• How confident are you in your knowledge of the core LLB/PGDL subjects, including Contract, Tort, Trusts, Land, Criminal, and Public Law?

    TCLA is teaming up with BPP for a free interactive event designed to refresh your fundamentals, especially for those interested in or planning to take the SQE. We'll practise multiple choice SQE questions, with prizes for the highest scoring participants!

    Register Here

TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

a3736y

Standard Member
Premium Member
Mar 11, 2020
7
18
Hi @a3736y I think with most presentation task you just want to ensure you (i) have a very clear structure; (ii) deliver it in a composed and articulate manner; and (iii) focus on the interesting points of analysis and discussion. For (i) the details of the exact structure you employ will differ significantly based on the topic and the amount of information you want to convey. For example, it could look something like this:
  1. First 15-30 seconds: you state the the topic and lay out the structure of your presentation
  2. Next 1-1.5 minute: explain in a concise format the essential facts about the news story
  3. From minute 2 to minute 3: note down new developments
  4. From minute 3 to 4.30: analyze any controversial points and different views about the issues, providing some outline of an argument for your view
  5. Final 30 seconds: summarize the points you have discussed and open the floor for questions
However, I think you would probably benefit the most by trying to fit your presentation into different formats and see what works best in practice. For (ii), again i think practice will be essential. You should record and assess your performance yourself, or, even better, have a friend do it for you. Then, repeat the presentation again and again until you are happy with your delivery. Finally, for (iii) I think you should try to read widely in the press about the chosen topic so that you can discuss the main arguments backing up the different viewpoints.
Thank you so much Andrei! :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Andrei Radu

trainee4u

Legendary Member
Sep 7, 2023
241
514
was going to apply to kingsley napley work experience but its a month of unpaid work ?!?!? in london ?!?!? u expecting me to be working for free while paying my rent and no longer having student loan ?!!!??💀

and u cant do it if u have a TC so i shall be optimistic and hope i will secure a TC either there or elsewhere by the time of the work experience in september🫠

Yeah I declined to apply for Ashfords' VS for the same reason. Unpaid, but "travel expenses" that wouldn't cover my hotel, no thanks.
 
  • 🤝
Reactions: toad92

gazdgazd11

Legendary Member
Premium Member
Feb 27, 2024
182
225
Yeah I declined to apply for Ashfords' VS for the same reason. Unpaid, but "travel expenses" that wouldn't cover my hotel, no thanks.
Ive done one unpaid vacation scheme and I spent so much money on the hotel etc. I think it’s ridiculous. If you can’t pay attendees for a vac scheme then don’t offer it?? Just do direct tc? I really think these firms are appalling
 

lawstudent2

Distinguished Member
Dec 9, 2024
64
70
I do not think the 15-miunte time slot necessarily indicates that the firm actually expects the interview to ask for that long. It may be that they only plan to ask 3-4 questions and are accounting for potential 2-3 minute answers, introductions, and potential delays when calculating how much time they should book to make sure one interview does not overlap with the one scheduled next.

As for the questions they could ask, I do not expect they could go much further beyond the following:
  • The general motivational ones: probably the why commercial law, why firm, why you are all fair game
  • Application strategy questions: what other firms have you applied to, why would you prefer Macfarlanes
  • Firm research questions: could be simple ones such as explaining what their main practices areas do or how a current issue impacts them, but also more complex questions around the firm's strategy and market position.
Finally, in terms of preparation advice, I think it is similar to what I would say for most interviews, in that practicing as much as you can and then critically assessing your performance is the right way to go about it. The one point of difference I would mention is that with phone interviews, since your interviewer will not be able to see you and infer anything from body language and expression, you should focus a lot more on improving the clarity of your oral communication.
Thank you that's really helpful
 
  • Like
Reactions: Andrei Radu

badmintonflyinginsect

Valued Member
Premium Member
Jan 26, 2023
105
85
@Jessica Booker Hi jessica! Just wanted to ask a Q about the VS accelerator programme - how long is it?

Edit: Also whether the VS exercises have been uploaded. If not, then by what date can we expect to have this content available? Just asking so I can be strategic about purchasing the Gold subscription!
Hi! Just bumping this forward again!
 

tianna09

Standard Member
Mar 7, 2025
9
6
was going to apply to kingsley napley work experience but its a month of unpaid work ?!?!? in london ?!?!? u expecting me to be working for free while paying my rent and no longer having student loan ?!!!??💀

and u cant do it if u have a TC so i shall be optimistic and hope i will secure a TC either there or elsewhere by the time of the work experience in september🫠
i was so put off that KN didnt offer anything for the work experience but my uni offers grants to students who are offered vac schemes and work experiences in london so to me its free lol (prime girl math)
 
  • ℹ️
Reactions: Ram Sabaratnam

Someoneinlaw

Well-Known Member
Jul 23, 2024
24
75
Would anyone be interested in having commercial awareness conversations maybe once a week? Just exchange of commercial knowledge in form of a discussion( anything learnt from a commercial podcast, a course on forage , TCLA…etc , news articles , commercial scenario, we would practise application of SWOT and PESTLE , mastering concepts of commercial terms I.e shares, bond etc ) . I believe this will be useful in terms of practising discussing commercially as opposed to just reading. Will be helpful for case studies /commercial scenario interviews as well. Also good for accountability cause you’d not want to come to the discussion clueless knowing you’d actually have to say something 🥴
Just need at least one person for this! Please send me a PM. (Serious minded person only and preferably someone who doesn’t have a training contract offer yet)🙂
 

Zi48

Legendary Member
Gold Member
Premium Member
Feb 1, 2022
214
292
I remember a couple of weeks ago or something someone posting on here a list of firms that offer a decent number of direct training contracts but I can’t find it anywhere does anyone have a link for it please?
 
  • Love
Reactions: slot123

Ram Sabaratnam

Legendary Member
Staff member
Future Trainee
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 7, 2024
442
1,025
Hello! I am just completing an assessment now and I have been asked about recent changes in the legal industry which may affect the firms business. As this is my first application round and I am still very new to all this - would talking about the recent Spring Statement be good? I know it is not strictly the legal industry but obviously it will have impacts
Any advice would be amazing!

Hiya @CupOfTea17

I think you're right to question whether the Spring Statement (which is fundamentally a fiscal policy update) would count as a change in the legal industry per se. Most of the content in the Spring Statement (e.g. updates on inflation, tax thresholds, public spending plans) impacts the broader economy rather than the legal industry directly. Unless the question specifically invites you to discuss external developments that might impact the firm’s business, it might not be the strongest fit. If the question asks about changes in the legal industry, then you’ll want to focus on things like:
  • Regulatory shifts (e.g. the SRA’s changing stance on hybrid working or tech use)
  • Changes in litigation funding and regulation (see here)
  • Law firm mergers, new practice areas, or the increasing interest that PE firms have in acquiring law firms
If the question is phrased more broadly (e.g. “changes in the market” or “news affecting firms and their clients”), then you can definitely mention something from the Spring Statement. However, I'd encourage you to focus clearly on aspects that affects a firm’s key clients and business.

Hope this helps and let us know if you have any other questions!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Paul Jules Steullet


Write your reply...

About Us

The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

Newsletter

Discover the most relevant business news, access our law firm analysis, and receive our best advice for aspiring lawyers.