TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[TheInevitableTCholder2024/25🙏]

Jones Day pfo, first of the season

same; you know its over when you see "your application..."

 

[TheInevitableTCholder2024/25🙏]

Spending days on applications to be rejected within a week is such nasty work man lol. I'd honestly prefer if some firm told people to not bother sometimes

 

[fingersarecrossed]

Anyone else hear anything from Sidley?

did u apply for the wvs?

 

[User5678]

Spending days on applications to be rejected within a week is such nasty work man lol. I'd honestly prefer if some firm told people to not bother sometimes

Haha relatable and sorry to hear about the result! Please may I ask when you applied, I’m still waiting to hear back

 

[The-PFO-Collector]

In response to your post...
Its nice when they reject you early, rather than leave you hanging on...
I applied to one firm on Friday, and I was rejected on Monday morning, last cycle..
But I soon forgot about it, so its actually nice of them...
You can now focus on something else.

 

[VMS]

Hey @VMS, thanks for your question! I would say that attending an open day before applying for a VS at a given firm would always be advantageous as it gives you a deeper opportunity to see the firm, its practices, culture, etc. The things you learn at an open day are items you could always mention on a VS application. However, it is not a prerequisite to an offer.

If you want to find more about GDC, there are a few events running in collaboration with Legal Cheek & Aspiring Solicitors which you could sign up for!

Thank you! I'll go with one of those events instead if it's sooner than the Open Day

 

[Amjaya]

Does Kirkland and Ellis do Open Days if so when do these open?

 

[far]

did u apply for the wvs?

Yeah 😔 haven’t heard anything yet though

 

[Jessica Booker]

Does anyone know if Ashurst take mitigating circumstances into account for the test. I am diagnosed with Autism so i know i would do terrible in the emotional intelligence part of the test, is this something worth bringing up to grad rec or would they just not care about this

You should be asking for a reasonable adjustment with the assessment. This will either be additional time or skipping part or all of the assessment.

 

[0livia.pope]

Is the NRF Artic Shores assessment automatic?

 

[Filia]

Hi @Filia

When writing cover letters, I think it’s generally a good rule to strike a balance between motivation and experience—both play a key role in explaining why you want to join the firm.

You could start by focusing on why you’re motivated to apply specifically to Curtis. In particular, highlight what draws you to the firm, such as their work in key sectors like energy or arbitration, their international presence, or their culture. Having briefly reviewed their profile on Chambers UK, Curtis seems to be particularly well-known for its investment treaty and commercial arbitration work. There might be other areas that stand out to you as well. Showing that you understand the firm’s unique capabilities and culture will help make your cover letter stand out.

I’d also recommend tying in your relevant experience. This will allow you to showcase how your background and skills align with the role of a trainee at Curtis. Highlight specific examples that demonstrate qualities the firm values—like strong analytical skills, experience working in smaller teams (given the small trainee intake), or exposure to international matters. The key is linking your experiences to why they make you a strong candidate for Curtis.

So, to answer your question: it’s both motivation and experience! Good luck with the application!

Thank you so much!! )

 

[zoobla20]

@Jessica Booker I've applied to a particular firm twice and this will be my third application. I have been to their previous open days (2023 and 2022) but now am wondering whether it's still advantageous to apply to an open day again this year from the POV of mentioning it in my application? Quite time restricted because I'm currently doing SQE 1. Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker I've applied to a particular firm twice and this will be my third application. I have been to their previous open days (2023 and 2022) but now am wondering whether it's still advantageous to apply to an open day again this year from the POV of mentioning it in my application? Quite time restricted because I'm currently doing SQE 1. Thank you!

I personally wouldn’t apply to an open day again if you have already done 1 or 2 with the firm already.

 

[Smart water 0403]

At DLA Piper, we believe great business can make a better world. We believe in being collaborative, bold, exceptional, and supportive. We are keen to hear what inspired your application. Why are you interested in starting a legal career at DLA Piper? (Max 200 words/1,500 Characters).
what is the best way to approach this ? is it worth explaining why i am interested in commercial law, or dedicate all 200 words to a specific sector/ practise group that interests me ?

 

[Andrei Radu]

At DLA Piper, we believe great business can make a better world. We believe in being collaborative, bold, exceptional, and supportive. We are keen to hear what inspired your application. Why are you interested in starting a legal career at DLA Piper? (Max 200 words/1,500 Characters).
what is the best way to approach this ? is it worth explaining why i am interested in commercial law, or dedicate all 200 words to a specific sector/ practise group that interests me ?

When I applied to DLA Piper last year, my answer solely focused on my motivations for 'Why the firm' and I ended up being invited for an AC. However, part of the reason why I followed this approach is that I had some previous work experience with one of the firm's foreign offices, which I wanted to discuss thoroughly. The natural reading of the firm's application question includes both a 'Why law' and a 'Why DLA Piper' element - thus, I'd advise you to try to answer both. Off the top of my head, there's two structures I think you could use:

• Option 1: Start by discussing how X past experience led you to conclude you are attracted by Y aspect of commercial law. Then, you go on to explain why DLA Piper is one of the best firms for that Y aspect which attracted you to this profession in the first place. This aspect could be anything from practice areas, clients, international work etc. If possible, I'd follow this approach, as you could end up with a nice narrative structure.
• Option 2: You divide your answer between two roughly 100-word paragraphs, one focused on 'Why law?' and one focused on 'Why DLA?'

 

[Andrei Radu]

Does Kirkland and Ellis do Open Days if so when do these open?

They have not announced any dates for open days this year, but last year K&E had an open day in November and opened the application on the 1st of October. I would expect similar dates this year, so I'd advise you to check their applications webpage again in early October.

 

[billyonthespeeddial]

Well, Ashurst's psychometric test was humbling

 

[User5678]

Well, Ashurst's psychometric test was humbling

I agree, I did not know what to think after I gave it yesterday😭

 

[Andrei Radu]

How much do graduate recruitment expect your answer to 'why commercial law' to be tailored to the specific firm? -i.e. do most candidates tend to reuse their answer across applications?

Unless the firm asks you to discuss 'why law' and 'why the firm' in the same question (eg 'Why do you want to begin a legal career at out firm?'), I don't think there will be any expectation for you to tailor it to the firm. Thus, I do not think it is necessary to find any direct links or connections between your 'why commercial law' reasons and your 'why the firm' motivations. I did not do it in the past application cycle and was still successful with applications to both top US and MC firms. I actually think it might be disadvantageous to attempt this, as it will take up significantly more of your time and will also lead you to try to shoehorn your 'why law' and 'why the firm' reasoning.

As such, I think that once you manage to write a high-quality answer to why commercial law, you can generally reuse it in other applications. That said, there are exceptions to this rule. I think the following are situations where you should be willing to modify your model 'why commercial law' answer:

• If your 'Why commercial law' answer would undermine your 'Why the firm' motivations. For instance, if you discuss your interest in highly-complex international litigation work as the origin for your interest in commercial law, this will not fit well when you are applying for a very transactional-focused firm.
• If the experiences you discuss as part of your 'why commercial law' answer would better fit your 'why the firm' answer. You want to avoid repetition in the application and in general it is more difficult to find experiences that have connections to the more particular features of a specific firm when compared to finding experiences with connections to the more general features of commercial law.
• Differences in word count limits: For instance, if your model why commercial law answer is 250 words, but the word count limit in a new application is 500 words, I do not think you should reuse it. Recruiters might expect you to fully use the available space and you should therefore expand on your previous answer.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Does Paul Weiss have current trainees?

No - Paul, Weiss has just launched its first UK training program this year.