TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[weupin2025]

Hey can you link the guide please?

Sure.

A complete guide for competency interview preparation

This is a guide for the purposes of preparing for competency interviews, be they in a VI, another intermediary step or an AC/final stage interview. The advice here is based on my personal approach, as I received VS offers from top US/MC firms 4/4 times I implemented it. This will include: A...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

 

[A worried graduate]

I’m tired of waiting (not blaming the firms but I’m literally waking up in the middle of my sleep and refreshing emails in the morning😂😂😂😂) need some good news (or just any news/update atp to stay motivated to do dtc apps😭😭)

On that note, does anybody know if rwk Goodman vi was automatic because I don’t think I put my best app in due to time constraints but received a vi and am now worried that they might go through the app and the vi together all at once and didn’t review the app before sending the vi😔

I got rejected before a VI by RWK last year so your app must be decent.

 

[mariistm]

Any news from WBD this week?

 

[fxy]

hi,

is this for the DTC?

no its for their SVS

 

[James Wakefield]

So who else was up till midnight writing their application for the Macfarlanes senior partner dinner? 😅

 

[Toomanypfo]

no its for their SVS

Hi, does it mean you have already received an offer for the SVS

 

[Chris Brown]

So who else was up till midnight writing their application for the Macfarlanes senior partner dinner? 😅

I did the exact same thing lmao. I made a last minute decision to apply and stayed up till late writing my application for the Macfarlanes senior partner dinner. 😅​

 

[James Wakefield]

I did the exact same thing lmao. I made a last minute decision to apply and stayed up till late writing my application for the Macfarlanes senior partner dinner. 😅​

I can’t believe they have a telephone interview stage for their dinner too. 😅 law applications are just becoming nuts now.

 

[TCpleasex]

Any news from WBD this week?

I have a telephone interview with them on Monday for the Leeds office.

I think I saw someone also got an interview for the London office somewhere in the thread as well but I can’t exactly remember. I’m not sure about any other offices.

 

[Bbhu19]

I have a telephone interview with them on Monday for the Leeds office.

I think I saw someone also got an interview for the London office somewhere in the thread as well but I can’t exactly remember. I’m not sure about any other offices.

What did you get on the online test for wbd btw?

 

[TCpleasex]

What did you get on the online test for wbd btw?

I got 9977 & high for both verbal and numerical!

 

[Zara.Th]

Has anyone got any good information on who HL‘s competitors are?

 

[nbjani]

Is anyone able to get onto the practice Amberjack assessment for SH? It doesn't seem to load for me on my laptop or my phone, wifi or mobile data, Chrome or Safari.

 

[trainee4u]

Has anyone got any good information on who HL‘s competitors are?

You can research that via here

Hogan Lovells International LLP > England

Benchmarking excellence in law since 1987

www.legal500.com

Similarly here

Hogan Lovells

Discover where Hogan Lovells are ranked in the UK legal rankings. Visit Chambers and Partners to learn more.

chambers.com

If you click on the different ranked departments in Chambers you can see details about their practice areas, then e.g., commercial litigation they are tier 1 https://chambers.com/legal-rankings...itigation-london-firms-1:2748:11814:1?l=en-GB and you can see the competitors there.

If you go on their website

https://www.hoganlovells.com/en/people?sortby=relevance&personposition=e7ed6b5ccdeb4f2d897a18d3cc9ed0de&personrelatedlocation_sm=44f9a679f1df4186a054728ef5fbc34f

You can see they have 157 partners in London. And you can read their profiles, filter by practice areas, etc.

Their partner count is likely to reflect where they earn their fees, so a niche area where a firm is Tier 1 is not necessarily the core of that firm's business.

In addition, Hogan Lovells pay well and while they are technically not classified as a Silver Circle firm https://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/law-firms/types-of-law-firm/the-silver-circle, they are in reality exactly in that category, so based on size (large intake) , pay, etc., they are competing with firms with similar pay packets and lawyer counts (e.., a US firm who only has 3 trainees would not be a competitor).

 

[Olivialee15]

Random q has Mishcon stated whether they could reimburse travel to and from the assessment centre (and if not, do you guys think it would be rude to ask) as train ticket prices are through the roof atm lol

 

[Jessica Booker]

Random q has Mishcon stated whether they could reimburse travel to and from the assessment centre (and if not, do you guys think it would be rude to ask) as train ticket prices are through the roof atm lol

It is never rude to ask - the worst they will say is they can't but that does not impact your candidacy in anyway.

I would contact the firm to see whether they do.

 

[Apple]

"Addressing Risks from Paul Weiss"

Very... interesting read, signed by Donald Trump. It refers to DEI practices at law firms, specifically PW, as discriminatory, signed by the president, these are crazy times. He called it unlawful!

 

[solicithor]

Congrats to everyone with offers and good luck to everyone waiting!!

I'm in the process of applying to a firm whose vac scheme clashes with the VS I've already secured... I'd still like to apply to this firm, but I wouldn't take their VS over my current offer. I'm worried if I apply for a TC directly I'll be rejected for a lack of legal experience, but the only way to explain applying directly is that I'd prefer a competitor's vac scheme which doesn't sound particularly good (but obvs is some kind of seal of approval nonetheless). Any advice? Should I try and mention my upcoming vac scheme if there's an opportunity, and is there a way to go about explaining why I'm applying directly?

 

[Chris Brown]

"Addressing Risks from Paul Weiss"

Very... interesting read, signed by Donald Trump. It refers to DEI practices at law firms, specifically PW, as discriminatory, signed by the president, these are crazy times. He called it unlawful!

It’s time for another one of Chris Brown’s very controversial posts. Please do not cancel me on the TCLA forum. Trigger warning: sensitive topics will be addressed. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. 😂

I will never understand Trump’s argument that DEI practices can be discriminatory. Who does he think is being discriminated against? It seems like it’s a very particular demographic of people in the USA that strongly dislike DEI practices and who believe they are somehow being discriminated against. It’s almost like if anyone gets hired who isn’t from that particular demographic, it must automatically mean they are a DEI hire and not the candidate with the best qualifications. 🥲

I thought the entire purpose of DEI was to prevent discrimination in the hiring and employment processes in workplaces? In the past, highly qualified candidates have been prejudiced against solely on the basis of their gender, race, religion, ethnicity, class and socioeconomic background. Even if they were the ideal candidate for the position, inherent biases would influence their employment prospects. 😕

I wonder if US firms will challenge Trump’s decisions and file a huge class action lawsuit. It seems he is simply going after law firms that supported opposing political parties. I’m sure Paul, Weiss was a huge advocate and sponsor for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. I am also fairly certain it’s the same situation for Perkins Coie, who represented Hilary Clinton in 2016 during that presidential campaign. 🤨

Does anyone know whether this US DEI stuff and Trump targeting US law firms will have a knock-on effect on their operations in the UK? In the case of Paul, Weiss, they have only just established a large scale English Law practice and this is their first graduate recruitment cycle. It will be interesting to see everything play out. 😬

I have attached the link to the article below for anyone who wants to read it:

Addressing Risks from Paul Weiss

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

www.whitehouse.gov

 

[latome19]

It’s time for another one of Chris Brown’s very controversial posts. Please do not cancel me on the TCLA forum. Trigger warning: sensitive topics will be addressed. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. 😂

I will never understand Trump’s argument that DEI practices can be discriminatory. Who does he think is being discriminated against? It seems like it’s a very particular demographic of people in the USA that strongly dislike DEI practices and who believe they are somehow being discriminated against. It’s almost like if anyone gets hired who isn’t from that particular demographic, it must automatically mean they are a DEI hire and not the candidate with the best qualifications. 🥲

I thought the entire purpose of DEI was to prevent discrimination in the hiring and employment processes in workplaces? In the past, highly qualified candidates have been prejudiced against solely on the basis of their gender, race, religion, ethnicity, class and socioeconomic background. Even if they were the ideal candidate for the position, inherent biases would influence their employment prospects. 😕

I wonder if US firms will challenge Trump’s decisions and file a huge class action lawsuit. It seems he is simply going after law firms that supported opposing political parties. I’m sure Paul, Weiss was a huge advocate and sponsor for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. I am also fairly certain it’s the same situation for Perkins Coie, who represented Hilary Clinton in 2016 during that presidential campaign. 🤨

Does anyone know whether this US DEI stuff and Trump targeting US law firms will have a knock-on effect on their operations in the UK? In the case of Paul, Weiss, they have only just established a large scale English Law practice and this is their first graduate recruitment cycle. It will be interesting to see everything play out. 😬

I have attached the link to the article below for anyone who wants to read it:

Addressing Risks from Paul Weiss

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

www.whitehouse.gov

lol literally 77 mln Americans voted for Trump, and I feel that what you’ve described is not a controversial take at all, at least in the UK. There is no way this would impact UK hiring though, maximum what’s gonna happen is that US firm are gonna stop advertising DEI on their websites. But that’s already happened.