TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Amma Usman]

Does anyone have tips on the final training contract interview (post-vacation scheme). I was wondering how you can use your vacation scheme experience to support your answer of Why do you want to work at this firm and why law. Thank you !

Hey!

A lot of your answers will come down to the interactions you had with people during the scheme. Definitely reference those coffee chats or informal conversations with trainees, associates, or partners. Mention specific things they told you that you didn’t know before, especially if it gave you a new perspective on the firm or the type of work they do. It shows you were curious, reflective, and really making the most of your time there.

You can also talk about how certain tasks or departments you rotated through helped confirm your interest in specific practice areas or exposed you to something completely new that excited you. If you got feedback on a piece of work, that’s also worth bringing up to show that you were actively learning and growing.

Before a vacation scheme, it’s really hard to know what a firm’s culture is like from just research and open days. But now you’ve experienced it first-hand, so you can speak confidently about what the environment felt like and how it suits your personality. That could be anything from the support you received, how approachable people were, the way teams worked together, or how much responsibility you were given.

Link all of that back to yourself and explain why you see yourself fitting in there long-term. Go beyond just being able to do the work and talk about why you’d enjoy being part of that firm’s community and how you’d contribute to it. It shows maturity and self-awareness.

Also, think about how the scheme challenged you. Were there moments that took you out of your comfort zone? How did you handle that and what did it show you about yourself? That reflection can feed into your answer for why law, because it shows that even when the job is tough, you're motivated to keep growing and pushing yourself.

Another thing you could mention is how the scheme helped you understand the firm's broader goals or strategy. For example, if a partner spoke about the firm's growth in a specific region or sector, and that aligns with your interests, it's worth referencing. It shows commercial awareness and that you understand where the firm is headed.

Finally, don’t forget to highlight the softer aspects. If you saw examples of strong mentoring, genuine collaboration, etc, those are great to include too. They speak to the kind of environment you want to develop in, and why that specific firm is where you see yourself building a career.

Hope that helps and best of luck, you’ve got this!

 

[Amma Usman]

scared i might not convert my VS into TC. 6 offers went out on thursday from 15 of us. i dont think they have more.

I wouldn’t lose hope just yet. It might just be more operational than anything else - they’re probably still collating feedback, scheduling decision meetings, or finalising numbers. You’ve done the hard part by getting the scheme and showing up. Just try to breathe a bit.. you’ve got this! Try doing something to get your mind off it, like going for a walk, meeting up with friends, etc.

 

[Amma Usman]

Received a PFO from Paul,Weiss, as expected tbh, but pretty demoralising that they took this long to hand it to me.

I’m really sorry to hear that, but please remember this doesn’t take away from all the hard work you’ve put in. It’s okay to feel disappointed, and it’s completely valid to take a moment to process that. But don’t let this keep you down. Every person in this field has faced rejection at some point - it’s a shared experience that doesn’t reflect your worth or abilities. You’re doing all the right things, and this is just one part of your journey. Take the time you need to feel the emotions, and when you’re ready, pick yourself up and keep going. There are so many opportunities still ahead, and this doesn’t define your path or limit what you can achieve.

You’ve got this, and I really believe in your potential.

 

[ashwright]

Hi @ashwright and huge congratulations, I'm so happy to hear the news 🥳🥳 ! First off, my advice is to take a moment to celebrate this before jumping into preparations; I remember the first time I got an AC invite, it was one of the most exciting moments in my life - probably even more than when I got a VS or TC offer! After dealing with a lot of insecurity because of my past rejections, this was the first time I remember think 'I can actually do this' and also fully believing it, so looking back I wish I had cherished the moment a bit more rather than jumping straight away to chase the next thing.

As for advice around identifying and articulating legal issues arising from a business proposal, I think you should essentially analyze the proposed dealing by constantly asking yourself questions such as:

• What exactly is each party promising here? How do I make sure this is enforceable?
• What could go wrong with the transaction? What commercial risks does accepting this proposal imply? Is there any way such risks can be mitigated via legal instruments?
• Are there any potential legal liabilities resulting from this? Is there any way that the proposed transaction, or elements it entails, are contrary to law/regulations?

Essentially, for any piece of information give, I think you need to ask yourself (i) is there any way this entails a risk, even if a remote one? is there anything here that could go wrong and cause some sort of harm to my client?; and if the answer is yes, then ask (ii) how is this connected to law and how can it be remedied? This mindset is partly why some people describe the job of commercial lawyers as that of a "risk-mitigator"

Now, what exactly those risks are will greatly depend on the specifics of the business proposal. However, I think you can improve your chances of spotting by learning about the following:

• General business risks and costs: by familiarizing yourself with the kind of things businesses need to be aware about in general, you increase your odds of identifying their particular instantiations in the exercise. I have linked here an introductory Investopedia article on the topic.
• Risks involved in contracts: since any business proposal, if accepted, is likely to take the form of a contract, it is helpful to have a basic understanding of the risks involved in transactions and how contractual provisions can address them. In particular, have a look for how to address liability exposure in case of breach, management of disputes, termination rights, force majeure clauses, reputational risks, and interpretation of ambiguous terms.
• M&A risks: M&A transactions are the most common type of business proposal encountered in ACs, so I think it is definitely useful to understand the basic terms that go into this type of deal and the types of harms they protect parties from. I would have a look in particular at NDAs, warranties, indemnities, disclosure schedules, change of control clauses, employee retention, IP ownership, and conditions precedent (which is where we would require, for instance, clearance from the competition law authorities) .

Andrei, you are my hero.
Guess who got offered the role?

Thank you, thank you, and thank you. You deserve a shower of gratitude which no combination of the 26 letters of the alphabet can convey. The most accurate statement of my feelings is simply: you are incredible.

Quite frankly, I am in disbelief - I did not think I would land the role. Yet, thanks to your knowledge and kindness, I was able to do so. You are a miracle worker. I am so unbelieveably grateful to you for sharing your well-informed and incisive insights with me. Not only did you help me through my first AC, you also helped me with my confidence - be it explicitly or implicitly, your support continually built me up.
Thank you so much for helping my life so much.

 

[User5678]

hi @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman

I have made it to the video presentation round of kingsley’s tc application process and wanted some advice.

For background, we have been given a defamation case and we have to pitch to a client who is an individual who has been defamed (the reality tv star) . We will be marked on the following points -
1. why your firm should be instructed to undertake this work.
• Introduction
• Content and structure of your presentation and use of resources provided
• Client care and empathy towards the client who has been defamed and understanding his perspective
• Delivery, impact and credibility of the presentation overall

The issues I am facing here are we only have 3 mins to pitch and finish the whole thing and also if we should talk as if we are speaking to the client directly when giving the pitch so basically saying, “you should hire us because….” or should we just talk to the interviewer (the person from the firm hearing the pitch) so basically saying “they should hire us because….”

It is not on zoom and we need to record and upload it.

The jist of the matter is - A, a reality TV star, was falsely accused by a tabloid of cheating on his wife and pursuing a 15-year-old, based on a photo of him kissing B. He sued for defamation and privacy breach, won £150,000 in damages, and got the article removed. However, other outlets still have old coverage online, including embarrassing details from the trial. A now wants help removing all remaining content, as it’s harming his reputation and career.

We have also been giving two fact sheets which are basically 1. Information on media law and privacy copyright and defamation and 2. Right to be forgotten fact sheet.

I am unsure in how much legal depth I should go and what format should I follow to make the pitch should good in just 3 mins. Which departments in the firm can be used to solve this?

Thank you very much in advance.

 

[FutureTraineeMaybe]

Has anybody heard back after Clyde & Co's paralegal academy digital simulation for the Manchester office

 

[Amma Usman]

If an interview ends in 30 mins but was booked in for hour is that a bad sign? They said they had no more questions… not sure what to think lmao

Not necessarily a bad sign at all. This has happened to me quite a few times, and I’ve still gotten offers. Sometimes it just means they’ve gone through the list of questions they were given by grad rec or tailored the conversation based on what they felt was relevant to the role or your background.

That said, whenever interviews end early or seem to be wrapping up quickly, I always recommend using that moment to ask insightful questions, not the ones you can Google, but ones about their work, how a specific news story or market trend impacts their day to day, or how certain principles actually play out in practice. It shows genuine curiosity and gives you a chance to steer the conversation into something really memorable.

So don’t stress, shorter interviews aren’t always a red flag!

 

[wordyversus]

Has anyone heard back after the Paul Hastings PHirst Steps first round?

 

[berocca567]

Does anyone know how late you can apply to do the PGDL? e.g. if I convert my VS, i'd want to start in september – this means I'd only know in July/August, can you stilll apply then?

 

[berocca567]

Also, how much would you recommend mentioning preferred practice areas in applications/interview? If I said I was really interested in capital markets, for example, would that seem too closed off?

 

[BillSikes]

Also, how much would you recommend mentioning preferred practice areas in applications/interview? If I said I was really interested in capital markets, for example, would that seem too closed off?

Mention preferred practice area if this is one of the firms strengths. Don't say capital markets if the firm only has a very small capital markets team

 

[Andrei Radu]

Andrei, you are my hero.
Guess who got offered the role?

Thank you, thank you, and thank you. You deserve a shower of gratitude which no combination of the 26 letters of the alphabet can convey. The most accurate statement of my feelings is simply: you are incredible.

Quite frankly, I am in disbelief - I did not think I would land the role. Yet, thanks to your knowledge and kindness, I was able to do so. You are a miracle worker. I am so unbelieveably grateful to you for sharing your well-informed and incisive insights with me. Not only did you help me through my first AC, you also helped me with my confidence - be it explicitly or implicitly, your support continually built me up.
Thank you so much for helping my life so much.

That's absolutely amazing to hear @ashwright 🥳 🥳🥳 huge congratulations!!! I am so happy I managed to help you along the way, stories like yours are why I love doing this job - so if you need any other advice in the future, just give a shout. But right now, my only remaining tip for you is to take a moment to let it sink in how far you've come and to celebrate this incredible achievement

 

[Jessica Booker]

Does anyone know how late you can apply to do the PGDL? e.g. if I convert my VS, i'd want to start in september – this means I'd only know in July/August, can you stilll apply then?

Generally you’ll still find places pretty late on in August and even sometime early September. Might be trickier if you are looking to do the GDL in a location outside of major course providers (eg outside of London/Manchester).

 

[Andrei Radu]

Also, how much would you recommend mentioning preferred practice areas in applications/interview? If I said I was really interested in capital markets, for example, would that seem too closed off?

I think generally speaking practice area interests make for some of the most persuasive 'why the firm' reasons, as they make a direct link between the firm's work and your motivations. Many of my why the firm answers and those of other successful applicants I know were based almost entirely on practice area interests - so I do not think there is any point at which you should think you have talked about them too much.

That said, as @BillSikes said, you have to ensure that the practice areas you are basing your motivations on are practice areas that the firm is known to be strong in. They do not necessarily need to be undisputed market leaders, but the practice should be one that is generally well-recognized for its expertise. Otherwise, your answer will seem unpersuasive: if you really are interested in that practice so much that you would base your decision as to where to train at on it, why not go at a firm that has significantly more renowned practitioners and works on more high end matters?

The other connected point to here is that you also want to ensure that at least one of the practice areas you mention is one that is relatively sizeable in the firm. I have seen some applications for MC firms solely identifying practices like International Arbitration, ESG, or IP. While using any of those reasons individually is fine, if they are the only ones you use, it becomes problematic. This is because these teams are significantly smaller than the bread and butter practice areas like corporate or litigation, and in many years getting to do seats/qualifying there can be quite competitive. Thus, from the firm's point of view, it generally makes sense to prefer candidates whose sole motivation for joining the firm does not have to do with opportunities that may not be in fact available.

 

[Andrei Radu]

hi @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman

I have made it to the video presentation round of kingsley’s tc application process and wanted some advice.

For background, we have been given a defamation case and we have to pitch to a client who is an individual who has been defamed (the reality tv star) . We will be marked on the following points -
1. why your firm should be instructed to undertake this work.
• Introduction
• Content and structure of your presentation and use of resources provided
• Client care and empathy towards the client who has been defamed and understanding his perspective
• Delivery, impact and credibility of the presentation overall

The issues I am facing here are we only have 3 mins to pitch and finish the whole thing and also if we should talk as if we are speaking to the client directly when giving the pitch so basically saying, “you should hire us because….” or should we just talk to the interviewer (the person from the firm hearing the pitch) so basically saying “they should hire us because….”

It is not on zoom and we need to record and upload it.

The jist of the matter is - A, a reality TV star, was falsely accused by a tabloid of cheating on his wife and pursuing a 15-year-old, based on a photo of him kissing B. He sued for defamation and privacy breach, won £150,000 in damages, and got the article removed. However, other outlets still have old coverage online, including embarrassing details from the trial. A now wants help removing all remaining content, as it’s harming his reputation and career.

We have also been giving two fact sheets which are basically 1. Information on media law and privacy copyright and defamation and 2. Right to be forgotten fact sheet.

I am unsure in how much legal depth I should go and what format should I follow to make the pitch should good in just 3 mins. Which departments in the firm can be used to solve this?

Thank you very much in advance.

To take your questions in turn:
• Both because of how these exercises are generally conducted and because of how the firm has specifically referred to assessing you on your ability to show "client care" and "empathy", I am quite confident you are supposed to answer as if you are talking to the client directly.
• Because of the time limits I do not think there will be an expectation for you to go in any level of depth on the legal matters. What they will be looking for is likely to see if you can identify the core legal points, apply them to the facts, and state your conclusions in a clear and concise manner.
• There's no set format to follow for this type of presentation - my advice is to just go for the structure that seems most intuitive and easy to follow to you. If this were my presentation, I would probably have a very short introduction stating the facts, then I would pitch the firm's expertise, and finally I would explain how the firm would plan to deal with the case based on the legal points you have researched.
• Different departments might be involved depending on the particular firm, as different firms structure their practice areas differently. The teams I expect would be involved would be the general litigation teams and then specialist advisory media/IP law teams.

 

[tryingtogetajob555]

Has anyone got the Teacher Stern open day tomorrow? or have had the open day before and have any tips/ advice for it?

 

[Amma Usman]

Has anyone got the Teacher Stern open day tomorrow? or have had the open day before and have any tips/ advice for it?

Huge congrats on getting the open day! Sooo well deserved.

I’ve provided some tips below:


Before the Open Day:

• Research the firm: Know key deals, focus areas, and any awards or initiatives they have been involved in. Though, to be honest, this is not soooo necessary because a lot of it will be shared on the day and you will know more about even more current deals then. However, researching to some extent helps put the things shared into perspective.
• Prepare thoughtful questions in advance: Ideally questions that show you are interested in how the law operates in practice, not just theoretical knowledge. Ask things you wouldn’t see on Google, basically.
• Stay updated on current news: If there is a big news event, think about how it could affect the firm's clients and ask about the practical impacts.
• Understand the difference between theory and practice: Firms appreciate candidates who recognise that not every headline trend has a material effect on client work.
• Plan your logistics: Arrive early, and bring a notebook and pen for proper note-taking (though they may already provide this more often times than not).

During the Open Day:

• Take clear, structured notes: Record key points lawyers and graduate recruitment share, including any insights about working practices and trends.
• Be inquisitive and engaged: Remember there are no "silly" questions at this stage. This is your opportunity to learn directly from experienced professionals.
• Ask about the practicalities of the job: For example, ask how a regulatory change or market development affects the day-to-day work lawyers do for clients.
• Focus on practical impacts, not just surface trends: Ask whether recent developments have actually led to changes in client instructions or market dynamics.
• Listen actively during talks and workshops: Note down examples they use to explain legal concepts or client advice, as these real-world examples are very valuable for future applications and interviews.
• Engage respectfully with lawyers and trainees: Ask what skills they use most often, what surprised them when they started, and how their work has evolved over time.
• Network with your fellow attendees: They are future peers and colleagues; many meaningful professional relationships start at open days. A lot of my closest friends, I met at open days - small world haha!
• Ask about client interaction and teamwork: Understanding how trainees/ lawyers fit into wider client matters will give you a strong foundation.
• Be open about gaps in your knowledge: Showing a willingness to learn is much more impressive than pretending to know everything.

After the Open Day:

• Reflect after the event: Jot down your impressions of the firm's work, culture, and any personal connections you made.
• Follow up with individuals you met: Send a short, thoughtful message thanking them for their time and mentioning something specific you discussed.
• Connect with your cohort: Stay in touch with fellow attendees; some of your closest professional contacts and friends might come from these early experiences.
• Review your notes and link them to future applications: Use the insights you gained to tailor your applications and demonstrate a genuine and well-informed interest in the firm/other firms even.
• Continue to build commercial awareness: Use the real examples and practice-area insights you gathered to deepen your understanding for future interviews.

Hope this helps!

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi everyone! I hope the weekend has been great! I created this thread to share some last-minute application tips. I hope it proves useful

How to Make the Most of The Rest of This Application Cycle

Hi everyone! I hope the weekend has been great! I created this thread to share some last-minute application tips. I hope it proves useful, and please let me know if you have any questions. I, and the rest of the team, will be more than happy to help! 1. Commercial awareness should be a...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

 

[InterestInPublicLaw]

Has anyone heard back from the following firms?

Bevan Brittan (after video interview)
Devonshires (after teams interview)
Beale & Co (applicaion form)
Moore Barlow (application form)

Is your Bevan Brittan application a Vac scheme or direct TC one? I'm going to apply for their direct TC

 

[Amma Usman]

Also, how much would you recommend mentioning preferred practice areas in applications/interview? If I said I was really interested in capital markets, for example, would that seem too closed off?

This is a really good question.

In my opinion, the main thing to focus on when demonstrating interest in a law firm, whether in an application or an interview, is the work. At the end of the day, this is what you will be doing, so it makes sense to concentrate on the firm’s practices, clients, advisory scope, and explain why that appeals to you. The more passionate you are about a specific practice area, the more naturally enthusiastic you will come across. You will also know more about what to say and show that you have properly researched the profession and know it is the right fit for you. Candidates sometimes think they need to have worked in a particular area to show interest, but that is not the case. Often, it is more about how well you understand the area and the steps you have taken to explore it, such as speaking to people who work in the field. Being specific about your motivations and how you have developed them will always leave a strong impression.

In short, I would definitely recommend touching on what interests you about the firm’s work and showing how you have actively built on that interest.