TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Parsorandini]

When writing about 'why commercial law', my interest in law really was born when I was a child; my mother worked in a commercial law firm as a secretary and, as a single mum, she sometimes had to bring me into the office with her on weekends and I got to speak to the lawyers as a (approximately) 10 year old. Obviously this sounds really cliche and didn't exactly spark a deep commercial law interest in me - is it too cheesy to mention at the start of my answer (I wouldn't focus on it) even if it is 100% true?

 

[LawyerUpPal]

When writing about 'why commercial law', my interest in law really was born when I was a child; my mother worked in a commercial law firm as a secretary and, as a single mum, she sometimes had to bring me into the office with her on weekends and I got to speak to the lawyers as a (approximately) 10 year old. Obviously this sounds really cliche and didn't exactly spark a deep commercial law interest in me - is it too cheesy to mention at the start of my answer (I wouldn't focus on it) even if it is 100% true?

I wouldn't use this for this question in an application. The point of this question is to test whether you know what commercial law is and, more importantly, what a commercial lawyer does. This is, as you mention, a great opener for 'why law', but tangential for why commercial law which is more unique- a hybrid of business and law. I would dig deeper in your work/education experience. If you've done a vacation scheme, worked in any business plus your studies (if law) for eg. I have in the past, when asked at interview 'why law' given a wider answer. That is, I would say what attracted me to law generally especially if it is profound (like your example above) and then qualify my affinity for commercial law specifically.

 

[Jessica Booker]

When writing about 'why commercial law', my interest in law really was born when I was a child; my mother worked in a commercial law firm as a secretary and, as a single mum, she sometimes had to bring me into the office with her on weekends and I got to speak to the lawyers as a (approximately) 10 year old. Obviously this sounds really cliche and didn't exactly spark a deep commercial law interest in me - is it too cheesy to mention at the start of my answer (I wouldn't focus on it) even if it is 100% true?

If you do include this, it can just be a very brief reference to your initial interest stemming from your mum's work. I don't think it needs to be any more than that though, as you have to focus on why you are motivated to do the job now rather than why you would have been motivated back then.

 

[Parsorandini]

I wouldn't use this for this question in an application. The point of this question is to test whether you know what commercial law is and, more importantly, what a commercial lawyer does. This is, as you mention, a great opener for 'why law', but tangential for why commercial law which is more unique- a hybrid of business and law. I would dig deeper in your work/education experience. If you've done a vacation scheme, worked in any business plus your studies (if law) for eg. I have in the past, when asked at interview 'why law' given a wider answer. That is, I would say what attracted me to law generally especially if it is profound (like your example above) and then qualify my affinity for commercial law specifically.

That makes a lot of sense, thanks! Do you think it could work as an opener in a cover letter that the firm states should include 'why law' or should only be used as the answer for an interview question?

If you do include this, it can just be a very brief reference to your initial interest stemming from your mum's work. I don't think it needs to be any more than that though, as you have to focus on why you are motivated to do the job now rather than why you would have been motivated back then.

Thanks Jessica, that's exactly what I thought too. I would only ever use it as a neat beginning to my journey of becoming committed to the career.

 

[Jessica Booker]

That makes a lot of sense, thanks! Do you think it could work as an opener in a cover letter that the firm states should include 'why law' or should only be used as the answer for an interview question?

Thanks Jessica, that's exactly what I thought too. I would only ever use it as a neat beginning to my journey of becoming committed to the career.

It can work as an intro (I have seen it work) but I have also seen it not work very well at the same time. Sometimes it can come across as you are just following your parent into the profession rather than truly wanting the career - that will really depend on how you talk about your motivations for the career though.

 

[LawyerUpPal]

That makes a lot of sense, thanks! Do you think it could work as an opener in a cover letter that the firm states should include 'why law' or should only be used as the answer for an interview question?

Thanks Jessica, that's exactly what I thought too. I would only ever use it as a neat beginning to my journey of becoming committed to the career.

I would say use your intuition. The word count on most of these application questions/CLs is intentionally very low, so you have to immediately get to the point and only write relevant things. Always ask yourself, 'Does this convey to Grad Rec why, among other things, I'm sure I want to be a commercial lawyer and make me stand out from the hundreds of other applicants?'. I haven't personally applied to a single firm that asks that question, especially on the application; it's usually some variation of why commercial law, why you want to be a commercial lawyer, why you wish to work in the city, etc. I'm sure some firms might use why law on their app, in which case you can mention your very personal connection in the opening.

In a CL, if asked why law, you can, as Jessica said, mention it briefly (maybe in two sentences) and then move on to why commercial law. The only firm that asked that open question at interview was Stephenson Harwood. I took the risk and said something personal about my interest in law, generally, before adding why commercial law specifically. I could tell from her reactions that the interviewer loved it. Moreover, I got the VS, and in the feedback, I scored 19/20 points in that part of the interview.

 

[TCLAW]

Does anyone have an idea whether the following firms allow you to apply twice in 1 cycle I.e both Vac and TC

Gibson Dunn, Mayer Brown, Paul Hastings

I have looked everywhere however cannot find any information about this.

Other than Gibson Dunn stating in its FAQs “to secure a training signing contract you should first apply for our vacation scheme” - ‘first’ suggesting applying to a Tc subsequently is allowed, but this is not conclusive

Thanks

 

[thelawstudent2000]

Praying for good news this week !!

 

[elsx]

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!

Hi thanks @Ram Sabaratnam
You definitely clarified this! However, I am now wondering how I could differentiate this question from the one specifically about teamwork...

 

[user9809]

Has anyone heard back from Gibson Dunn about the open day?

 

[stargazed]

Passed the CC WG!!

 

[AS24]

I would prioritise presenting as much varied evidence first, showcasing the outcomes/success from these activities. If you explain what you did and show the success, 9 times out of 10, the skills will be obvious.

For instance, you don’t need to say you have developed your teamworking skills if you evidence working in teams, if you talk about balancing multiple commitments, you don’t need to claim time management skills.

Thank you @Jessica Booker

 

[s9111]

Has anyone that did their Dechert written exercise on 15th Oct (or later) heard back in the past week or two?

 

[B2025]

For Gowling Q1 which is - Using the three pieces of work experience you have included above, please outline the skills these have enabled you to develop, that are transferable to the role of a Trainee Solicitor. (500 words). Want to know how did people approach this question as to whether it is okay to discuss 3 skills one skill from each experiences. Or is it better to and I should approach it as mentioning multiple skills and discussing like attention to detail from 2 experiences. Also how would you approach this question @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman

 

[g.cl.2020344]

Has anyone that did their Dechert written exercise on 15th Oct (or later) heard back in the past week or two?

Nope! I did mine 15th oct. I emailed them last week and they said they were still marking assessments

 

[gazdgazd11]

Taylor Wessing PFO one hour after submitting online tests. It was for spring VS.

I'm sorry to hear. I completed the test on 5/11/24 and haven't heard back... that's odd

 

[yasmars]

I'm sorry to hear. I completed the test on 5/11/24 and haven't heard back... that's odd

You’ve probably passed it

 

[gazdgazd11]

anyone still haven't been sent VI invitiation for DLA post passing the test?

 

[Andrei Radu]

For Gowling Q1 which is - Using the three pieces of work experience you have included above, please outline the skills these have enabled you to develop, that are transferable to the role of a Trainee Solicitor. (500 words). Want to know how did people approach this question as to whether it is okay to discuss 3 skills one skill from each experiences. Or is it better to and I should approach it as mentioning multiple skills and discussing like attention to detail from 2 experiences. Also how would you approach this question @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman

There is no right or wrong answer as to the ideal approach for this type of question, as it highly depends on the nature of your work experiences. However, I think in the majority of circumstances it is better to discuss 3 different skills rather than only 1 skill illustrated by a number of experiences.

Firstly, because there numerous skills that are necessary to succeed as a trainee, and you want to seem like a well-rounded candidate for the role. Secondly, because there is a limit to the value-add of further demonstrating or emphasizing the extent of one specific skill you gained. Say you have already used 150 words to explain how you have great attention to detail and referenced an experience where you were responsible for document review. If you then choose to add another 150 words to also explain how you also showed this aptitude when doing due diligence tasks in another job, does this really add a lot of valuable information which improves your candidate profile? I do not think the second paragraph adds a lot of value, especially in comparison to the value add of discussing a more varied skill set.

Finally, as to how to generally approach this question, I really cannot put it any better than @Ram Sabaratnam has in this quoted post:

Heya @V2002

I think @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman and @Jessica Booker would definitely have more to say here. But thought I'd add my two cents here. I think using the STAR method is a great idea for structuring your response. It can provide your answer with clarity and organisation, making it easier for the reader to follow how each experience helped you develop relevant skills.

That said, the key here isn’t just structure. It’s about depth and reflection. A common pitfall I see when applicants approach these questions is that they describe their skills in overly generic terms, like “This experience helped me develop my written communication skills” or “This experience improved my teamwork abilities.” These descriptions are a bit generic, and don’t offer enough detail or insight into how the experience shaped these skills.

For example, if you’re discussing written communication skills, try to be more specific. Did your role involve a variety of writing tasks that taught you how to adjust your tone and style for different audiences? Did you learn to organise information clearly and concisely for a professional document or email? By showing this level of reflection, you demonstrate not just the skill itself but also your awareness of its nuances.

Another example would be when describing your 'research skills'. Did you learn how to assess the credibility of different sources or distil key insights for a specific audience? Did you develop techniques to manage large volumes of information effectively? Highlighting these specifics will make your examples stand out and show how the experience you're discussing has prepared you for the responsibilities of a trainee solicitor.

Ultimately, this question is asking you to showcase how these experiences helped you grow, not just stating the skills themselves. Using the STAR method will help structure your answer, but again use some reflection to answer this question with appropriate depth. Best of luck with your applications!

 

[B2025]

There is no right or wrong answer as to the ideal approach for this type of question, as it highly depends on the nature of your work experiences. However, I think in the majority of circumstances it is better to discuss 3 different skills rather than only 1 skill illustrated by a number of experiences.

Firstly, because there numerous skills that are necessary to succeed as a trainee, and you want to seem like a well-rounded candidate for the role. Secondly, because there is a limit to the value-add of further demonstrating or emphasizing the extent of one specific skill you gained. Say you have already used 150 words to explain how you have great attention to detail and referenced an experience where you were responsible for document review. If you then choose to add another 150 words to also explain how you also showed this aptitude when doing due diligence tasks in another job, does this really add a lot of valuable information which improves your candidate profile? I do not think the second paragraph adds a lot of value, especially in comparison to the value add of discussing a more varied skill set.

Finally, as to how to generally approach this question, I really cannot put it any better than @Ram Sabaratnam has in this quoted post:

This is really helpful and yes I agree with you as there is no right approach to this question. I was just worried that if I used a certain approach it might not answer the question correctly. But it is good to hear that there is no wrong way to answer this question.