James Carrabino
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Junior Lawyer 11
- Oct 12, 2021
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Hi everyone!
I hope that this can be useful in planning out where you will apply for vacation schemes and where you will apply directly for training contracts. You can decide when to apply to each firm by looking at my compilation of law firm deadlines as well as my thread about which firms recruit on a rolling or non-rolling basis.
Refer to the below list in conjunction with an excellent thread by @Adrian_S about which firms allow you to apply twice in the same recruitment cycle - once for the vacation scheme and then, if unsuccessful, again for a direct training contract. With these firms you have nothing to lose by first applying to the vacation scheme, even if they do take large numbers via the direct TC route!
I have separated firms into four categories which are largely accurate based on knowledge accumulated across TCLA, Chambers Student and other legal articles, but cannot be said to be hard and fast for all of the firms on here. Please do comment if you have any additional information about how many direct TC offers firms make - including both firms already on the list and those that are not
Thank you!
50%-100% from direct TC applications
Allen & Overy
Bristows
Brown Rudnick
Clifford Chance
Farrer & Co
Fieldfisher
Freshfields
Fried Frank
Greenberg Traurig
Hill Dickinson
Howard Kennedy
Ince
K & L Gates
Kennedys
Lewis Silkin
Macfarlanes
Norton Rose Fulbright
Paul Hastings
Shoosmiths
Slaughter and May
Stephenson Harwood
TLT
Mostly from Vacation Scheme but with a consistently healthy direct TC intake
It can be misleading to say that a firm recruits predominantly from its vacation scheme when it has a strong direct TC intake every year. In fact, an applicant's chances of obtaining a training contract through that route can be very similar given the lower application numbers or the applicant's individual strengths/preferences. These are firms where direct TC routes are certainly a viable route for all candidates (percentages aside). The firms may recruit predominantly from their vacation schemes (or their stats may change from year to year) but they have at a minimum made more than one direct TC offer every year in recent years – it is definitely worth submitting a direct TC app to these firms and the application will be almost certainly be read and considered seriously for a TC.
Addleshaw Goddard
Ashurst
Baker McKenzie
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Charles Russell Speechlys
Curtis
Dentons
DWF
Forsters
Goodwin Procter
HFW
Hogan Lovells
Irwin Mitchell
Latham & Watkins
Linklaters
Mayer Brown
Morgan Lewis
Orrick
Pennington Manches Cooper
Pinsent Masons
Trowers & Hamlins
Watson Farley & Williams
Wedlake Bell
White & Case
Withers
From Vacation Scheme in the first instance
These are firms which recruit primarily from their vacation schemes. Direct TC routes technically exist at all of these firms but they are often only used by the firms when they do not find whom they are looking for on their vacation schemes, or when individuals have special circumstances preventing them from completing a vacation scheme. These firms sometimes explicitly advise candidates without special circumstances to apply for their vacation scheme in the first instance.
Akin Gump
Arnold & Porter
Bird & Bird
Burges Salmon
Cleary Gottlieb
Covington & Burling
Eversheds Sutherland
Gibson Dunn
Kirkland & Ellis (they have historically advertised a direct TC route, but during the previous two years they have cancelled their vacation schemes and awarded direct training contracts solely from their vacation scheme interviews)
Mills & Reeve
Osborne Clarke
Sullivan & Cromwell
Travers Smith
Vinson & Elkins
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Womble Bond Dickinson (there is only one option which is to apply for their placement scheme - after the AC they offer candidates who cannot complete the placement scheme a chance to complete a direct TC interview day instead)
Only from Vacation Scheme
Clyde & Co
CMS
Davis Polk
Debevoise & Plimpton
Dechert
DLA Piper
Gowling WLG
Herbert Smith Freehills
Jones Day
Katten
Milbank
Mishcon de Reya
Reed Smith
Ropes & Gray
Shearman & Sterling
Sidley Austin
Simmons & Simmons
Skadden
Squire Patton Boggs
Taylor Vinters
Taylor Wessing
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Winston & Strawn
I hope that this can be useful in planning out where you will apply for vacation schemes and where you will apply directly for training contracts. You can decide when to apply to each firm by looking at my compilation of law firm deadlines as well as my thread about which firms recruit on a rolling or non-rolling basis.
Refer to the below list in conjunction with an excellent thread by @Adrian_S about which firms allow you to apply twice in the same recruitment cycle - once for the vacation scheme and then, if unsuccessful, again for a direct training contract. With these firms you have nothing to lose by first applying to the vacation scheme, even if they do take large numbers via the direct TC route!
I have separated firms into four categories which are largely accurate based on knowledge accumulated across TCLA, Chambers Student and other legal articles, but cannot be said to be hard and fast for all of the firms on here. Please do comment if you have any additional information about how many direct TC offers firms make - including both firms already on the list and those that are not
Thank you!
50%-100% from direct TC applications
Allen & Overy
Bristows
Brown Rudnick
Clifford Chance
Farrer & Co
Fieldfisher
Freshfields
Fried Frank
Greenberg Traurig
Hill Dickinson
Howard Kennedy
Ince
K & L Gates
Kennedys
Lewis Silkin
Macfarlanes
Norton Rose Fulbright
Paul Hastings
Shoosmiths
Slaughter and May
Stephenson Harwood
TLT
Mostly from Vacation Scheme but with a consistently healthy direct TC intake
It can be misleading to say that a firm recruits predominantly from its vacation scheme when it has a strong direct TC intake every year. In fact, an applicant's chances of obtaining a training contract through that route can be very similar given the lower application numbers or the applicant's individual strengths/preferences. These are firms where direct TC routes are certainly a viable route for all candidates (percentages aside). The firms may recruit predominantly from their vacation schemes (or their stats may change from year to year) but they have at a minimum made more than one direct TC offer every year in recent years – it is definitely worth submitting a direct TC app to these firms and the application will be almost certainly be read and considered seriously for a TC.
Addleshaw Goddard
Ashurst
Baker McKenzie
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Charles Russell Speechlys
Curtis
Dentons
DWF
Forsters
Goodwin Procter
HFW
Hogan Lovells
Irwin Mitchell
Latham & Watkins
Linklaters
Mayer Brown
Morgan Lewis
Orrick
Pennington Manches Cooper
Pinsent Masons
Trowers & Hamlins
Watson Farley & Williams
Wedlake Bell
White & Case
Withers
From Vacation Scheme in the first instance
These are firms which recruit primarily from their vacation schemes. Direct TC routes technically exist at all of these firms but they are often only used by the firms when they do not find whom they are looking for on their vacation schemes, or when individuals have special circumstances preventing them from completing a vacation scheme. These firms sometimes explicitly advise candidates without special circumstances to apply for their vacation scheme in the first instance.
Akin Gump
Arnold & Porter
Bird & Bird
Burges Salmon
Cleary Gottlieb
Covington & Burling
Eversheds Sutherland
Gibson Dunn
Kirkland & Ellis (they have historically advertised a direct TC route, but during the previous two years they have cancelled their vacation schemes and awarded direct training contracts solely from their vacation scheme interviews)
Mills & Reeve
Osborne Clarke
Sullivan & Cromwell
Travers Smith
Vinson & Elkins
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Womble Bond Dickinson (there is only one option which is to apply for their placement scheme - after the AC they offer candidates who cannot complete the placement scheme a chance to complete a direct TC interview day instead)
Only from Vacation Scheme
Clyde & Co
CMS
Davis Polk
Debevoise & Plimpton
Dechert
DLA Piper
Gowling WLG
Herbert Smith Freehills
Jones Day
Katten
Milbank
Mishcon de Reya
Reed Smith
Ropes & Gray
Shearman & Sterling
Sidley Austin
Simmons & Simmons
Skadden
Squire Patton Boggs
Taylor Vinters
Taylor Wessing
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Winston & Strawn
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