TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[👩🎓]

It might depend on the firm. I think there are any number of things you could go for, and the question can show both commercial awareness and wider legal knowledge.

For example, GenAI is very controversial with issues like the "Studio Ghibli image generator", and here the government has made statements about its plans, so for this you could look at how other countries are managing AI and where the balance might be between protecting creative industries and enabling tech.

Similarly you could look to solve problems in society, e.g., https://www.macfarlanes.com/what-we...veroo-drivers-not-workers-says-supreme-court/ the SC decided Deliveroo drivers are not workers, which means that Deliveroo (et al) are not responsible for illegal immigration offences and don't have to provide employment benefits to staff. A law could change this.

You could talk about proposed legislation too - for example there is the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which imo is not a new law, but a whole raft of them, but in that context you could propose a specific planning reform that are not in the bill, but has been suggested by others, on the basis that your particular law would enable more economic growth/housing/whatever.

If you look at the Law Commission and others, there are proposals for law reform that are made and perhaps you think are great, but haven't been implemented, and you could look at those.

Thank you so much, your suggestions are really helpful

 

[JasmineM9]

The TCLA Academy is a separate purchase but currently a one-off payment for access with no time limit/no rolling subscription.

Thank you!

 

[lawstudent2]

The TCLA Academy is open currently - you can find it here: https://tcla-academy.circle.so/checkout/commercial-awareness

Thank you!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Thank you Amma for the detailed response! I am a currently subscribed to Little Law, and the Morning Brew! I started small by picking one article a week to analyse in detail. I will definitely start to create some sort of index with terminology just so I can understand everything better. My biggest pitfall is lack of consistency, I could be doing well for one week then stop for months 😭 I will try and do better!

Hi @JasmineM9 I am not sure if this was mentioned before, but for the purpose of creating an index of terminology, one resource I found really helpful was Investopedia. You can look up almost any finance-related jargon term and you will find one of the most comprehensive explanations available online. The really useful thing about it is also the fact that when further jargon terms are used to define/explain the initial one, there will always be a link sending you to a new page with its explanation. This was great for me because every time I went on it and was searching for a term I actually ended up learning the and meanings connections between of 5-6 different concepts instead.

If you choose to use this, or just generally when creating the index, I think your primary goal should be to learn how to unpack each concept in very simple layman terms - ie not having to rely on any further complex terms you cannot precisely explain. As the rather cliche test of whether you have really understood something puts it - you need to think whether you could explain it in such a way that even a kid could understand given enough time and attention. For the purposes of an interview this is essential, because if you use a jargon term and are then asked to unpack it, partners will insist you use very simple language and will easily catch out any ambiguities in your response.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi, I reached the VI stage for Willkie but did not realise that we could ask for feedback at that stage and did not. Is it too late to ask now / will it reflect badly on me?

If you explain that you have only realised it now and politely ask whether you could still receive feedback (but also saying you understand if this is no longer possible), I cannot imagine this will in any way influence your chances of progressing with future applications.

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

I got 2 average and 3 above average on the Mayer Brown verbal reasoning test. Reckon that's enough to pass to the next stage?

I got 4 above average and 1 average last year and didn’t but people with less did - hard to say what Mayer Brown places weight on!

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Hi guys!

This was my 1st application cycle and so far nothing come from it yet 😅
I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on what to do over summer and also during my PGDL (which i start in sept) which isn't just VS's as they seem hard to come by! Any knowledge about building legal experience or what stands out on an application which I can do in my own time would be amazing!
Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear 🤞❤️

Hiya @CupOfTea17 😊


In addition to the always brilliant advice mentioned by @Andrei Radu, I'd highly recommend applying to the Aspiring Solicitors Aspire Programme. The deadline is in June, but it’s a fantastic way to meet firms directly and start building those early connections before the next application cycle start. The sessions will also help deepen your commercial awareness and get tailored support and resources before you start your PGDL. I would also just keep your eyes on the SEO London programme offerings. I've heard excellent things from future trainees who participated in these programmes and found them helpful in some of the ways that I mentioned above.

As someone who hadn't really been switched on to the activities of the student law society during my LLB, I found programmes like these particularly useful. And even if vacation schemes feel out of reach right now (totally normal in your first cycle!), there’s so much these opportunities can help you do over the summer to build your profile/experiences. Happy to share more ideas if helpful!

Best of luck, and good on you for thinking ahead already!

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

🎉​

Dear trainee4u

We are pleased to inform you that you've been selected for our summer vacation scheme. Please confirm if you are available to attend the vacation scheme on either of the weeks listed and if you had a preference for a particular week.

Not surprised at all - your input on this forum has been fire. Hope they’re ready for you!!!! 👀🔥

 

[helloj]

how to distract yourself post scheme waiting for a TC response? i am struggling...

 

[Victor107]

Hey guys, this may not be the appropriate forum for this, but has anyone heard back from Linklaters regarding their international arbitration internship?

 

[JasmineM9]

Hi @JasmineM9 I am not sure if this was mentioned before, but for the purpose of creating an index of terminology, one resource I found really helpful was Investopedia. You can look up almost any finance-related jargon term and you will find one of the most comprehensive explanations available online. The really useful thing about it is also the fact that when further jargon terms are used to define/explain the initial one, there will always be a link sending you to a new page with its explanation. This was great for me because every time I went on it and was searching for a term I actually ended up learning the and meanings connections between of 5-6 different concepts instead.

If you choose to use this, or just generally when creating the index, I think your primary goal should be to learn how to unpack each concept in very simple layman terms - ie not having to rely on any further complex terms you cannot precisely explain. As the rather cliche test of whether you have really understood something puts it - you need to think whether you could explain it in such a way that even a kid could understand given enough time and attention. For the purposes of an interview this is essential, because if you use a jargon term and are then asked to unpack it, partners will insist you use very simple language and will easily catch out any ambiguities in your response.

Amazing, thank you so much Andrei, I will be using Investopedia and I will also purchase the TCLA Academy course. When you were beginning your commercial awareness journey, did you have a specific process or routine? As I struggle consistency, I think I need to set up a routine to follow daily and weekly to build knowledge over time. Additionally, as there is so much information online I get so overwhelmed and give up completely lol, did you stick to one or two commercial awareness resources? I only have two Little Law and Morning Brew which I am finding easy to read and engaging. I won’t be tackling FT articles until I get significantly better 🙂

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Hi everyone! Does anyone have any advice on how best to answer this question or what things I could focus on as I am struggling to think of ideas:

If you were to create a new law, what would it be and why? (250)

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Hiya!

I wanted to add to the fantastic advice given by @trainee4u. This is a great question to showcase your creativity and your understanding of the firm's key practice areas.

I'd start by researching the firm’s strengths. If the firm is known for life sciences, tech, or regulatory work (like Covington, for instance, a firm that asked this question in my second application cycle), then proposing a law around ESG disclosures in biotech, regulating generative AI, or data privacy reform would feel far more tailored than, say, real estate reform or changes to leasehold law. If the firm focuses more on private equity, funds, or restructuring, you might suggest reforms relating to these areas. By aligning your proposal with what the firm actually does, I think you’ll show commercial awareness and legal interests.

Second, I don't think you need to reinvent the wheel here. When I’ve answered questions like this in the past, I’ve looked at what leading think tanks or policy groups in sectors I’m interested in have proposed (often in the form of policy/law reform recommendations). It’s absolutely fine to build on something that’s already been suggested by the Law Commission, the courts, a government consultation, or a respected think tank. I actually think doing this can help ground your proposal a bit more and show that you’ve engaged with ongoing legal and commercial developments.

Third, in your answer, I think it also helps to demonstrate that you’ve thought about how your law would work in practice. So you'll want your answer to touch on such questions as: Who would it affect? Are there trade-offs to consider, like cost vs fairness or innovation vs regulation? A good answer shows that you’re not just interested in legal ideas but in how those ideas would land in the real world. Briefly reflecting on those tensions is a great way to show maturity of thought and an understanding of the broader policy landscape.

Finally, think about what the law you’re proposing says about you as an applicant. Does it show that you’re someone who thinks about fairness, innovation, sustainability, or risk? By picking a topic/reform that resonates with you, I think you can better reflect to the reader the kind of lawyer you want to be.

Good luck!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Amazing, thank you so much Andrei, I will be using Investopedia and I will also purchase the TCLA Academy course. When you were beginning your commercial awareness journey, did you have a specific process or routine? As I struggle consistency, I think I need to set up a routine to follow daily and weekly to build knowledge over time. Additionally, as there is so much information online I get so overwhelmed and give up completely lol, did you stick to one or two commercial awareness resources? I only have two Little Law and Morning Brew which I am finding easy to read and engaging. I won’t be tackling FT articles until I get significantly better 🙂

I did not have a routine from the very beginning, but I slowly built it up. In forming it, I think I was guided by a principle of maximizing efficiency: essentially, I would try and think which moments of the day I do not or cannot do anything else very productive/enjoyable in and then use as many as them as possible for building commercial awareness. Over time, as I was consciously looking for these 'dead moments' to use, I formed a bit of a routine:

• First thing in the morning: as I was brushing my teeth or making coffee, I would listen to the FT News Briefing. This worked great because it just gave me a short summary of the important items in the news and enabled me to decide what I specifically wanted to learn more about in the rest of the day.
• When I first checked my email: I would take 5-10 minutes to briefly skim newsletters I subscribed to (such as Little Law and Zip Law). This normally took quite a short time as the main topics had normally already been covered by the FT News Briefing.
• During a commute: I had a roughly 30-40 minute commute to campus every day, so either on the way there or on the way back home I made it a point to listen to a more in depth commercial law podcast: either Watson's Daily, Bloomberg News, BBC Business Matters, or some law firms' podcasts.
• In the weekend: After I became more advanced, I normally tried to take around 1 hour on Saturday or Sunday to either research one topic in a lot of depth by reading FT and other articles on it, or to complete some of TCLA's courses on practice areas.

 

[A worried graduate]

I got 4 above average and 1 average last year and didn’t but people with less did - hard to say what Mayer Brown places weight on!

Probably the CV/Background

 

[lawgal1908]

Hi all, I just wanted to ask something important regarding a decision related to a VS and TC. I received a vac scheme for a big American firm in London in February, and just last week, received a TC offer for another firm. I'd really like to do the vacation scheme because I've already processed everything and it would be my last opportunity to work in the UK, as my TC is for Hong Kong. I just wanted to ask if it would be inappropriate to mention this to the firm that offered me the TC, or if it's best to just renege for the vacation scheme and do the TC.

 

[👩🎓]

Hiya!

I wanted to add to the fantastic advice given by @trainee4u. This is a great question to showcase your creativity and your understanding of the firm's key practice areas.

I'd start by researching the firm’s strengths. If the firm is known for life sciences, tech, or regulatory work (like Covington, for instance, a firm that asked this question in my second application cycle), then proposing a law around ESG disclosures in biotech, regulating generative AI, or data privacy reform would feel far more tailored than, say, real estate reform or changes to leasehold law. If the firm focuses more on private equity, funds, or restructuring, you might suggest reforms relating to these areas. By aligning your proposal with what the firm actually does, I think you’ll show commercial awareness and legal interests.

Second, I don't think you need to reinvent the wheel here. When I’ve answered questions like this in the past, I’ve looked at what leading think tanks or policy groups in sectors I’m interested in have proposed (often in the form of policy/law reform recommendations). It’s absolutely fine to build on something that’s already been suggested by the Law Commission, the courts, a government consultation, or a respected think tank. I actually think doing this can help ground your proposal a bit more and show that you’ve engaged with ongoing legal and commercial developments.

Third, in your answer, I think it also helps to demonstrate that you’ve thought about how your law would work in practice. So you'll want your answer to touch on such questions as: Who would it affect? Are there trade-offs to consider, like cost vs fairness or innovation vs regulation? A good answer shows that you’re not just interested in legal ideas but in how those ideas would land in the real world. Briefly reflecting on those tensions is a great way to show maturity of thought and an understanding of the broader policy landscape.

Finally, think about what the law you’re proposing says about you as an applicant. Does it show that you’re someone who thinks about fairness, innovation, sustainability, or risk? By picking a topic/reform that resonates with you, I think you can better reflect to the reader the kind of lawyer you want to be.

Good luck!

Thank you so much, this advice is really helpful moving forward.

 

[SeniorJunior]

TC offer post SVS with AG 🥳

 

[SamiyaJ]

TC offer post SVS with AG 🥳

Absolutely amazing!!! Congratulations legend 🫶🏾✨✨

 

[theruleofno]

Hi all, I just wanted to ask something important regarding a decision related to a VS and TC. I received a vac scheme for a big American firm in London in February, and just last week, received a TC offer for another firm. I'd really like to do the vacation scheme because I've already processed everything and it would be my last opportunity to work in the UK, as my TC is for Hong Kong. I just wanted to ask if it would be inappropriate to mention this to the firm that offered me the TC, or if it's best to just renege for the vacation scheme and do the TC.

Do the VS, you might enjoy it more and regardless you will build valuable skills and a professional network.

 

[A worried graduate]

Hi all, I just wanted to ask something important regarding a decision related to a VS and TC. I received a vac scheme for a big American firm in London in February, and just last week, received a TC offer for another firm. I'd really like to do the vacation scheme because I've already processed everything and it would be my last opportunity to work in the UK, as my TC is for Hong Kong. I just wanted to ask if it would be inappropriate to mention this to the firm that offered me the TC, or if it's best to just renege for the vacation scheme and do the TC.

I'd be honest about it unless the American firm has no presence in HK as you might want to go back to them at some point.

Actually if you haven't took the TC then go for the Vac scheme if you feel you might prefer a London TC.