TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[BobThebIlly]

After receiving my final rejection for this year’s VS cycle, I've quickly realised that I underestimated just how competitive it really is. I only applied to four firms (all extremely competitive) and assumed that my extensive experience with two of them would be enough to secure an AC invitation. Looking back, I see that this was a naive approach, but this was my first real taste of rejection at this level.

I would really appreciate any advice, especially from @Amma Usman , as your daily commercial updates have been incredibly helpful.

I want to make sure I prepare as effectively as possible for the next VS and TC cycle. Im currently in my penultimate year, so I’ll be entering my final year in September. My key questions are:

1. How should I balance my applications between vacation schemes and direct training contract applications? Ie should I split it between 10 VS applications and 10 TC or is it based on other factors?

2. Where can I find someone who can provide detailed, constructive feedback on my applications? I found that the person I previously relied on did not offer the most helpful insights.

3. How do I strategically select firms to apply to? I am still keen on the MC firms and US firms

4. For those who secured VS or TC offers after rejections in previous cycles, what changes did you make that had the biggest impact?

Any guidance would be massively appreciated!

 

[Gin]

Definitely a rumour. Firms set deadlines for a reason. As long as you apply before the deadline you will be fine. I am also looking to apply to SH by mid Feb.

Of course firms like BCLP, Bird & Bird and DLA Piper do take rolling recruitment more seriously but most ‘rolling’ firms will consider your application regardless of which date you applied. 🙂🙂

White & Case and Willkie are technically rolling but still review every application. I applied a week before their final deadline for both and I was fine. I would strongly recommend you still apply to SH if you like their firm! Best of luck! 🙂🙂

I see. Thanks a lot!!!

 

[miscocrossover]

I had an AC yesterday and they said all responses will be around mid-feb

great thanks!!

 

[miscocrossover]

I had an AC yesterday and they said all responses will be around mid-feb

Was your ac for spring ?

 

[Smart water 0403]

During a written assessment, if you are acting as a trainee and directly contacting a client, should you write using we or I- 'we have reviewed the documents' or 'I have reviewed the documents' for example?

 

[g.cl.2020344]

Hi @Amma Usman , I hope you are well! I've just received an invitation to attend Gibson Dunn's first-stage interview with Grad Rec and wondered if you could advise what to expect? I understood from your LinkedIn that you're a future trainee with the firm.

I would be very grateful for your advice!

Heya huge congrats! Out of interested when did you apply? And was this the stage after the initial app?

 

[AveragePoster]

Just received Freshfields WG invite for TC. The email says your test score, combined with your application, will form the basis of whether you are then invited through to the final AC stage. Does that mean I have 'only' passed the SJT, and that they have not read my application yet, they only will in conjunction with my WG test? Or they have read my form, then invited me to do the WG, and they will look at both again to decide ACs?

 

[Chris Brown]

Just received Freshfields WG invite for TC. The email says your test score, combined with your application, will form the basis of whether you are then invited through to the final AC stage. Does that mean I have 'only' passed the SJT, and that they have not read my application yet, they only will in conjunction with my WG test? Or they have read my form, then invited me to do the WG, and they will look at both again to decide ACs?

I think you passed the SJT and they have now read your application and invited you to take the WGT.

By test score, I think they are referring to the WGT test result and not the SJT. Best of luck for Freshfields TC!

 

[Gday33]

During a written assessment, if you are acting as a trainee and directly contacting a client, should you write using we or I- 'we have reviewed the documents' or 'I have reviewed the documents' for example?

I use ‘we’ in professional emails - you’re speaking for the firm after all 👍🏻 I only use ‘I’ when speaking to people I know more informally (who are usually other professionals, not clients)

 

[legallady123]

This really depends on the condition the individual has and what adjustments they may need - please feel free to PM me about this.

Not necessarily a stupid question but may need more context as to why you are asking it to help frame it to your interviewers.

Hi Jessica, I messaged you a few days ago and not sure if it has been missed. Just wanted to follow up 😊

Yes - you can PM me regarding this

 

[yeezyee]

when did u apply talented maestro

omg too kind ahaha and just last week 29th jan!

 

[Chris Brown]

After receiving my final rejection for this year’s VS cycle, I've quickly realised that I underestimated just how competitive it really is. I only applied to four firms (all extremely competitive) and assumed that my extensive experience with two of them would be enough to secure an AC invitation. Looking back, I see that this was a naive approach, but this was my first real taste of rejection at this level.

I would really appreciate any advice, especially from @Amma Usman , as your daily commercial updates have been incredibly helpful.

I want to make sure I prepare as effectively as possible for the next VS and TC cycle. Im currently in my penultimate year, so I’ll be entering my final year in September. My key questions are:

1. How should I balance my applications between vacation schemes and direct training contract applications? Ie should I split it between 10 VS applications and 10 TC or is it based on other factors?

2. Where can I find someone who can provide detailed, constructive feedback on my applications? I found that the person I previously relied on did not offer the most helpful insights.

3. How do I strategically select firms to apply to? I am still keen on the MC firms and US firms

4. For those who secured VS or TC offers after rejections in previous cycles, what changes did you make that had the biggest impact?

Any guidance would be massively appreciated!

I asked @Andrei Radu a question similar to the 4th one because I believe he also faced rejections in his very 1st cycle and then after making some changes he secured 4 VS and converted 3 into TC’s in his 2nd cycle!! I have quoted it below:

He did VS at Slaughter and May, Milbank, Willkie and Davis Polk (where he is now a future trainee), so similar experience in terms of applying to US/MC firms! This might also be good for the 3rd question!

Hi @Chris Brown and thanks a lot !

If I were to name the most important difference at a high level of generality, it was being significantly more organized and consistent with my efforts. Firstly, I started the cycle a lot earlier and took the time at the beginning to make a list of all the firms I was interested in, to note down their deadlines, and then to allocate timeslots for completing them in every week from September to February. Simultaneously, I began to attend lots of firm events (most of them online or organized by my university) and started investing at least 30 mins to one hour per day in improving my commercial awareness (mostly by listening to podcasts while commuting or running errands). This quickly improved my understanding of the world of business and the role of law firms, which led to me discovering a interests in M&A, restructuring, and capital markets. This enabled me to write significantly more persuasive 'Why law?' and 'Why the firm?' answers and was extremely helpful later on when I started doing ACs and interviews.

Secondly, in my second cycle I stopped trying to do everything on my own. I applied for and joined the careers mentorship scheme at my university and had the incredible luck to be allocated an amazing mentor. Getting thorough reviews on my drafts and redrafts of my first few applications was beyond helpful, as I understood for the first time what great application writing looked like and was then able to model all my subsequent work on that. At the same time, I constantly worked together with friends, and we would take a look and give our thoughts on the each others' applications. This was both great both for improving the quality of our writing and spotting mistakes and for making the entire process a lot more enjoyable.

Finally, in my second cycle I invested a lot more of my time in applications: taking everything into account (research, writing, commercial awareness, events, interviews etc) I think I used to spend between 30 and 40 hours per week on it. Together with the other factors I mentioned, this meant I could write a significantly higher number of high quality applications. This is the number one factor that drastically improved my AC progression rate, which is ultimately what enabled me to get VS and TC offers.

 

[BobThebIlly]

I asked @Andrei Radu a question similar to the 4th one because I believe he also faced rejections in his very 1st cycle and then after making some changes he secured 4 VS and converted 3 into TC’s in his 2nd cycle!! I have quoted it below:

He did VS at Slaughter and May, Milbank, Willkie and Davis Polk (where he is now a future trainee) so similar experience in terms of applying to US/MC firms!

Oh my god thank you so much for quoting this Chris Brown 🙏

 

[Looper88]

Heya huge congrats! Out of interested when did you apply? And was this the stage after the initial app?

Thank you! I applied around Dec 12th!

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

Just finished the Paul, Weiss test and I don’t know what to make of my results lmao.

I scored in the middle for applied verbal and very high for applied numerical (idk how that happened I'm awful at maths). 💀

My scores for the pillar things are as follows: grit (7/9), applied intellect (5/9), creative force (6/9) and digital mindset (6/9). As a %, I think it works out to be around 66-67%. 🥲

Has anyone scored similarly? 🥲

These are some of the best results I’ve seen for the pillars for the Paul Weiss SJT, wouldn’t worry too much

 

[AspiringSolicitor25]

Has anyone emailed Weil post-VI or knows when they usually invite people to AC?

Based on this forum last year, Weil sent AC invites around January 23rd. Not sure when they will send this year - but surely by end of Friday

 

[Chris Brown]

These are some of the best results I’ve seen for the pillars for the Paul Weiss SJT, wouldn’t worry too much

Hopefully man imma be honest that amberjack test was really difficult it took me 90 minutes to get through. I do hope they don’t account for time taken since they said it was designed to not take longer than 60. 😞

The numerical reasoning was really hard also I spent 15 minutes on one question. 😭

 

[James Wakefield]

Anyone got the Womble test? I thought it was automatic after the deadline?

 

[TCpleasex]

Anyone got the Womble test? I thought it was automatic after the deadline?

I’m still waiting as well. I’m sure they check the applications first to make sure everyone taking the test is eligible for what they’ve applied to. I could be wrong but I’m sure that’s what grad rec said on a webinar I was on with them. I don’t think it’s a if you get the test they’ve progressed you to the next round situation, I think it’s just that you’re eligible for that scheme you’ve applied to.

I’m assuming it might be some time until they send the tests out since they are looking through them all first.

 

[cwhite233]

I have an AC coming up. I was wondering what the best way is to answer a question about a news story that I have read and explain how it relates to the firm.
Also, how do people go about finding a suitable news story?

@Ram Sabaratnam @Amma Usman Do you have any advice on this?

To be honest I think the best approach here would be to be constantly following what's happening in the economy and macro-economic trends, which can best be connected to practice areas at commercial law firms. If you know what's going on and what's been going on / is relevant, you have a better list of options to choose from. If you haven't been following things as closely as you'd like, it might

After receiving my final rejection for this year’s VS cycle, I've quickly realised that I underestimated just how competitive it really is. I only applied to four firms (all extremely competitive) and assumed that my extensive experience with two of them would be enough to secure an AC invitation. Looking back, I see that this was a naive approach, but this was my first real taste of rejection at this level.

I would really appreciate any advice, especially from @Amma Usman , as your daily commercial updates have been incredibly helpful.

I want to make sure I prepare as effectively as possible for the next VS and TC cycle. Im currently in my penultimate year, so I’ll be entering my final year in September. My key questions are:

1. How should I balance my applications between vacation schemes and direct training contract applications? Ie should I split it between 10 VS applications and 10 TC or is it based on other factors?

2. Where can I find someone who can provide detailed, constructive feedback on my applications? I found that the person I previously relied on did not offer the most helpful insights.

3. How do I strategically select firms to apply to? I am still keen on the MC firms and US firms

4. For those who secured VS or TC offers after rejections in previous cycles, what changes did you make that had the biggest impact?

Any guidance would be massively appreciated!

Regarding question 4 and having reached final stage for VS and direct TCs (and having secured a VS last year at a US firm), I would say there are two big differences between the year I received no offers and did not make it to AC often vs the years I did:

1. Number of applications sent. It is important to maintain quality of applications, but unfortunately it took me talking to a trainee at a firm to realise that I was not doing myself a favour by submitting only around 5 applications a cycle. All you need is one yes, so the more you send out, the more you maximise your chances. This does not mean sending out generic apps but it is a lot easier to get your numbers up once you have done more apps as you can recycle certain wording (e.g. why commercial law) and you have a better idea of what works/vs what doesn't work. I work full time on M&A timelines and have managed to send 15 applications so far this cycle. If I can do it, so can you! Yes it's hard, but once you start getting past app stage more and more, this gives you momentum to keep going and keep pushing.
2. Understanding the business of the law firms I apply to and the business of their clients. This shows in commercial questions at app stage and in interview. Unfortunately one of the main ways I did this was through my job in private equity which I recognise isn't realistic for someone that may still be in their second year of university. What you can do however is reach out to trainees on Linkedin for coffee chats, attend networking events / open evenings and generally stay up to date on the commercial news, which will help you better connect what's happening in the real world with the business of those law firms and their clients. Understanding key concepts behind the work of a lot of City law firms (if that's who you're applying to!) such as private equity, leveraged buyouts and why leverage is used, funds, etc. This will show in interviews if it's authentic and make you stand out a lot vs. other candidates.

I hope this is helpful