TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[yasmars]

hi everyone! i got my macfarlanes cappfinity report back - and my low scoring areas was analysis. obvs know it’s hard to draw any definitive conclusions, but do you think this means will likely result in pfo? can’t see myself progressing beyond test stage given how central a trait “analysis” is

I once emailed GR about a technical difficulty I faced during the online assessment, and they said they would never disregard an application due to a low test score, so I wouldn't worry!

 

[jta227]

Literally same. I was really surprised and somewhat disappointed. Tempted to email their Graduate Recruitment team and ask but I don't want to appear as if I'm on a high horse or anything D:

If you do can you let me know what they say? I would but I'd rather just focus on my other apps at this point haha

 

[Shermel F]

Hi,

I wondered how we should reflect our LPC results that are not graded or only have the grade "Competent"?

The application form says to put all my LPC results, but the answers allow either a grade percentage or a Distinction, Commendation, or Pass. However, certain modules are scored Competent/Not Competent.

How should I reflect the Competent? - [should I put the overall grade for the LPC, for example, Distinction, or just put Pass]?

 

[zq522]

When was your interview?

Last week!

 

[Shermel F]

Hi,

I wondered how we should reflect our LPC results that are not graded or only have the grade "Competent"?

The application form says to put all my LPC results, but the answers allow either a grade percentage or a Distinction, Commendation, or Pass. However, certain modules are scored Competent/Not Competent.

How should I reflect the Competent? - [should I put the overall grade, for example, Distinction, or just put Pass]?

 

[Amma Usman]

Hey all, for VI - when responding to the question 'Why our firm?' I struggle to provide a thorough breakdown of 3 arguments (as I would do in a written response). I think all 3 which I want to mention are important, but I run out of time when trying to provide evidence of research/explanation. In a written response, it's easier to cut down the words/redact and make them fit within the word count.

What structure would you recommend for that question? Should we focus on a number of reasons (if so, are 2 sufficient?)?

Hey @CarolineC , this is a good one. I was actually having a chat about this with one of my mentees a few minutes ago!

Personally, I would focus on less than 3 points. In answering why X firm, I usually focus heavily on one major point - the work. The reason I spend a lot of time on this is because with VIs, you have little time to go into detail on your motivations and would not want to be left in a situation where your marker wonders what more you had to say. On a side note, I also believe this is the most specific point of demonstrated interest a candidate can reference. Any practice areas that appeal and why? Focusing on one point, such as the work, is fine if you expand on it in great detail. For example, say you’re drawn to Kirkland for its strong trsanctional practice. Lots of firms have strong transactional practices, so you may want to touch on any intricacies of this practice that are seen at Kirkland more than at other firms. Is it their specialty on advising on both the buyer and lender side? Is it a particular deal? Now just as a mode of warning, mentioning deals also requires another level of high depth and a link of specificity to yourself, so consider if this time is available during your VI. However, if you can adequately show this, then it will elevate your answer.

There would also be some points which could be talked on in less words than, say, the work of the firm. In this case, you will be able to talk about two points strongly. For example, if you’ve properly discussed a practice area you like at Freshfields and why, but you are also drawn to the firm‘s unique training structure, then you could touch on why the 8-seat system appeals. Have you thrived in a similar environment? How do you know it’s for you?

I really sympathise with the feeling of wanting to talk about many points, especially when you know they are all really strong at their core. However, the quality and depth of your answers will be more favoured than high quality in some, but brevity in others.

Hope this helps, and I’m sure @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu and @Jessica Booker will have additional thoughts.

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi,

I wondered how we should reflect our LPC results that are not graded or only have the grade "Competent"?

The application form says to put all my LPC results, but the answers allow either a grade percentage or a Distinction, Commendation, or Pass. However, certain modules are scored Competent/Not Competent.

How should I reflect the Competent? - [should I put the overall grade, for example, Distinction, or just put Pass]?

Hey @Shermel Clarissa Francis , I have tagged @Jessica Booker here as I’m sure she’ll have more thoughts.

 

[Amma Usman]

Does anyone know if it is worth still applying for Trowers & Hamlins? I know they recruit on a rolling basis and it is quite late.

Hey @cleojwilliams , I have just checked and seen their deadline is not until the 6th of January. In my experience, you are still in a good place to apply now. Many firms receive the bulk of their applications in the last two weeks so now is a reaosnable time to submit.

 

[studentdelaw786]

can anyone applying to Davis Polk please confirm who we are addressing the cover letter to?

 

[Amma Usman]

I have no clue how to answer the 'why commercial law' question because my interest in the career is an accumulation of different experiences. For example, working with my parents on their legal immigration documents/ translating what the lawyers would say when we moved to the UK, as well as working with the family companies litigation cases that happened over the years/ hearing about them and the process which they decided to follow (based on the advice of the legal team). I feel like its not clear when I write it or seems uncertain. How would I best frame these to link to commercial law/ the work companies do?

Hey @Reem2024 ,

First of all, this is an excellent link. I will touch on how you could integrate the ‘why commercial law‘ part in more detail below.

Answering ’why commercial law’, sometimes, doesn’t have to include instances where your first exposure was to commercial law and commercial law alone. In fact, for most people, it’s a subsequent exposure to commercial law, after first being exposed to other areas, which made them know this is the true profession for them. For example, you could say you experienced immigration law and found that you liked the legal aspect of it, the X and Y aspect of it, and so on. Then, you could contrast with another experience that is more business-oriented (doesn’t have to be exactly commercial law!), and expand on how you enjoyed this side more. For me, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer regardless of specialisation. So, all that was left was to adequately explain why I liked the clientele approach from a commerce perspective.

I believe you could also link the cross-jurisdictional work of commercial law on an international scale with your language abilities. For me, I enjoyed learning Arabic and transliterating information to English. I wanted to continue with this by working at a global firm with a strong Middle East presence.

As you have also been exposed to litigation, you would have a strong point to reference whilst applying to disputes-focused firms. With litigation, you could highlight how you gained insight into conflict resolution and the importance of understanding a client’s business objectives when advising them. It’s also an excellent way to demonstrate that you’re familiar with the contentious side of law and how disputes can be resolved effectively (key skills for commercial law).

I could also link your experience to another practice area in commercial law firms, the private client practice, because your work with the family business cases likely gave you exposure to the overlap between personal and commercial legal issues. Many commercial firms have private client teams that handle matters for entrepreneurs, family-run businesses, and high-net-worth individuals. Your familiarity with these dynamics could be framed as understanding the legal landscape and also the human side of decision-making, which is critical in private client work.

The point I want to emphasise is that direct commercial experience is valuable, but not necessary. We have all been exposed to many practice areas at some point in our lives, it’s really just about digging those out when writing an application.

Best of luck, and I know you will do great! I’m sure @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu and @Jessica Booker will have more to say on this.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi,

I wondered how we should reflect our LPC results that are not graded or only have the grade "Competent"?

The application form says to put all my LPC results, but the answers allow either a grade percentage or a Distinction, Commendation, or Pass. However, certain modules are scored Competent/Not Competent.

How should I reflect the Competent? - [should I put the overall grade for the LPC, for example, Distinction, or just put Pass]?

You can just list it as a pass - the firm will be aware of the modules that only receive the competent grading and in this instance, a pass would be the best option to select.

 

[legal18]

Know someone that got a Weil VI

 

[Amma Usman]

can anyone applying to Davis Polk please confirm who we are addressing the cover letter to?

Hey @studentdelaw786 , I have tagged @Andrei Radu here as I’m sure he’ll have more thoughts on this.

 

[studentdelaw786]

Hey @studentdelaw786 , I have tagged @Andrei Radu here as I’m sure he’ll have more thoughts on this.

Thanks Amma!

 

[Annahubb]

Hey I just used the test platform the firm gives you access to and did all the questions multiple times haha

Hi! Sorry to ask but was the platform in the email they send the test in? Or do you access it from their website? I’ve looked on their website but struggling to find a practice test.

 

[BonanzaBih_]

Hi! Sorry to ask but was the platform in the email they send the test in? Or do you access it from their website? I’ve looked on their website but struggling to find a practice test.

I got the platform link in the email

 

[Andrei Radu]

can anyone applying to Davis Polk please confirm who we are addressing the cover letter to?

Last year I addressed my cover letter to Davis Polk's training principal. The firm's current UK recruitment partner is Aaron Ferner, so you could address it to him. However, I do not think there will be an issue if you choose to use a more common form of address such as "Dear Graduate Recruitment Team" - especially since the applications are likely to be reviewed by other team members.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hey all, for VI - when responding to the question 'Why our firm?' I struggle to provide a thorough breakdown of 3 arguments (as I would do in a written response). I think all 3 which I want to mention are important, but I run out of time when trying to provide evidence of research/explanation. In a written response, it's easier to cut down the words/redact and make them fit within the word count.

What structure would you recommend for that question? Should we focus on a number of reasons (if so, are 2 sufficient?)?

Hey @CarolineC just to add my thoughts to @Amma Usman's excellent response: I think you definitely can and in many cases should reduce the number of reasons you discuss - provided that the reasons that you do discuss, when taken into conjunction, suffice to the effect that they do not apply to any other firm to a greater extent. For instance, if say you are applying to Latham, I would say it does not suffice to only mention their PE strength as a reason for why the firm. This is because there are firms such a reason would apply to to an equal or even greater extent, such as Kirkland, Weil, and Simpson Thatcher. As such, you should have at least one additional reason for 'why Latham', such as their culture, global network of offices, and other London practice area strengths.

Now, I know it is quite difficult to fit in everything you want to say when explaining a 'Why firm' reason when you have a 1-2 minutes cap. However, I think with sufficient practice, it should definitely be doable to fit in at least two good reasons. However, for that purpose you may have to slightly reduce the depth of your explanation. I have recently written a post about how you can do this, I have quoted it bellow:

You can then also limit on the depth of explanation of each point. For instance, for a 'why the firm' point, say you would normally go on an elaborated narrative as to how your interest in a given practice area originated, how you went about exploring it, how you then realised what are its substantive features that differentiate it from other practices and also attract you, and then explain who the given firm is a market leader in the practice area and is better than its rivals. Now, considering the time constraints and other questions you have to address, you should instead simply state something like 'The main reason I am attracted to your firm is it's strong X practice area, which is demonstrated by their Chambers and Legal 500 recognition. I am attracted to it because of Y (state distinguishing feature in a few words), as illustrated by Z experience (state the basic subject matter of the experience in a few words)'. This way, you should be able to formulate your point in 15-20 seconds.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Any advice on how to answer why should we hire you as a trainee for a VI?

So the way I interpret this is as a normal 'Why you' question. As such, I would basically follow the same structure as in a written 'Why you' answer:

1. In the introduction, state that there are X number of reasons the firm should hire me.
2. State that Reason 1 is that you have Y relevant skill/attribute. Then explain which experience demonstrates this, using a STAR structure. Finally, explain why Y skill/attribute is actually relevant for a trainee's success.
3. Repeat step 2 for the other skills/attributes
4. In the last 10 seconds, summarize your points and state again that this recommends you for the role.

Now, some points to keep in mind besides this basic structure:

• This being a VI, you want to be very careful with the time limit. Consequently, avoid at all costs the temptation to overcommit in the introduction by stating something like 'I will provide you with 5 reasons' only to then find out you can only properly discuss 2/3. I advise you to experiment with different time limits when practicing beforehand to gauge how many relevant points you can actually discuss. If there is any doubt as you are starting the VI, err on the side of caution and commit yourself to less rather than more. If you find yourself having some extra time at the end, you can also add 'Besides these reasons, another final point that I think is worth mentioning is...'
• To try to set yourself apart from the crowd, you can make your job purposefully more difficult and interpret the question as something like 'Why should we hire you instead of the many other great candidates?'. To answer that, instead of just identifying skills/attributes that are relevant, you should (i) argue that the skills that you possess are particularly important for the job - more so than the many others that are merely relevant; and (ii) argue that you possess those skills at a particularly exceptional level when compared to many other talented candidates.

 

[studentdelaw786]

Last year I addressed my cover letter to Davis Polk's training principal. The firm's current UK recruitment partner is Aaron Ferner, so you could address it to him. However, I do not think there will be an issue if you choose to use a more common form of address such as "Dear Graduate Recruitment Team" - especially since the applications are likely to be reviewed by other team members.

Thank you Andrei. This is helpful advice.