

Hi Andrei, do you have any insight on the TC at Weil in comparison to firms like DPW?

 

[rehz]

Hi guys, just did my WBD assessment. Scores 7,6,7,7 any idea on how this score is for WBD?

 

[trainee4u]

Hi guys, just did my WBD assessment. Scores 7,6,7,7 any idea on how this score is for WBD?

this is an extremely high score.

 

[Chris Brown]

Does anyone know if Stephenson takes a healthy amount from their DTC?

From what I have seen on the TCLA forums, it seems like they recruit 50:50 from VS and DTC, but I’m unsure if that will change for this recruitment cycle. It might be worthwhile asking them via email tbh, just to get a solid answer. 🙂​

 

[Nine]

Case study interviews tend to differ significantly from firm to firm. Some require power points, while some do not but will give you an option to have one. Some will require the preparation of a report/brief on a number of reading materials, whereas others will not and will just start directly with a discussion. Finally, some will require producing a written material, whereas others will be assessed only in the interview itself.

To understand how to best prepare, I would advise you to try to get more information about the assessment format. Consider emailing the firm about it or potentially reaching out to some trainees. Furthermore, I would have a look on TCLA's Interview Database to see if there is any information from candidates who did the interview in previous years.

Hi Andrei, thanks for your reply — I’ve had a word with some trainees and they say it’s a verbal presentation so I’m assuming that I won’t have to write/draw a presentation. My email says that the AC will be 3 hours long with a case study interview and then a HR interview, however, the firm website says there’s a written exercise as well - do you think it’ll reflect badly on me if I email GR to clarify?

 

[legallady123]

6,4,7,6 excelled at verbal and mid numerical for WBD 🙃🙁

 

[BillSikes]

What is the deal with these SJTs? So often the answer options do not align with what the question is saying.

for the questions on the WBD SJT about the 0.5% of revenue and giving out bonuses - only 1 of the 4 options actually mentioned 0.5%. 2 of the options stated 5% and the other 1%. It just doesn't make sense.

 

[loe]

What is the deal with these SJTs? So often the answer options do not align with what the question is saying.

for the questions on the WBD SJT about the 0.5% of revenue and giving out bonuses - only 1 of the 4 options actually mentioned 0.5%. 2 of the options stated 5% and the other 1%. It just doesn't make sense.

genuinely that question might have had a typo.... there were errors in other parts of the test

 

[BillSikes]

genuinely that question might have had a typo.... there were errors in other parts of the test

Bro too many of the questions have typos for it to be a mistake. It's gotta be intentional.

 

[3000to1shoteverytime]

genuinely that question might have had a typo.... there were errors in other parts of the test

My 2 theories:

They timed your response to the one with the error in. How long did you take to end up guessing?

They were testing resilience and how well you performed after that question or did it throw you off kilter 😭🤣

 

[BillSikes]

8, 3, 7, 8 for WBD

3 for applied intellect ffs.

 

[BillSikes]

Anyone know how long we have to answer for Mishcon de Reya VI?

 

[trainee4u]

What is the deal with these SJTs? So often the answer options do not align with what the question is saying.

for the questions on the WBD SJT about the 0.5% of revenue and giving out bonuses - only 1 of the 4 options actually mentioned 0.5%. 2 of the options stated 5% and the other 1%. It just doesn't make sense.

The question said "we'd like to give bonuses if it doesn't cost more than 0.5% of revenue". subsequently, you need to calculate the cost of bonuses. For example if the cost was 5% of revenue, then the answer that read "we can't give bonuses, as it would cost 5% of revenue" is correct. the correct answer calculates the cost of the bonuses as a % of revenue, and then relates that to the question.

 

[legaldruid]

Keeping myself accountable:

Total applications submitted: 19
Total applications rejected: 9
Applications that passed the first stage: 2
Applications rejected at the second stage (SJT, WG, VI etc): 1
Applications that passed the second stage (SJT, WG, VI etc): 0
Waiting to hear back: 10

We keep pushing forward!

New update to keep myself accountable + hopefully this will give some motivation to my fellow international students:

Total applications submitted: 21
Total applications rejected: 19
Applications that passed the first (application) stage: 5
Applications rejected at the second stage (SJT, WG, VI etc): 3
Applications that passed the second stage (SJT, WG, VI etc): 1
Waiting to hear back: 1 (post AC)
Vacation Scheme offers: 1

Thoughts:

I'm done with this cycle now. It was a tough couple of months managing full-time work with these applications but it paid off. My best advice would be to keep researching and learning how to improve. There's always something that you can work on, be it writing applications, practicing for tests or preparing for interviews. This platform is perfect for advice and seeking help so make the most of it.

Besides that, don't put all your hopes into one category of firms like US for example. Try a different mix of categories (International, National, Regional etc) because you never know which category might appreciate your skills and talents. You've got something unique to offer and its on you to articulate it to best of your ability, but once you do, the firms will definitely respond positively. It might just be in a category that you did not expect!

And as always, just keep pushing forward despite setbacks. You just need one chance to prove yourself!

 

[missfuturetraineemaybe]

While sometimes a larger intake can signify a higher likelihood of a higher availability of formal training programmes and organized support structures, this is not always the case (with a firm like White & Case it definitely is, but at a firm like Kirkland a lot less); and furthermore it is definitely not indicative of overall training quality in my view. The risk that comes with a larger cohort size consists of each trainee getting less visibility and becoming more of a "cog in the system", which is exactly what many people who apply at US firms seek to avoid. As such, I would not say a trainee cohort size of under 10 is a bad sign. I would rather just infer that you will likely get a lot of visibility and responsibility (perhaps more than at some US firms with larger cohorts) and that you should also likely not expect much in organized support (perhaps somewhat less than at the US firms with larger cohorts). Whether that is good or bad will just come down to your preferences.

As for the questions about the best US firms for training, I can only comment based on the firms I have had the opportunity to interact with and research, so I will undoubtably miss a number of great ones. The ones I can say I have seen some quite positive reviews for are White & Case (although I have been told it is more similar to MC training than US training in many regards nowadays), Willkie and Davis Polk (who are examples of places with small cohorts but where the cultural elements I mention seem to be working well), and Latham (which I understand comes with a more hands on experience than a White & Case but less so than firms like Willkie and Davis Polk).

Could you please share where you think Gibson Dunn sits within this. What do you perceive their training structure to be like?

 

[STEM Student]

Hi Everyone,

I got an AC invite for NRF🦾 (I honestly dk how I was yapping throughout that interview)

I’ve never done an AC before. Was wondering if anyone has any general tips for prepping and anything specific for the NRF AC specifically.

Also how many people out of everyone who applies gets to the AC?