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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25
- Thread starter Jessica Booker
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They’re non rolling you won’t get a rejection unless you failed the WG. Reading firm websites are a useful tool.
Hey all! First time poster here but was looking for some advice and figured this would be the best place to start.
In summary, has anyone heard of or had any experiences with Bradstone Allington and specifically their paralegal training and work experience course?
Since graduating in July, I’ve been applying for paralegal roles. Having graduated with a high 2:1 from a very strong RG, I figured it would be rather straightforward. However, despite sending out probably 80 applications since then, I’ve not landed one interview. It’s becoming really disheartening as I’m spending a long time on each application, have had friends and family read over them, and I’m just not sure where I’m going wrong.
It’s gotten to the stage where I don’t only need the job to progress my career but to support myself. If I haven’t found one by the end of the year, I anticipate that I will need to get a job in retail or hospitality, which is what I desperately want to avoid.
I’ve now stumbled upon Bradstone Allington and their paralegal course. They offer a professional certification and a 12 week work experience placement, which I figure will be helpful with both paralegal and VS applications. The reviews mostly seem good too, but I am wary about the fact that it costs £2,000. I don’t want to immediately scream “scam” but paying for work experience seems a bit off. Having said that, I am aware how saturated the paralegal market is right now and perhaps things like this are needed to break through.
Any personal experiences or advice would be much appreciated!
In summary, has anyone heard of or had any experiences with Bradstone Allington and specifically their paralegal training and work experience course?
Since graduating in July, I’ve been applying for paralegal roles. Having graduated with a high 2:1 from a very strong RG, I figured it would be rather straightforward. However, despite sending out probably 80 applications since then, I’ve not landed one interview. It’s becoming really disheartening as I’m spending a long time on each application, have had friends and family read over them, and I’m just not sure where I’m going wrong.
It’s gotten to the stage where I don’t only need the job to progress my career but to support myself. If I haven’t found one by the end of the year, I anticipate that I will need to get a job in retail or hospitality, which is what I desperately want to avoid.
I’ve now stumbled upon Bradstone Allington and their paralegal course. They offer a professional certification and a 12 week work experience placement, which I figure will be helpful with both paralegal and VS applications. The reviews mostly seem good too, but I am wary about the fact that it costs £2,000. I don’t want to immediately scream “scam” but paying for work experience seems a bit off. Having said that, I am aware how saturated the paralegal market is right now and perhaps things like this are needed to break through.
Any personal experiences or advice would be much appreciated!
Hi @elsx
You're absolutely right that this question is a bit unusually phrased. Having answered this for the A&P application myself, I’d say the key is to demonstrate how you’ve worked with others in more of a leadership or coordinating role. You'll want to focus on where you took responsibility for their contributions and ensured the overall success of the situation or project.
You could draw on examples from either your professional or personal life, but what matters is that you highlight how you ensured others were supported, motivated, and successful in delivering what was needed for a task. For instance, did you have to influence, persuade, or guide others to contribute effectively to a task or project? Were you responsible for motivating or energising a team, or perhaps finding ways to incentivise them to achieve a shared goal?
The focus should be on your proactive efforts to lead, support, or encourage others and how your contributions ensured the success of the task at hand. Hope that helps, and best of luck with your application!
I would steer clear of work experiences/opportunities that you have to pay for. I've seen many people complain about these sort of companies online such as on Reddit
Hiya @bsh
It’s perfectly ok (actually, I’d say it’s a good idea) to mention a firm’s expertise in specific practice areas or sectors as a reason for wanting to attend their open day. When mentioning these, though, it's worth asking yourself a few questions. For example, if there is a particular practice area the firm is known for, why does that resonate with your experiences to date or your interests/career goals? Alternatively, what would you like to learn about how their lawyers approach certain sectors or complex challenges within those sectors?
If you know the open day will include activities like case studies or networking opportunities, it’s also fine to highlight these as things you’d like to experience. However, I’d suggest focusing on how these aspects will give you a deeper understanding of the firm. For instance, will engaging in a case study help you see how the firm’s lawyers collaborate to solve problems? How will networking with current trainees and associates give you better insight into the firm’s culture or the day-to-day realities of working there?
Overall, the key is to show how attending the open day will give you better insights and deepen your understanding.
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Hiya @Gimmeatcplease! Welcome to the forum!!!
I know entering the legal profession can be daunting, but I'd strongly advise AGAINST using services like those offered by Bradstone Allington. I learned about these schemes through @Jessica Booker who flagged concerns about similar companies, and there’s a detailed report on RollOnFriday that raised significant red flags about Bradstone in particular. These companies often charge substantial fees (in this case, £2,000) for unaccredited e-learning courses and unpaid work experience. You can find the article here for more context: RollOnFriday article link.
While it’s understandable to feel pressure to secure a paralegal role to progress your career, it’s worth exploring alternative pathways that can build valuable, transferrable skills for a legal career. Many trainees at various law firms, including myself, have come from varied professional backgrounds like teaching, government, compliance, and business development - none of these pre-law career paths require you to pay for work experience.
I completely understand how daunting this process can be, but you’re not alone, and there are many ways to strengthen your applications without resorting to costly (and in this case questionable) schemes. Please do reach out if you’d like advice on your applications. Wishing you the best of luck!
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Jessica Booker
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**Please avoid any of these companies - Bradstone Allington, Morgan Quays, Burlington Row, Hampton Cross - they are all connected in one way or another**
No one I know in the legal profession would value these qualifications via these companies. Same goes for their HR and Accountancy/Finance courses.
The courses are just basic e-learning courses that do not have any formal qualifications attached to them. You would be better off finding free e-learning content or if you wanted a formal qualification, finding a recognised educational institution that provides a formal qualification (this will say something like Level 3, Level 4, Level 5, Level 6 or Level 7). But even then you don't need formal qualifications to be a paralegal.
The major red flags of these companies are:
- They never provide any details of who their trainers are
- They never detail the employers they are placing people with
- Their employees on LinkedIn never have any connection to or experience within the industries these programmes sit within
- Many of their reviews are likely to be fake - its very easy to pay someone a couple of dollars to write a glowing review for a service they have never accessed.
Reddit and RollonFriday have been clear in how they feel about these companies:
EXCLUSIVE Company charges aspiring lawyers £1,995 for ‘paralegal training’
'I lost my time and my money'
I also looked into these companies earlier in the year and posted about them here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ns-discussion-thread-2023-24.8037/post-180166
They also like to threaten people like me who speak out about how ethical their companies are, often threatening we will be taken to court for defamation (when they clearly don't even know what defamation is). They are ridiculously unethical on a number of levels, including getting bots to flood Reddit forums with positive reviews or requests to ban Reddit forum users/remove content that speaks badly of them.
There is a reason everyone I know speaks so badly of them, and its because we think their business model is completely unethical.
Hiya @Aspiringsolicitor01
Don't be too worried just yet! It's unclear whether CMS review applications on a rolling basis or not. The FAQ section on their website currently states that they try to "process your application and move you through the stages as soon as possible. In certain instances, we will hold assessment days before the deadline." I also remember receiving my Watson Glaser and video interview well before the deadline last year. For now, I'd focus on drafting other strong applications that you can get out. Best of luck with your other applications!
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- Sep 7, 2024
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Hey @Audric_T , I’ve attached the link to the glossary of terms below. Have a lovely weekend!
100 Key Financial and Legal Terms
Hey all! In this thread, I’ve included a list of 100 terms I believe are essential to building that commercial awareness. I’ve made a 50/50 split, covering financial and legal terms. Feel free to add any more terms and definitions you feel are essential ! ;) 50 Financial Terms 1. Asset...
www.thecorporatelawacademy.com
When you have raised X amount of money for something and mention it on your application , would firms ask for proof of this/ what proof would they ask for?
I was going to mention an amount I raised as a proudest achievement question answer but am unsure of what kind of proof law firms usually ask for.
@Jessica Booker if you could provide any advice on this, it would be much appreciated!
I was going to mention an amount I raised as a proudest achievement question answer but am unsure of what kind of proof law firms usually ask for.
@Jessica Booker if you could provide any advice on this, it would be much appreciated!
Hiya @AGRACHEL
When mentioning any fundraising activities I participated in, law firms haven't typically asked me for proof of this. That said, it's important to ensure you can confidently and convincingly explain how your efforts contributed to the result you're mentioning (in this case, the amount you raised). Focus on highlighting your role, the challenges you faced, and the impact of your actions when answering any competence question where you are mentioning a sum of funds that you raised. Best of luck with your application!
Heya @tarty23
You can definitely mention the skills you’ve developed, but it’s not necessary to explicitly state that they’re “relevant to commercial law.” Instead, focus on describing what you did and how it helped you develop specific skills or knowledge.Rather than simply stating that you developed skills like “strong written communication” or “teamwork,” try to illustrate this by showing how your tasks or responsibilities helped you build the skills you're trying to highlight. For example, talk about the tasks you routinely handled (and briefly how you went about them), challenges you overcame, or any goals or targets you helped achieve. This approach allows the reader to see your skills in context.
Also paralegal training that is paid. That sounds pretty exploitative to me. No need to pay to work.
Do we have to attach a CV and cover letter to the Taylor Wessing vac scheme application or just answer the questions in the form? Apologies if this has been asked a thousand times already..
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