TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[tarty23]

Is silence from Mishcon a PFO then

 

[lawgal1908]

Can I assume that not getting a call on the day of or after DLA AC means a PFO?

 

[hfbjsdhfbhf]

Has anyone not heard back post ac for fieldfisher yet? (das)

 

[Amma Usman]

haha why is this?

Taking a sip of water during an interview can be beneficial as it provides a natural pause, allowing you a moment to gather your thoughts before responding to a question. This brief pause can help ensure that your answers are well-structured and articulate. However, I believe that if done too frequently, it may unintentionally signal nervousness.

 

[User5678]

Got a great email:
Subject: Deadline Approaching
from: [email protected]

Hi Trainee4u,

We are pleased to see you have started your application with us for the Vacation Scheme 2025. We wanted to send a reminder that the deadline is the 28th February. We wish you all the best in your application.
Best wishes,

Graduate Recruitment Team

No indication of who it is from, lol.

Bro I got the same email this morning and I’m as confused as you! Let me know if you figure out😂

 

[ashwright]

Is silence from Mishcon a PFO then

hopefully not.. i haven't heard back yet either but fingers crossed we get a positive response soon 🙂🍀

 

[Chris Brown]

Bro I got the same email this morning and I’m as confused as you! Let me know if you figure out😂

The only firms that I know of that have a deadline of 28th Feb for VS are RWK Goodman and Stephenson Harwood, is it either of those? 😂​

 

[badmintonflyinginsect]

Taking a sip of water during an interview can be beneficial as it provides a natural pause, allowing you a moment to gather your thoughts before responding to a question. This brief pause can help ensure that your answers are well-structured and articulate. However, I believe that if done too frequently, it may unintentionally signal nervousness.

oh i thought it's okay since it's one hour of just speaking? i took 4-5 sips of water (not bcs of nervousness/to take a break, i just needed it to continue talking lol) in my interview!

 

[AlegalA]

I had their AC for their London office last Thursday and they said their last AC's are being held next week. So if you don't hear back soon it might be a PFO (although I am of course not 100% sure).

Mmh yeah that's kinda what I figured unfortunately. It's frustrating because I genuinely feel that my app was one of my best as it was one of my top firms, and I've gotten to second stages with weaker apps this cycle imo so I'm not sure what more I could've done. Also frustrating that I've heard nothing since applying, not even a "thank you for applying we'll get back to you as soon as we can" when the deadline closed, but it is what it is.

Best of luck to you!! Thank you for replying, and I hope you get the VS!!

 

[trainee4u]

Bro I got the same email this morning and I’m as confused as you! Let me know if you figure out😂

I believe it's RWK Goodman.

Reasons:
1. I previously received an email from them which read

"Thank you for registering with the A Law Firm LLP Online Application. To log into your application at any time, visit https://ALawFirm.grad.allhires.com/ and enter your credentials. From here you can preview your full application and make modifications before finally submitting the application. We recommend you add [email protected] and [email protected] to your safe senders list to ensure you receive our emails.

Regards

Graduate Recruitment
A Law Firm LLP"

2. I have other active Allhires applications that are due on 28 February, but they seem to be called Training Contract, not Vacation Scheme

 

[YS391]

Mmh yeah that's kinda what I figured unfortunately. It's frustrating because I genuinely feel that my app was one of my best as it was one of my top firms, and I've gotten to second stages with weaker apps this cycle imo so I'm not sure what more I could've done. Also frustrating that I've heard nothing since applying, not even a "thank you for applying we'll get back to you as soon as we can" when the deadline closed, but it is what it is.

Best of luck to you!! Thank you for replying, and I hope you get the VS!!

Sorry to hear that. Honestly, that's been my experience for other firms too where I've written very strong apps and not gotten through.

Thank you and good luck to you too!

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi, are there any resources which goes over competition law and CMA in detail on the forum or elsewhere?

Hey,

This is a really good question. I just wrapped up a module on it last semester which was really interesting.

When applying to law firms, competition law often comes up in case studies. One of the key issues is whether a deal can go through without violating competition rules. If a company is too dominant in the market or if an agreement between businesses reduces competition, regulators might step in to stop the deal.

Competition law in the UK and the EU is designed to make sure businesses compete fairly so that consumers get better prices, more choices, and high-quality products. Without these rules, big companies could take over entire markets, push smaller businesses out, and charge higher prices without any real competition.

There are two main areas where companies can break competition law. The first is anticompetitive agreements. This is when businesses make deals that reduce competition, like fixing prices or agreeing not to compete with each other. In the UK, this is covered by Chapter I of the Competition Act 1998, and in the EU, it falls under Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

The second is abuse of a dominant position. A company that is much stronger than its competitors has to be careful not to use that power unfairly. For example, it cannot force customers to buy only from them or sell at a loss just to drive competitors out of business. This is covered by Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998 in the UK and Article 102 of the TFEU in the EU.

When companies try to merge, regulators (like the CMA or EC) check whether the new business would become too powerful and reduce competition. If that happens, they might block the deal or ask the companies to change it to protect consumers. This is why competition law is a big part of M&A case studies in law firm applications.

 

[User5678]

The only firms that I know of that have a deadline of 28th Feb for VS are RWK Goodman and Stephenson Harwood, is it either of those or nah? 😂​

Can be both hahahaha I have an app started for both😭 but as @trainee4u confirmed it’s RWK😂

 

[lawgal1908]

Does anyone who has gotten DLA Summer Internship this year have any info on when they relayed information for acceptance/rejection?

 

[Amma Usman]

oh i thought it's okay since it's one hour of just speaking? i took 4-5 sips of water (not bcs of nervousness/to take a break, i just needed it to continue talking lol) in my interview!

Yep, that’s totally normal and fine! I would not worry about it too much.

 

[Chris Brown]

Hey,

This is a really good question. I just wrapped up a module on it last semester which was really interesting.

When applying to law firms, competition law often comes up in case studies. One of the key issues is whether a deal can go through without violating competition rules. If a company is too dominant in the market or if an agreement between businesses reduces competition, regulators might step in to stop the deal.

Competition law in the UK and the EU is designed to make sure businesses compete fairly so that consumers get better prices, more choices, and high-quality products. Without these rules, big companies could take over entire markets, push smaller businesses out, and charge higher prices without any real competition.

There are two main areas where companies can break competition law. The first is anticompetitive agreements. This is when businesses make deals that reduce competition, like fixing prices or agreeing not to compete with each other. In the UK, this is covered by Chapter I of the Competition Act 1998, and in the EU, it falls under Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

The second is abuse of a dominant position. A company that is much stronger than its competitors has to be careful not to use that power unfairly. For example, it cannot force customers to buy only from them or sell at a loss just to drive competitors out of business. This is covered by Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998 in the UK and Article 102 of the TFEU in the EU.

When companies try to merge, regulators (like the CMA or EC) check whether the new business would become too powerful and reduce competition. If that happens, they might block the deal or ask the companies to change it to protect consumers. This is why competition law is a big part of M&A case studies in law firm applications.

This is really useful @Amma Usman! 🐐

Competition law is acc proper interesting. I’m a fiend for it at this point. I really liked it as a undergrad module. In almost all of my applications I have yapped about each firm’s competition practice for at least one of my ‘why this firm’ reasons. Even for Paul, Weiss which is mainly a PE/Debt Finance focused firm. 😂​

 

[legallycece]

Has anyone not heard back post ac for fieldfisher yet? (das)

I haven’t heard back for direct TC :/

 

[helenaskelton]

Does anyone have any insight into Mischon VI? I can share tips and insights into most ACs if that helps.

yeah want to know this too tbh. Is it definitely timed interview? Or one of those ones where you can take whatever time you need to answer question?

 

[missTCLA]

This is really useful @Amma Usman! 🐐

Competition law is acc proper interesting I’m a fiend for it at this point. I really liked it as a undergrad module. In almost all of my applications I have yapped about each firm’s competition practice for at least one of my ‘why this firm’ reasons. Even for Paul, Weiss which is mainly a PE/Debt Finance focused firm. 😂​

I agree! Amma did a good job in explaining this and its so interesting... might be a silly question but isn't IP law the opposite of this? i feel like working in IP law/competition or even both would make an interesting career

 

[TonyStark]

Hi @TonyStark I think you can think of competitors in two main ways. Firstly, at the level of the firms as a whole, we would essentially look for the firms that share the most important features of Skadden for the purposes of defining market position. While the exact features that are most important for outlining market position are debatable, I would describe Skadden in London in the following way: a large office of an elite US firm with a diverse offering of practice areas but a focus on high end transactional work. The two other firms that best fit this description are Latham & Watkins and White & Case.

The second way to think about competitors is at a practice area level, where two questions are relevant - (i) which are the firms with the strongest teams in that practice, and (ii) which other firms would Skadden most often find itself pitching against when trying to win a mandate? For firms like Skadden, which excel in most of their practice area, there is a substantial deal of overlap between the two. Now, looking at Skadden's most important practice areas, we get the following:

• Corporate M&A (which is Skadden's most important practice area by far): the Magic Circle firms (as they are still the undisputed leaders of the UK corporate market) and Latham & Watkins, Cleary Gottlieb, Davis Polk and Sullivan & Cromwell (firms Skadden would most often come up against when fighting for transatlantic deals or deals originating from US clients).
• Banking & Finance: Borrowers: Once again the MC firms have leading positions in this area, and on the US side we have Cleary Gottlieb, White & Case, and Ropes & Gary
• International Arbitration: Commercial Arbitration: Kings & Spalding, Gibson Dunn, Latham, Quinn Emmanuel, Debevoise, and White & Case.

Hi @TonyStark I think you can think of competitors in two main ways. Firstly, at the level of the firms as a whole, we would essentially look for the firms that share the most important features of Skadden for the purposes of defining market position. While the exact features that are most important for outlining market position are debatable, I would describe Skadden in London in the following way: a large office of an elite US firm with a diverse offering of practice areas but a focus on high end transactional work. The two other firms that best fit this description are Latham & Watkins and White & Case.

The second way to think about competitors is at a practice area level, where two questions are relevant - (i) which are the firms with the strongest teams in that practice, and (ii) which other firms would Skadden most often find itself pitching against when trying to win a mandate? For firms like Skadden, which excel in most of their practice area, there is a substantial deal of overlap between the two. Now, looking at Skadden's most important practice areas, we get the following:

• Corporate M&A (which is Skadden's most important practice area by far): the Magic Circle firms (as they are still the undisputed leaders of the UK corporate market) and Latham & Watkins, Cleary Gottlieb, Davis Polk and Sullivan & Cromwell (firms Skadden would most often come up against when fighting for transatlantic deals or deals originating from US clients).
• Banking & Finance: Borrowers: Once again the MC firms have leading positions in this area, and on the US side we have Cleary Gottlieb, White & Case, and Ropes & Gary
• International Arbitration: Commercial Arbitration: Kings & Spalding, Gibson Dunn, Latham, Quinn Emmanuel, Debevoise, and White & Case.

Thanks Andrei! This is really helpful.