TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Jessica Booker]

For Squire Patton Boggs, the first question says “why you are motivated to pursue a career in a commercial law firm, in particular Squire Patton Boggs” but the second question says “Which of our practice areas are you most interested in, what has influenced your interest in this area” (both 200 words).

One of my reasons for why the firm is their work, but should I steer away from that and use other reasons so that my answers don’t overlap? I’m worried that will make my first answer a little vaguer and not tailored enough to the firm if I only discuss things like their initiatives. Any help is appreciated!

@Amma Usman @Andrei Radu @Jessica Booker

From the SPB applications I have seen, it is best to avoid the repetition and just focus on other aspects of the firm's opportunities outside of practice areas. This can include things like sector expertise, the structure of their training contract/trainee supervision, cultural aspects of the firm, or things like their approach to CSR/pro-bono/client relationships etc. I think you can often still find things that are very SPB specific for these and then focus on the practice areas in the other question, especially as you also have to cover "why commercial law" in this question too, which means you don't have a lot of word count to dedicate to these other factors.

 

[theruleofno]

Has anyone got any insight into Kirkland assessment centre? Please pm me. Thanks

Spring or Summer?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker, @Andrei Radu, @Amma Usman

I am applying to Paul Weiss and for the first question that asks "As a premier law firm, how do you think Paul, Weiss maintains its competitive advantage?", do you think I should focus just on the work of the London office or would it be good to include some of the work they do internationally and particularly in the US?

I think you can discuss the firm more broadly but I would encourage anyone to tailor it more to the London office where appropriately. For instance, you might identify a theme that is a strategy the firm takes across its network, but then find an example of how they deliver that specifically within London.

 

[Mug Fan]

If anyone has insight into the Reed Smith VI and test, please can you message me.

Happy to share insights in to Goodwin VI, Willkie VI, Weil VI, Baker McKenzie VI and AC, CMS AC, Jones Day AC, Linklater’s AC and NRF AC

I did it, but I can’t remember it that well now! It was hard though. Goodwin’s was definitely more straight forward. Let me rack brains or see if I wrote notes.

 

[kokoprep]

sidley austin replied they will get back to everyone by march end

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman I was wondering if you have any hints and tips for a written exercise that entails writing an article. Thank you!

I would first of all consider who the audience is - this is going to be the most important aspect of knowing how to tailor what your write. Thinking about what they might already know or what they might be concerned about will often allow you to prioritise what you present.

I would also ensure you are putting your analysis into the article rather than just lots of citations of other people's thinking.

You may want to look at how the firm themselves have written business development articles on their website to see how they like to present something. For instance, this example would be good if your exercise was with Norton Rose Fulbright: https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com...ations/4548112a/the-esg-advertising-conundrum

 

[NCTC2025]

sidley austin replied they will get back to everyone by march end

wow far out!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Does anyone just have general links for mock written exercises? Would really appreciate it!!

There is a great mock scenario and then a walk through here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....firm-case-studies-monday-article-series.3232/

If it is more of a written case study format, you could attempt our old written case studies. Unfortunately we no longer provide feedback on these, but they can be a useful practice assessment to at least try/attempt:

• https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ies-interviews-and-vacation-scheme-resources/
• https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/...+Case+Study+1+-+The+Corporate+Law+Academy.pdf
• https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/...+Case+Study+2+-+The+Corporate+Law+Academy.pdf

If you want feedback on a written exercise, we offer some mock exercises here and can provide you with more guidance on which exercise might be the most appropriate for you if you are preparing for a particular firm:

Written Exercise Archives | The Corporate Law Academy

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

Gold members can use their usual discount code for mock interviews on these written exercises too.

 

[Mug Fan]

Yes me too, this would be really useful and I feel there is a serious lack of widely-available material online!

Me three! Replying to get thread updates.

 

[g.cl.2020344]

at the end of the VI for forsters they said we will hear within a. month of the deadline- does this mean a month from the vac scheme app deadline so 6th feb or a month after the VI deadline so 20th feb?

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi @Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman I was wondering if you have any hints and tips for a written exercise that entails writing an article. Thank you!

Hey @marisachr ,

I have never actually come across a written exercise that entails writing an article - most I‘ve seen involve writing an email or memo, in response to an article. However, I’ve come up with some general tips to help. These are more structure and formatting related, as they really do make all the difference.

First of all, ask yourself before writing… what is the question asking me to do? What is the broad focus of the article I am about to write? What are any specific elements I need to cover and do I (1) just weave them in because they don’t require much depth in the first place to make a strong point, or (2) do I have to expand in some more detail? This will help you focus on what is really important in the discussion.

Another thing is that articles have different structures to emails, memos, essays, and so on. This makes it very important for you to adhere to the formalities of this unique writing style. I have linked a good source here - https://medium.com/@nathanurmston/h...red-article-a-step-by-step-guide-f903f0a54906. However, feel free to go beyond this source based on the specific type of article you‘ve been asked to cover/info from the firm itself.

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi @Jessica Booker, @Andrei Radu, @Amma Usman

I am applying to Paul Weiss and for the first question that asks "As a premier law firm, how do you think Paul, Weiss maintains its competitive advantage?", do you think I should focus just on the work of the London office or would it be good to include some of the work they do internationally and particularly in the US?

Hey @pleasepleaseplease ,

Yes, you can definitely go beyond the London office, but I still recommend touching on it in detail. This is because I presume the firm would want to know you are drawn to the office you’re applying to specifically.

Before answering questions like this, I usually made a map of the firm’s competitors as this helps narrow things down. In order to know how a firm maintains its competitive advantage, you need to first of all know its main competitors.

In terms of how a firm actually maintains its competitive advantage, I found it useful comparing its stance in the market (practice area-wise, for example) with those of other firms in the same band as it. Then, I subsequently researched those other firms too to see if the firm I was applying to had a unique offering that made it stand out, such as a niche offering within a practice area that other firms in the market may not be particularly engaged in. Just to flag here, there is no need to actually mention the firm’s competitors in answers, as one would run the risk of indirectly negatively touching on other firms. I had made a thread on this once, regarding how to identify a law firm‘s competitors, which I’ve linked here - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/guide-to-identifying-a-law-firm’s-competitors.9422/

Hope this helps, and best of luck with the apps!

 

[elsx]

hey if anyone has done reed smith VI please message me

Hi, I did it a few weeks ago so I don't have very strong memories but from what I remember you had to be quite concise because they asked you one question with a few sub questions each time (if I am wrong anyone can correct me).

 

[yeezyee]

baker summer sjt!

 

[tea]

are ac invites usually given with 2 days notice? it would be nice to know a bit in advance!

 

[pepsicola96]

bakers test invite for summer!

 

[g.cl.2020344]

are ac invites usually given with 2 days notice?

I have one tomorrow and uni exams the two days after, it would be nice to know a bit in advance!

Wow that’s crazy which firm was this for! Normally I’ve had about 10 days!

 

[rwm]

RPC AC!

 

[EA95]

Baker Mckenzie PFO and also Discover Linklaters event PFO, all whilst I was attending an open day at another firm 😭

 

[lawyersum]

guys am i cooked if i mentioned one sentence about an international secondment opportunity to a certain office in a 'why this firm' question. I did still manage to mention two other points about the firm and my interaction with the London office.