TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[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!

 

[User5678]

RWK Goodman video interview invite! Does anyone know if this is automatic?

 

[chapmanh]

has anyone gotten Bristows first round but is unable to book a slot?

I was in this position last week (last week of Feb) and I think it was on Wednesday (i.e. today) that they release the next week's batch of interview slots. Can always e-mail the Early Recruitment team to make sure they have more.

 

[chlawstudent]

Addleshaw Goddard VS offer!!

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Addleshaw Goddard VS offer!!

Amazing job! Such a great firm! Hope the scheme goes fabulously well!

 

[member7830]

any advice on what to think about when putting down seat preferences for a vac scheme

 

[NJS]

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

I dont think they actually give anything, I just got an email with 'extra info' but it was just to book a mock interview with AS, but all the dates before my AC was filled

 

[Andrei Radu]

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?

It's difficult to say how high your chances are but I would say they are not as low to be near zero. The significant majority of the rejected candidates are not placed on the reserve list, but from what I know generally there are more people on the reserve list who end up not being invited to the VS than ones that are. Whether you actually end up being invited will depend on (i) how high on the reserve list you have been placed; and (ii) how many people end up not attending the VS anymore. It is difficult to say anything with more certainty about the first factor, although you could perhaps try to make a guess based on any feedback you have received. For the second factor, I can tell you that for my summer vacation schemes around 15%-25% of the people who initially accepted the offer ended up not coming.

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

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

Hiya @Kakaboo

Just wanted to add to what's already been said, particularly to what @Jessica Booker and @broalabear have mentioned.

I don't think there’s a hard and fast rule, but in my experience, SWOT analysis tends to work best in well-defined scenarios (e.g. in case studies where you’re advising a hypothetical client on the risks and benefits of an investment, merger, or acquisition). It’s particularly useful when there’s a clear decision to be made, as strengths and weaknesses are easier to identify in those contexts. I tend to think of SWOT analysis as a kind of quasi cost-benefit analysis; the sort of analysis which is particularly useful when you're presented with a well-defined scenario in which a decision must be made.

On the other hand, PESTLE analysis is particularly helpful when analysing external factors influencing a business, but where there's no clear decision that you're being asked to make. For example, at my Freshfields and Akin ACs, we were given news stories about the rise of online retail clothing stores and changes to tax policy respectively. These case studies didn't present a specific decision in relation to which I was expected to advise a client, but rather they were case studies about broader industry trends or regulatory changes. These naturally lent themselves to PESTLE, as it helped structure our thinking around political, economic, social, and technological influences, rather than just internal strengths and weaknesses.

That said, you might sometimes be asked to consider the strengths and weaknesses of a scenario in an article-based case study. If, for instance, the case study asks what the impact of X or Y happening would be. But in general, if you’re dealing with an article that discusses wider market trends or external pressures, PESTLE is likely the more useful framework.

If you’re preparing for an AC, it might help to practise recognising when each framework would be most effective based on the type of material you’re given. Hope that helps!

 

[broalabear]

Anybody heard back from Winston and Strawn yet?

 

[Laur2cj]

I dont think they actually give anything, I just got an email with 'extra info' but it was just to book a mock interview with AS, but all the dates before my AC was filled

ah fair enough, I tried to do the same but no slots

 

[g.cl.2020344]

any1 done the SPB AC and can offer any advice, v. nervous as I've never done an in person AC before only online