New Threads

While the majority of my TC apps were made in one application cycle from 2019-2020, I had made a couple unsuccessful applications before this cycle as well. This thread elaborates on what I did between these two application cycles to strengthen my applications and invites others to share their experiences as well!

• Filled gaps in my information about the profession- the biggest takeaway I had from making those couple applications in the preceding cycle to '19-'20 cycle was that I was basing my applications on what I presumed working in commercial law would be like. I didn't have first-hand accounts about this mostly because I had no connections within the profession. The way I remedied this is by scheduling regular sessions, at least every week or twice a month, with my career counsellor at my university, who had been a solicitor and was able to provide me with a real-world picture of what working in commercial law takes and is really like. A lot of the information filling happened through chance when kind people in my life introduced me to their connections. It was through chance that I had a perspective-altering one-hour call with a connection of one my tutors that helped me understand the difference between US and UK firms, practice areas and what solicitors at different levels are engaged in. For these chances to happen for you, you've got to be open to the help people and ask for help within whatever network you have, big or tiny. Most people will likely not come through but that one person who does can really help improve your understanding of the profession and subsequently increase the quality of your apps.
  
  
• Worked on my commercial awareness- my focus in the interim period shifted to understanding the meaning of the numbers used in business news and how they impact law firms, lawyers and their clients. This required prioritising quality over quantity, and even if I read only one news piece a day, I would ensure it came from a reputable source that broke down business news in a way that allowed me to understand numerical changes discussed in an article, what industries would get impacted by a particular new story and how law firms would need to react to this impact. I'd also spend time putting myself in the shoes of lawyers and clients to understand what their needs and strategies would be to ensure that I was not only consuming business news but personalising it to my perspective.
  
  
• Understood what kind of firms fit my requirements- With how competitive TC apps can be, the conversation often shifts from what applicants want to what firms are looking for, which is although understandable, but also unfortunate because the opportunity to evaluate what kind of career an applicant needs can be missed. As an international applicant, I spent time understanding which firms were best placed to meet my visa requirements and, crucially, whether these firms met my criteria for the kind of commercial legal work I was looking to be engaged in during my career. I also laid a special emphasis on diversity and inclusion and secondment opportunities, as I realised how valuable these aspects of working at a law firm could be for my personality and career development. These realisations did not happen in isolation- they came after months of interactions, attending open days and webinars and introspection, and proved to be tremendously valuable for raising the quality of my applications.
  
  
• Improved my writing- I used the careers service at uni and the Application Review Service at TCLA to hone my writing skills. I especially worked on my ability to articulate and focused on picking the right examples that demonstrated my competencies and motivations for a career in a law at the firm. The biggest challenge for me was understanding how to best utilise my word count to express what I needed to- this was difficult and unfortunately required a few unsuccessful applications for me to realise where I was going wrong and what exactly I needed to do to improve. Note that you most likely cannot meaningfully improve your writing alone, on your own- this requires another (or several) pair of eyes to inform you about how your writing is being received by a reader and the best way to get this guidance is by having family/friends/your careers service, or anyone you trust, to go over what you've written.

Hi all,

Just a quick question about the ideal format for the 750 word cover letter for the NRF TC application.

My idea is to structure it in this manner:

Dear Graduate Recruitment,

1) Why (commercial) law,
2) Why NRF,
3) Why me.

Yours faithfully,
[Name]

Do you think that would be about correct? I think I would avoid including addresses etc, as it seems they would eat too much into the word count.

Thanks!

Hi everyone. I have an actual face to face interview - hooray!! but I have been asked to :

Hello all.

I am an LPC grad, and began the training contract last year.

I am in conveyancing, and I am set to take my SQE2 next year. My thoughts are that I just vehemently dislike the area of law I am in due to the estate agents and the business model of the firm which leads to high likelihoods of complaints.

At interview, I was given the impression that I would have time in other departments but this is not going to happen because of my previous experience in conveyancing. They assured me at interview that I would have the equivalent to a commercial property seat but that has been few and far between (I have only worked on 3 files that are commercial property related).

I am working till 10pm most nights and on my weekends and the pay does not justify that. I have the typical problems that a lot of trainees end up having: sleep problems, stress, anxiety. It was terrible last month.

As I am taking the SQE2, and I would like more commercial property experience, would it be justified if I look to move to another firm? With the old training contract format it would not have been looked at kindly but with the SQE2 is this different now?

Hi! I'd like to get a head start on writing my vac scheme applications over the summer so that I can submit my applications as early as possible when applications open. Are the questions used on applications typically the same from previous years? If so, could anyone help me by posting the applications questions from last year? Here are some of the main firms I am interested in:

- Mishcon de Reya
- Ashurst
- Baker McKenzie
- Hogan Lovells
- Linklaters
- Latham
- HSF
- A&O
- Cleary


Note: I know there's no guarantee that previous questions will be used again this year, but it'd be helpful for me to start drafting ideas.

Thanks so much!

Hi!

A company that I really want to work for has asked for 2 employment references.
I have been involved in a number of things but they were most voluntary or brand ambassador things which have already told me that in a 100 people cohort they will not provide anyone with a reference.

The only places I really worked for were M&S in 2020 (but the manager got fired as a result of COVID) and agency last year but that was only for 2 weeks and I was sent off to work on sites, so I don't suppose they know me very well.

It looks like I only have one reference with a place where I have been volunteering for more than a year.

I don't really know what to do?

Hey everyone! Forgive me if this is a silly question. I (Male) was just wondering what do one wear to work everyday as a trainee, for both WFH and physical office working (would there be a difference in dress style)?

Also, how many suits should I buy in preparation for life as a trainee and does the suit have to be black in colour?

I'm also tagging for reach and for advice on this matter

Thanks all!

@Jessica Booker @Jaysen @Jacob Miller @Daniel Boden

Hello,

I'm about to start my GDL in September. I've received offers from both University of Law - Moorgate campus and from BPP, and I'm not sure which one to choose. I've heard a number of negative accounts about BPP but it appears to have more practical experience than UoL. What have people's experiences been?

Thank you for any advice!

Best,
Camilla

Hi, I have been invited to a first stage video interview for a training contract with Blake Morgan. Has anyone interviewed with them and if so any ideas of what types of questions? it say it will be an informal chat with 3 questions - 30 minutes which seems like a long time.

Thanks in advance

I have suffered from anxiety all my life and it has been manageable but being on vac schemes has caused a huge "flare" for me - to the point where I can't think, converse properly, just sit at my desk worrying. I think I am good at faking that I am fine and doing well, like when talking to people or networking, but I have severe social anxiety that I always feel terrible during and after interactions and end up feeling they can "see" my struggles. Do you think I should drop out of the vac scheme? My anxiety is so bad right now and I just feel awful most days and feel utter dread at the thought of going back into the office. I think direct TC route would have been much better for me. These two week schemes are stupidly intense and I don't think I'm cut out for them to even get the basics right at this point.

You have two weeks. This was no mistake. The law firm likes you. They are now looking for potential, not perfection.

I know how hard you’ve worked for this experience. You’ve completed the hard part. Now, how do you complete great work on your vacation scheme? How do you network? How do you take the steps to ensure this is the one?

Join Us For Our Most Practical Session To Date: Thursday 30th June, 5:30pm-6:30pm​

In our next virtual session for the Premium Academy, George Maxwell will walk you through his best advice on how to convert your next vacation scheme into a training contract. After reflection on three vacation schemes, he’ll discuss:

• What went wrong on each vacation scheme?
• What lessons did he learn from the tasks he completed?
• What are the biggest challenges you will face?
• What specific steps can you take to get noticed on your scheme?

In one hour, you will come away with concrete steps to apply to your next vacation scheme.

How Do I Sign Up?​

This event is available to premium members. Sign up here and head over to the Premium Forum to register for this event.

Get A Free Subscription To Premium​

If you want to keep using our free resources, you can sign up to our free Premium Academy Newsletter. We’ll share with you our biggest tip from each event.

Once again, we're also giving one free premium subscription away today. All you have to do is share your top vacation scheme tip in this thread and we'll select one winner at 4pm.

We'll be running this giveaway each week, so don't worry if you don't win this time!

Hi, I’m a 2nd year going into 3rd year at Durham Uni. I did awful in 1st year (40%) and worked hard to get a 2:1 this year, but because I bombed one of the exams it’s just about a 2:1 (60.3%). I also swapped out a law module to study Korean which saved my average.

In 1st year I did some volunteering in creating a social media campaign and tutoring an A-level student. In 2nd year I worked part-time alongside my studies for a few months and took part in recreational societies regularly just for fun. Over the easter break I was lucky to get paid work experience for a month as a paralegal in a firm that specialises in pensions law, but I’m not interested in a career in pensions after the experience. In third year I’m planning on trying to get a leadership role / actively participate in law and non-law societies whilst trying to get a better grade this year. I’m also planning on continuing Korean to the next stage.

Over the summer I will be planning my dissertation and travelling to Korea for 3 months. Whilst I’m in Korea I plan on finding something to do e.g. volunteering that could give me experience and skills that I can transfer to a career in law and refer to in interviews.

I’d like some advice on what I could realistically pursue in terms of a career as a lawyer, and what next steps I should take. I don’t have any mitigating circumstances to explain my 1st year results, I was just lazy and uncertain of what I wanted to do. Now I am sure that law is something I want to do, but I understand that my credentials aren’t great. I would like to apply for training contracts, would it be possible?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Anyone had a AC for the TC recently ?

Hello,

I have just finished my Law degree and I am now planning to self-fund my postgraduate studies. During my postgrad, I will be applying for training contracts. I would prefer to do the LPC as the assessments suit me better, but I was wondering if there is any chance that by the time I would be able to start my training contract, the SQE will be preferred?

Also, if I would secure a training contract, would I have to take a gap year while the intake I am in does the LPC, or will I be able to start earlier as mine will be done by then?

Thanks!

Hi guys,

I have a vacation scheme with Sidley Austin in the next few days - I know this is a long shot, but if any of you have done a VS with the firm in the past, I would be so so grateful if there are any tips you'd be able to share with me via the messaging function as to what to expect from the VS!

Hi everyone. During my time at uni, I heard a lot about 'low 2:1s, mid 2:1s and high 2:1s'. I'm wondering if law firms pay attention to the exact percentage average and, if so, are there percentage brackets that divide the different kinds of 2:1s?

I'm excited to say that I received an interview offer with TLT!

Part of the email which describes the structure of the AC says as follows:

"You will complete a 15 minute presentation assessment on a topic that is of interest to you. This does not have to be a legal topic, however it must link to legal implications or the legal sector. The purpose of this assessment is not to assess your public speaking skills, rather it will focus more on your ability to demonstrate independent thought, your commercial awareness of topics that aren’t necessarily legal, but have wider implications, and creative thinking. You are free to speak from notes and provide handouts for your assessors (there will not be more than two assessors) but will not have access to a laptop or projector."

I haven't done a presentation like this before. If anyone could answer my questions, that would be massively appreciated!

• How do you think they mean to test "creative thinking" through this exercise?
• If I won't have access to a projector or a laptop, I guess this is just going to be me speaking from notes and without any other aids (but obviously trying to make it engaging)?
• What would "handouts" constitute?
• This seems to be suggesting that I should discuss a commercial topic which I am passionate about, that has relevance to the legal sector (or that has legal implications). I should probably discuss a topic that affects the legal sector, but is also independent of it. I should demonstrate an awareness of both implications to the legal sector and the wider commercial landscape. Does that sound like a roughly accurate interpretation to you?

Thanks for your time and help!

Hi everyone,

As I'm sure you know by now, I’m a big believer in consistency to help you get to where you want to be.

This means planning your week, identifying the top goal you want to achieve in the week, and taking small reps each day to move the needle.

In the training contract journey, this top goal for your week might be:

• writing one complete application;
• preparing, booking and completing one mock interview; or
• having a clear understanding of the different types of financial statements.

Setting and completing a challenging goal each week will achieve faster results than attempting to cover too much. You will be focused and the benefits of pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone will compound.

This summer, we want to help you get there through our new eight-week virtual programme.

Premium Academy - Live Online Classes​

If you are making direct training contract applications, have a vacation scheme coming up, or you want to make sure you are set up for success when vacation scheme applications open, our Premium Academy has been designed for you to see results after eight weeks.

The goal is to give you accountability and progression each week to fast-track your training contract success. Through our live weekly sessions, we’ll teach you how to master everything from converting your vacation scheme into a training contract to mastering case study interviews.

How To Dive In​

To join, sign up to TCLA Premium here. The programme officially begins next week, but we’d love for you to join us at our launch event tonight where we share our best advice for writing training contract applications.

You’ll also learn about our drop in sessions and the wealth of resources we have in store over the next eight weeks.

The Good News?​

If you want to keep using our free resources, you can sign up to our free Premium Academy Newsletter. We’ll share with you our biggest tip from each event.

Finally, to celebrate the launch, we’re giving one free premium subscription away today. All you have to do is share your top application tip in this thread and we'll select one winner at 4pm. We'll be running this giveaway each week, so don't worry if you didn't win this time!

Whether you decide to sign up or work through our free resources, I really hope you have a successful cycle this year.

Best of luck.
Jaysen