TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

Tintin06

Legendary Member
Oct 23, 2019
670
1,507
Idk, I don't have anything more than anecdotal evidence (I know two people who turned down S&C). Imo, if a candidate has multiple offers I don't really see them taking S&C; it's not really a top city firm. I'd be curious to know why you think they're awesome (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Not going to rehearse application answers. Still, lots to say about them, IMO. London PEP is very high in (£4.9m). Small intake in each trainee cohort. NQ salary is also high (£177k). It depends what's important to you. For me, NQ salary matters greatly. Their clients are pretty interesting too. Goldman Sachs being one of them. Each to his or her own.
 

Tintin06

Legendary Member
Oct 23, 2019
670
1,507
It’s also probably only that high because people look at these stats and then don’t apply.

I also think LegalCheek isn’t particularly reliable for these figures tbh. Lots of firms have said that they’re incorrect
With small firms, figures are volatile. One year's intake may hugely change. I wouldn't be put off, honestly. If you like them, apply there.
 

Zi48

Legendary Member
Gold Member
Premium Member
Feb 1, 2022
198
262
Does anyone know if ‘maximum two sides of A4’ refers to both the CV and cover letter together, or just the cover letter by itself? Only asking because writing a 2-page cover letter seems a bit long lol…

@Jessica Booker I don’t know if you have any thoughts on the way V&E has phrased this
I read it as just the cover letter, but I don’t think you have to fill the 2 pages (last year mine was about 1.5 pages and I got through to the VI)
 
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cjwx

Esteemed Member
Premium Member
Jan 31, 2024
88
93
Just got the email. Eversheds Sutherland PFO
I am sorry to hear that, it seems like they are letting people know as soon as the application is reviewed which I guess is better than leaving you hanging or prepping for a VI wasting your time. Can I ask when you submitted your application I know that they recruit on a rolling basis but they maybe reviewing applications based on the date they were sent.
 

Amma Usman

Legendary Member
Staff member
Future Trainee
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 7, 2024
605
532
Does anyone have any tips for training/preparing yourself for case study exercises? Also how far in advance do you start doing your prep - is it a weekly thing and I don’t have TCLA premium either. Thank you!

Hey there @Zaraa.x ,

Yes absolutely! This is a very good question and one in which I frequently had whilst applying too.

First of all, it’s worth distinguishing the type of firm you’re applying to into transactional or contentious-focused. The reason is because, from my experience, the transactional focused firms tend to centre their case studies towards corporate topics, whereas contentious firms may sway towards current affairs, or article-based discussions. Now, there are so many things that could make this not be the case, such as a firm swaying towards a different approach per cycle. However, more often times than not, this helped me narrow down which types of materials I needed to study for.

For corporate-based discussions, the typical issues will revolve around M&A case studies or PE. I have made a few practice case studies on these topics and I will link them, along with other sources from the team, to help. I also realised that I did not cover how to actually structure such case studies when presenting to an assessor. The same applies when you’re writing your responses too.

1. Salutations first, then summarise each point you’ll cover.

2. What the overarching case study idea is on. What parties? What deal and what does each party want to achieve? This should be a summary.

3. For M&A case studies, assess the risks and opportunities mentioned/ or which you could reasonably extract from the facts.

4. Ways to mitigate those risks. Due to time constraints, you may not be able to cover all points, so only focus on substantial areas.

5. If risks are really going to be an issue, should the deal even go ahead?


I remember once taking part in a case study. The party to be acquired hadn’t disclosed their full financial statements. This is a common question usually asked in corporate case studies and I’ve come across it multiple times. Firstly, more questions need to be asked to the target, prompting a release of these crucial documents. If refused, the deal certainly shouldn’t proceed.

Now, with article-based discussions, the same structural approach should apply. You may find that in the former, you will need to engage more with contemporary issues and how it relates to the subject matter or specifics of the article. That said, commercial awareness should flow well in any case study discussion.

Helpful links:





 

Amma Usman

Legendary Member
Staff member
Future Trainee
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 7, 2024
605
532

Amma Usman

Legendary Member
Staff member
Future Trainee
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 7, 2024
605
532
Hello, I was wondering if anyone knows any experiences of international students - Aka those that did their bachelor's abroad but are trying to secure a training contract in London. I am wondering, are people with outside bachelor's disadvantaged?

I know law firms group graduates in Oxbridge and Russel group etc, but I am not entirely sure about the international status. Does anyone have any input they could share?

Hey @LawAspirer ,

I know of many people who have completed international bachelors degrees, qualified in another jurisdiction, and subsequently gotten associate/trainee roles at international law firms in London. It is certainly possible, so I do not believe you are at a disadvantage.
 

Zaraa.x

Star Member
Oct 23, 2024
49
58
Hey there @Zaraa.x ,

Yes absolutely! This is a very good question and one in which I frequently had whilst applying too.

First of all, it’s worth distinguishing the type of firm you’re applying to into transactional or contentious-focused. The reason is because, from my experience, the transactional focused firms tend to centre their case studies towards corporate topics, whereas contentious firms may sway towards current affairs, or article-based discussions. Now, there are so many things that could make this not be the case, such as a firm swaying towards a different approach per cycle. However, more often times than not, this helped me narrow down which types of materials I needed to study for.

For corporate-based discussions, the typical issues will revolve around M&A case studies or PE. I have made a few practice case studies on these topics and I will link them, along with other sources from the team, to help. I also realised that I did not cover how to actually structure such case studies when presenting to an assessor. The same applies when you’re writing your responses too.

1. Salutations first, then summarise each point you’ll cover.

2. What the overarching case study idea is on. What parties? What deal and what does each party want to achieve? This should be a summary.

3. For M&A case studies, assess the risks and opportunities mentioned/ or which you could reasonably extract from the facts.

4. Ways to mitigate those risks. Due to time constraints, you may not be able to cover all points, so only focus on substantial areas.

5. If risks are really going to be an issue, should the deal even go ahead?


I remember once taking part in a case study. The party to be acquired hadn’t disclosed their full financial statements. This is a common question usually asked in corporate case studies and I’ve come across it multiple times. Firstly, more questions need to be asked to the target, prompting a release of these crucial documents. If refused, the deal certainly shouldn’t proceed.

Now, with article-based discussions, the same structural approach should apply. You may find that in the former, you will need to engage more with contemporary issues and how it relates to the subject matter or specifics of the article. That said, commercial awareness should flow well in any case study discussion.

Helpful links:





OMG thank you so much!! This is really helpful!!
 

Amma Usman

Legendary Member
Staff member
Future Trainee
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 7, 2024
605
532
Hi all, I have now completed a WVS at HL (it was my first ever VS). I'm not a career changer or anything, just a recent grad, so before this scheme I had limited legal work experience. I had therefore limited myself to applying to vacation schemes. Now that I have this, is it fair to think that I can also apply for direct TC opportunities? I'm thinking, for example, Stephenson Harwood. Or would firms like this still prefer a candidate like me to apply for the VS?

Hey @billyonthespeeddial , this is a great question. I usually recommend candidates applying to more vacation scheme’s than training contracts, for two main reasons. First, most law firms I know of usually take direct TC applications from people that have completed more than one VS. However, this policy differs between firms. Second, firms may recruit more from their VS’, than direct TCs. For more info on this, I‘v attached a thread HERE to help. That said, I also know of people that have not done any VS and succeeded on getting direct TCs.
 
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