New Threads

I'm hoping to apply to a few 1st Year schemes; the covering letter is a requisite and I was wondering if you were allowed to namedrop other firms in the cover letter or would that be a no-no?

Eg. For my "Why law?" section, I elaborated on how I've attended a law firm dinner at Goodwin LLP in hopes of expanding my knowledge of the role of commercial lawyers. Can I mention this for an app to Matheson LLP? (Made-up example names) Also mentioning how meeting a commercial lawyer from XYZ firm really opened up my interest in commercial law for an application for ABC firm?

Hello. I'm an international student doing LLB in a British university that is ranked pretty low. Now I know that a majority of silver circle (and magic ofc) firms tend to go for either oxbridge or RG unis. I also know that they select a few students that are from neither oxbridge or RG universities, but even then they're pretty decent unis. I won't name mine but its ranked around 60-80 in the UK. Do I have a chance of being selected for a vacation scheme or a training contract given that I'm the ideal candidate in other aspects (have good Alevel grades, have a 2.1 or above in uni, tons of work experience, and know how to make my application stand out) but come from a 'low tier uni'? I feel down when thinking about this. Are there any stories out there of candidates from low ranked unis securing a VS or/and a TC in a silver circle firm? Also any advice to make my application look more attractive would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone. I need to make a decision soon on whether to do the accelerated LPC at ULaw or the standard length course. Could someone tell me honestly how they found the accelerated course as this is what I'm leaning towards? It makes more sense for me financially but the intensity of the shorter length course is scaring me. I would be grateful for any insights

Hi guys!

I was in the process of applying for the Clifford Chance TC and noticed that the moment I completed the first section of 'Personal Details' and clicked 'save and next', the personal details section disappeared. Does this mean that every section gets submitted separately? If any of you have completed the application, were you all able to review and edit your application before submitting it?

Hi! I submitted an application for a TC at Hogan Lovells a few weeks ago.. just today received an invitation to complete a Watson Glaser test.

I'm a non-law graduate trying to convert, and what I'm wondering is: do they invite /all/ candidates to do a WG test? Or is that an indicator that I passed some sort of initial screening? If the latter, of course, that would be sort of encouraging for me. I'm new to all of this .

Thanks!

hello to you all,

I'm new here, heard about this website and specific thread from another forum member. I thought I'd try and post here when I have time each week.
two key reasons:
1. as Jaysen says, putting it in public is a form of accountability
2. I find the inevitable rejections really difficult to handle, but feel creating a list will help me keep focused. even one can rejection derail me for days - and, oddly, in a way that rejections for other jobs have never affected me as badly.

this year is also a challenge as (very happily) I'm in the grand final of one of the commercial awareness competitions - which, along with my job and applications, means I need to be even more organised

about me... I'm a candidate who got a high-result LPC from University of Law Moorgate in summer 2021. currently working as a paralegal for a big media company. whilst a lot of my day job is about contracts (especially IP) I'm trying to gain experience in other areas, such as litigation. this is partly to add more flavour to my applications, and also partly to keep me constantly learning - a key reason for wanting to become a lawyer

my goal: secure a TC or VS by summer 2023.

*open days I applied to (both of which accepted me):
Bird & Bird
Taylor Wessing

*open days I got c/o Aspiring Solicitors:
Bristows

*firms I've applied to so far:
Bird & Bird
Taylor Wessing

*firms to apply to before New Year:
Bristows
Lewis Silkin
Osborne Clarke

*firms to finish researching and apply to from January 2023:
Pinsent Masons
RPC
Simkins
TLT
Wiggin

for all the firms in that last group, I've 'front-loaded' the research (e.g. attending online events), as know these start to become less regular in the new year. I've then written notes to finish in January and start applying for TCs and VSs.

goal for week beginning December 5th: finish off my Bristows application (meaning: fill it in with my free text answers, check it, print it, check it again, come back to it, leave it a day or two, check it again, and only then: submit)

Gosh.... what a question considering Kennedys might be one of the most generic firms out there! Tips, anyone?

@Jessica Booker Hi Jessica - I am applying for a training contract at a law firm where it asks if I have applied for any other positions at the firm previously. I have mentioned that I applied for a legal assistant position at the firm a few years ago in order to gain legal experience in a different legal practice area. However, I decided to focus on applying for training contracts to fulfil my goal of qualifying as a lawyer. Will this be an acceptable answer? Thank you.

Hi - this question is for everyone who has successfully secured a VI with Jones Day. Did the firm follow up with your academic referee and ask for a reference? I haven’t received a response yet from my academic referee if they are happy to provide a reference and I’m panicking because I want to submit the application ASAP (as they’re rolling basis). Please help!!!

Hello all, I recently got invited to an interview at an MC firm for their summer vacation scheme, however, I have a very strong blip in academic attainment at GCSE. I've heard a story of someone being invited to interview and being grilled pretty intensely about something similar. During the interview, am I likely to be asked about my mitigating circumstances, even though I explained them on my application form, and/or the grades which were impacted by them?

I was talking to a friend who studies economics and wants to be an investment banker. He shared that when he networks and connects with people on LinkedIn, he sometimes request a quick zoom call with the other person if he wants to know more about their work. I am a law student and this to me seems really strange because I wouldn't normally feel comfortable taking up so much time.

Is there anything wrong with his approach? Is it acceptable/professional in the legal industry?

Thanks!

hi - does anyone know what firms are still accepting the lpc when recruiting? i am doing the lpc rn and don't want to have to do the SQE too

Hi everyone!

I wanted to take a moment to commend all those who have made their 'My TC Journey' threads- this is a big step in holding yourself accountable and I really hope that it's made a difference to your experience of the TC application process.

Our team at TCLA would like to award those who have particularly stood out in their effort to consistently work on their applications and update their threads by giving away a 6-month TCLA Premium (Bronze) membership every month. I am so happy to announce our inaugural winner- @j.s.cox!

Since beginning their thread a month ago, @j.s.cox has regularly updated our community with their brilliantly written commercial awareness articles, weekly reviews of goals and application submissions and candidly sharing any struggles or blockers they've faced with our community. Congratulations on a great month @j.s.cox!

Stay tuned for our post next month announcing December's winner () and until then, all the very best with your applications!

Hello all,

Im currently studying the LPC and submitted my PLR assessment last week. Everything went well but I have now realised that I forgot to put half my primary sources in my references. Is this an automatic fail considering it is graded as competent/not competent? Just want to prepare myself for the outcome in march really!

Hi,

If I am an International student applying for a Direct training Contract instead of a Vacation scheme with no work experience in UK, will I be in a disadvantaged position? Considering most of the firms are not ready to assist in Visa sponsorships for Vacation Schemes.

My visa allows for 20 hours a week of work during term-time and I am allowed full-time work when not on term time. The issue is that my term ends on the 23rd of June for Summer whereas some firms run their schemes starting from the 19th. Will this be an issue?

Hi Everyone!

I’m Ricky, a first year LLB Law student at Queen Mary University of London. I’m especially interested in commercial law, more specifically corporate and finance seats, but I’ve learned to keep an open mind.
I’m writing article for a blog (and hopefully building my commercial awareness alongside it), and hope to learn how to write applications effectively! I’ve also lurked around TCLA forums, and have found them to be extremely beneficial to further my understanding, so thank you to the TCLA team and all the members for everything
Is there anything I should be focusing on to further my chances to secure a VS/TC in the upcoming years?
Cheers!

I'm currently writing my application for Skadden and one of the questions is the standard, why skadden and what qualities can you bring. In regards to this, my structure is most likely going to be talking about my interest in the firm's strong transactional work, differentiating it from US counterparts and linking to why that interests me, and lastly evidence of qualities I have that may help. In regards to the interest in the firm's strong transactional work, should I be linking some form of experience that I have gained that led me to being interested in commercial/transactional work as a whole. Or perhaps identify a specific sector such as private equity, explain the broad characteristics of that area like how it is fast-paced, and finally link that back to me and explain why I would enjoy such work. Not sure which route to take in general regarding this question.