TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I am currently applying for a paralegal role. What type of things should be included in the cover letter? Is it the same structure as a vacation scheme or training contract cover letter? Any advice would be highly appreciated. Thank you

For a paralegal cover letter, the first thing is to look closely at the job description/job advert and pick out key information/requirements from that and build it into your cover letter.

It is important to cover the following within the cover letter:

• Why the firm
• Why the opportunity (e.g. why specifically that paralegal role in that department - e.g. if it is a Real Estate Paralegal role, why do you want to work in Real Estate and why specifically that paralegal role).
• Why you

 

[Jessica Booker]

you don’t need to actually submit the cover letters lmao.

You often don't have to submit a cover letter, but in many instances, I would encourage people to do so, especially for paralegal roles they are especially interested in.

I think it is important to do so when you haven't got paralegal experience or especially when you have less evidence of your interest in that specific area of work (e.g. you have only worked in Litigation but this is a Corporate/M&A paralegal role).

Cover letters can make the differences between candidates and also can help to demonstrate motivations, which often a CV won't.

 

[lou1707]

I am sorry to hear this situation - it is frustrating when these situations can occur especially so late on in the recruitment process.

The first thing to mention is that the firm won't need to rescind as such, it will be more than the terms of the offer cannot be met. I just want to make this clear as I don't want people to panic that other offers could easily be rescinded.

Are you graduating this year or will your course be carrying on into the next academic year? I ask as if you are graduating from the course this summer it may be possible to move to this internship visa if the firm is happy to cover the costs of this: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/firm-accreditations/tier-5-gae-scheme. However, you will need to consider your general visa status as a student, as I am fairly sure you can only have one visa valid at one time, and therefore it maybe too complicated to move from a student visa to this visa and then back again.

I am sorry to hear this situation - it is frustrating when these situations can occur especially so late on in the recruitment process.

The first thing to mention is that the firm won't need to rescind as such, it will be more than the terms of the offer cannot be met. I just want to make this clear as I don't want people to panic that other offers could easily be rescinded.

Are you graduating this year or will your course be carrying on into the next academic year? I ask as if you are graduating from the course this summer it may be possible to move to this internship visa if the firm is happy to cover the costs of this: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/firm-accreditations/tier-5-gae-scheme. However, you will need to consider your general visa status as a student, as I am fairly sure you can only have one visa valid at one time, and therefore it maybe too complicated to move from a student visa to this visa and then back again.

Thank you for your answer and advice. I do graduate this year but unfortunately my university's term dates extend until the 15th of September (it is an LLM). They basically told me that unless I can prove the scheme falls outside my term date they can't accept me

 

[legallycurly]

Sidley Spring & Summer and HL Summer
Sidley applied September and HL applied deadline

If you don't mind, could you tell me when your ac is for HL?

 

[ad.]

As @Amma Usman has said. This should not be an issue, especially given the scheme is likely to conclude by the time you have the NI number and when you get paid.

I do stress to international candidates who are getting to final round stages, especially late on or close to schemes starting, or when they start applying for jobs after graduation, it’s probably best to apply for an NI number earlier on rather than waiting until you have a job offer just to make these processes a little easier/less stressful.

Thank you for your explanations — I hadn’t thought about needing a NI number at all 😅 otherwise I would have applied for it much earlier. I was just too focused on getting the actual job/internship haha

Thus, I am sure this post will be very useful for international students who might have been a bit clueless/inexperienced like myself! Thanks again Jess!

 

[Chris Brown]

Just finished my Willkie interview. Ngl was the hardest I have done to date.

I had mine fairly recently and it was definitely a bit harder than the Paul, Weiss interview. 🥲

Best of luck to everyone that has done their partner interview and waiting to hear back. 🙂​

 

[FutureTraineeMaybe]

Just had my final rejection post-AC. I'm genuinely at a loss on what to do now..

 

[👩🎓]

For a paralegal cover letter, the first thing is to look closely at the job description/job advert and pick out key information/requirements from that and build it into your cover letter.

It is important to cover the following within the cover letter:

• Why the firm
• Why the opportunity (e.g. why specifically that paralegal role in that department - e.g. if it is a Real Estate Paralegal role, why do you want to work in Real Estate and why specifically that paralegal role).
• Why you

Thank you so much!

 

[rlw123]

Has anyone done an AC with SPB? I'd appreciate any insights!

 

[PFOenthusiast]

Burges Salmon pfo post-AC, but the email says I have been put on the reserve list for the vacation scheme. Are my chances near zero or is there still hope?

 

[Kakaboo]

question for assessment centres- I know in a case study you are meant to use SWOT, but when would you use PESTOL?

 

[vr36]

Has anyone who did the Dechert Written test post 12th Feb heard back?

 

[MilkMaid]

Has anyone heard from Shepherd and Wedderburn post interview?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you for your answer and advice. I do graduate this year but unfortunately my university's term dates extend until the 15th of September (it is an LLM). They basically told me that unless I can prove the scheme falls outside my term date they can't accept me

I would speak to them as to whether you can defer your vacation scheme offer to a winter/spring scheme next cycle or alternatively whether you can move to a direct TC process.

 

[broalabear]

question for assessment centres- I know in a case study you are meant to use SWOT, but when would you use PESTOL?

So PESTLE is for external factor analysis:

• Political – Government policies, regulations, political stability, and leadership changes.
• Economic – Economic growth, inflation rates, exchange rates, interest rates, and economic cycles.
• Social – Social trends, demographics, lifestyle changes, cultural factors, and population shifts.
• Technological – Technological advancements, AI, innovation, automation, and R&D developments.
• Legal – Regulatory updates, aka changes in tax laws, labour laws, and health and safety regulations, etc.
• Environmental – climate change, sustainability, and environmental regulations.

SWOT can be both internal and external.
Internal:

• Strengths: Internal attributes and resources that give the company a competitive advantage.
• Weaknesses: Internal factors that may hinder the company’s ability to achieve its goals.

External:

• Opportunities: External factors that the company can capitalise on to achieve its objectives.
• Threats: External factors that could pose challenges or risks to the company’s success.

Therefore, using PESTLE helps you understand the external environment better, which can then strengthen the Opportunities and Threats parts of a SWOT analysis.

Hope that makes sense

 

[Jessica Booker]

question for assessment centres- I know in a case study you are meant to use SWOT, but when would you use PESTOL?

I would stress you don't always have to use SWOT in a case study. They can be useful for certain exercises, but it isn't always the most appropriate approach to take. For some, PESTLE might be more appropriate, and for others you might not need to do either form of analysis.

It really depends what the exercise is asking of you.

 

[Laur2cj]

has anyone heard back from SPB AC regarding providing more information of the 3 tasks?

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Hi, does anyone have any advice for how to stand out in a cover letter (this is for a DTC app)? I've never had to do one for a law firm before. They've given a few pointers i.e. why this firm/office/why a career in law, but I'm struggling with sounding quite generic (I feel!)

Hiya @bluescarf

If you could let us know which firm you're applying to, we could give more specific advice. Some firms have certain requirements or things they particularly look for in an applicant's cover letter.

More generally, I think you should try to ensure the cover letter fundamentally addresses (1) why you're interested in commercial law; (2) why you're particularly interested in joining the firm in question; and (3) what experience/skill you can bring to the role. Although you don't necessarily have to do so, I've generally found that grad rec appreciates how straightforward it is when you address issues in this specific order.

When answering (2), you'll want to ensure that your motivations are as tailored to the firm as possible. I've generally found such tailoring to be especially important in the case of direct training contract applications, where firms may expect you to demonstrate a strong understanding of what they do and where they sit in the overall market in London. To ensure this section of the cover letter is tailored to the firm, you'll want to focus on the main practice areas and/or sectors the firm is known for advising on in London (or wherever you're applying to). You'll also want to convincingly explain why such areas of work speak to you and your motivations. I'd also encourage you to focus on matters that the particular office you're applying to has advised on, rather than focussing on transactions/cases that other offices have been involved with.

Again, if you have more specific information about the particular firm, @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman and I can offer more specific suggestions. But hopefully this gets you started.

 

[trainee4u]

Thank you for your answer and advice. I do graduate this year but unfortunately my university's term dates extend until the 15th of September (it is an LLM). They basically told me that unless I can prove the scheme falls outside my term date they can't accept me

Universities generally don't care at all about this issue.
Unfortunately it's difficult to work around this; a friend did 20 hours a week until the end of term (weeks after the course actually ended), but in the context of a vacation scheme it's likely that asking to work only 20 hours would be excessively disruptive. You also can't legally get around it by working for free.

 

[legallycurly]

RWK Goodman VI . Any insights would be appreciated!