TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[ysr567]

Got an AC invite for Marriott Harrison! Did anyone else apply and does anyone have any insights )))

 

[tcla02]

why is latham taking so long to review my summer app??? this is so frustrating knowing that everyone i know has heard back already

 

[VMS]

I still didn't get a PFO but mine is inevitable, I unfortunately didn't have time to do the WG so did it randomly and I asked for my score and got 14% 😂 😂 😂

Lmao. At least you didn't try really hard on the WG like me and only get in the 32nd 🤡

EDIT: I also haven't got my PFO yet but can only assume it is coming, rip.

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker @Andrei Radu

Hi! Please could I get your insights on this. I am applying for the spring VS at Stephenson Harwood. During their open day, the recruiter did mention they reject on a rolling basis. I don't know whether it's wort sending an application on the deadline 28/02 (I work full-time so haven't kept on top of sending applications in ASAP).

Or instead would it be better to apply for their direct TC since that deadline is later? Thanks

I’d still give it a go, especially if you could get the application in Monday/Tuesday rather than on Thursday.

 

[loe]

"Tell us why you want to become a solicitor, and with reference to your experience so far, explain how your skills are suited to the role (600 words)"

Is it better to split my answer up into 2 parts (1. why solicitor and 2. why I'm suited to being a trainee at SH) or answer both points in a more integrated way?

 

[M_m]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I had a slight doubt about an upcoming VI. If in case I’m asked same/similar questions as the application form, do I need bring up new points or elaborate on the points already mentioned in my application. For instance, if I’m asked “why X firm” in the VI, I see how I can bring up points not mentioned in my application. But how would I go about it for questions like “why commercial law” while avoiding repetition?

 

[elsx]

Got an AC invite for Marriott Harrison! Did anyone else apply and does anyone have any insights )))

Congratulations ! I also applied but have not heard back ... do you mind sharing when you applied?

 

[A worried graduate]

I know for a fact that one of the vacation schemes last year had 1/3 Non-RG attendees

If this is Ropes and Gray, that is quite inspiring

 

[A worried graduate]

The only firm I know of that does this based on my own experience is Paul, Weiss. Their first stage is a SPAG review and people that pass that stage get sent the online test (Amberjack SJT). I’m not sure if this is the same for other firms that use this test though. 🙂​

Maybe Bakers as they never gave me once

 

[Tintin06]

Age isn't why I'm feeling stuck. Laziness is the reason - anyone else?

 

[AspiringSolicitor25]

Anyone else still waiting to hear from Weil post AC? Know quite a few with offers now.

HFW PFO Weil Offer

Congrats on the offer!
When did you hear back from Weil - was it an email/call?

 

[Legallywhatever]

Age isn't why I'm feeling stuck. Laziness is the reason - anyone else?

Literally.. it feels like a mind game against yourself sometimes

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi @Andrei Radu,

I hope you are keeping well. 🐐

Similar to one of the questions I had asked on the forum previously (for which you gave an amazing answer), how would you describe Willkie Farr & Gallagher in terms of its position in the City of London (apart from it being one of the leading transactions and disputes firms in London)? How would you describe the firm as a whole, taking into account its growth and strategic decisions over the past decade? 🙂

Also, who would you say are the firm’s closest competitors, looking at their key practice areas such as PE and Litigation, but also as a US firm in London more broadly? I believe you did a VS at Willkie and received a TC offer. Is there any advice or insight you could share in relation to the partner interview e.g., how to prepare for it and navigate the different elements? I am nervous as I haven’t actually ever spoken to partners before, not least partners of a leading US law firm in London. 🥲

Please help. 🥲​

Hi @Chris Brown and @legal18 I would describe Willkie in London as a middle-sized office of a top US firm specializing in a number of transactional (particularly PE and insurance work) and contentious practices (particularly competition litigation and white collar crime). If we look at competitors at a firm-wide level, the most similar types of firms I would identify would be the likes of Milbank, Cleary, and Gibson Dunn. Looking at the firm's wider strategy, we can see Willkie has grown rapidly in London with a focus on servicing its PE client base but also seeking to have a well-rounded and well-hedged practice; and thus, expanded to other areas when the opportunity arose. Within PE, while it does not have quite as strong of a reputation as a Kirkland, Latham or Simpson Thatcher, this is mainly due to the difference in size of practice - in 2024, I know they had the smallest number of practitioners of all firms in the same Chambers band ranking. As such, I would classify them as a having a smaller but premium PE offering, similar to that of Paul, Weiss, Gibson Dunn, and Ropes & Gray, who I would deem to be their primary competitors in this space.

As for your second question, I would firstly advise you not to worry. As you might know, Willkie has a reputation for being a US firm with a great culture, and I think this is one of the cases where this is not simply a result of effective marketing. My interview experience was one of the best ones I had, as I felt constantly encouraged by the partners and felt they really wanted to see me succeed. Having gotten to speak to both recruitment partners more during the vacation scheme, I further confirmed my impression that they are some of the kindest people I had come across in a law firm context. As such, try not to feel too nervous about the fact that you are speaking to a someone who is so much more senior than you - they will do their best to make you feel at ease in that regard.

My main tips for preparation are ones that are applicable to many other interviews: firstly, know your answers to the usual motivational/competency questions really well and try to add as much insights and analysis to them as you can. Secondly, brush up on your commercial awareness, and aim to particularly improve your understanding of the key practices/sectors the firm operates in. Thirdly, when in difficulty, take a little time to think and then given your best guess and/or externalize your thought process - this is the approach that led to some of the highest praise I have received in an interview context.

Best of luck !

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I had a slight doubt about an upcoming VI. If in case I’m asked same/similar questions as the application form, do I need bring up new points or elaborate on the points already mentioned in my application. For instance, if I’m asked “why X firm” in the VI, I see how I can bring up points not mentioned in my application. But how would I go about it for questions like “why commercial law” while avoiding repetition?

If you think you can improve your answer by bring up new points or by adding more insights, analysis, and nuance to already mentioned points, that is great. However, that is definitely not a requirement or expectation. If anything, firms would tend to expect your fundamental motivations to be relatively stable and to not have changed since the moment of your application. As such, in my view there is no issue with your VI answers being substantially the same as your application form answers. Most of mine were, and I progressed to the next stage in the majority of my VIs.

 

[ohnoselim]

how much time do people normally take to prep for a VI?

 

[Miss Chocolate]

I’d still give it a go, especially if you could get the application in Monday/Tuesday rather than on Thursday.

Thanks for your reply, Jessica. Unfortunately, I have a video interview deadline on Tuesday so I will likely only submit the SH application on the deadline day (28th). Would you recommend doing that or instead going for the TC application?

 

[M_m]

If you think you can improve your answer by bring up new points or by adding more insights, analysis, and nuance to already mentioned points, that is great. However, that is definitely not a requirement or expectation. If anything, firms would tend to expect your fundamental motivations to be relatively stable and to not have changed since the moment of your application. As such, in my view there is no issue with your VI answers being substantially the same as your application form answers. Most of mine were, and I progressed to the next stage in the majority of my VIs.

Thank you @Andrei Radu!!

 

[tigertigerpants]

Oh f*ck (pardon my French)

Bates Wells AC invite post Watson Glaser.

Can i ask when you did your Watson Glaser / how long it took for you to get a response back ?

 

[simplyfaith]

Age isn't why I'm feeling stuck. Laziness is the reason - anyone else?

I'm never tailoring anything ever again. That's it. I have better things to do. They can take it or leave it. I have grass to touch

That's where I'm at 🤣

 

[Chris Brown]

Age isn't why I'm feeling stuck. Laziness is the reason - anyone else?

I’ve made the decision that if I am to go through another cycle, I am avoiding firms that ask us to write an entire PhD thesis, only to then give us a generic automated PFO. If an application question asks for more than 300 words, it’s an automatic no from me. This is the point I am at after only one application cycle. 😂😂​