New Threads

First year law student, received offer for CC insight day after successful completion of the WG. Is anyone else going on the 12th November? I’d like to be in contact prior to the event.

Hi all,

I just progressed to the second stage of Hogan Lovells' Vacation Scheme application. The second stage is a job simulation assessment. It's my first time doing a job simulation assessment. I believe it consists of at least one trainee task (written) and at least a couple of Hirevue-style video interview questions.

If anyone is familiar with a job simulation assessment (doesn't have to be for Hogan Lovells), I would greatly appreciate any tips or insight into what the assessment consists of.

Thank you!

I have been invited to my first ever assessment centre with A&O for summer vac scheme. Any advice would be really appreciated!

Hi everyone.

To get straight into this I will provide my context:
- BBB A levels (I was diagnosed with ADHD in year 13 which is a generic sounding circumstance, so let me know if I should include this in the mit circumstance section or just sack it off).

- 1st in first year from a solid RG uni (think Notts, Sheffield, this particular level) with 5 1.1 grades (2 of which in the 80s), 1 2.1 and 1 2.2. I ended up ranked in the top 10% of the whole department as well.

Although it is not academic I have been to a few open days and completed an insight scheme as well as having some non legal xp as well. I am now in year 2 of my non-law degree.

What type of firms do I realistically have a shot at, I get a lot of mixed messages about this so hopefully you guys can provide some clarity.

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Hello there, I'm looking for some advice for when it comes to me applying for training contracts. I am highly aspirational to work at a magic circle law firm to share my experiences and talents I have to offer but, I achieved BCC at my a levels, I still got into a good university (university of Leeds) to study sociology and achieved a 1st (86% to be exact) and I have just completed my GLD law conversion course, I'm also going to the university of Oxford for a masters in economics. Should I really be worried about my A level grades? and if I apply to firms that do require A-Level grades would I automatically be rejected for not having the basics...

Hi everyone!

I’m starting at the University of Law, this March intake for the LLM SQE1 & SQE2 (Full-Time) course and wanted to reach out for a bit of guidance.

If anyone has a sample timetable from a recent ULaw March intake, I’d love to get an idea of how the weekly schedule looks, it’ll really help me plan ahead!

I have a few months before starting, and I’d like to begin preparing gradually. I’ve seen a few people recommend focusing on Contract Law, Tort Law, Criminal Law, Land Law, Equity & Trusts, and Public Law, but I’d really appreciate suggestions for:

• Any beginner-friendly or revision books (concise guides, summaries, or case books you found helpful)
• How best to structure early self-study or revision before the course starts
• Any tips or resources that made your first term easier (study techniques, note-taking, case summaries, etc.)

Thank you so much in advance!!! x Any insight would be amazing - I’d love to make the most of this time before March.

Greeting from the United Kingdom (The corporation of England and other said countorys)

If say a notice of enforcement is served on a person say named Mr John DOE. And an enforcement agent visits the property to take goods of Mr John DOEs limited company for which he is the director of. And Everything in the property is owned by Mr John DOEs limited company and he has paper work for it. Can the enforcement officer take the goods of the property or not?

Thanks

Hi all.
I am doing some research into a firm and I have found something they worked on but it was back in 2021. However, I find it really interesting as it directly relates to a place I visit all the time.
I am just wondering if I should still mention this as an interesting case study, or is there some sort of 'time limit' on how long ago the deal was?

Hi everyone, I have a dilemma.

I have received multiple VS offers, but I waiting to hear back from a TC interview. My decision of which VS I take/ if I do one, depends on the TC result. The VS offers have deadlines to respond by tomorrow, but I don’t expect to hear back about the TC for another week or so.

What shall I do?

Hey everyone - I'm wondering how other people have approached the question 'If you could choose a career other than law, what would you choose?' in a written application question? My approach has been to choose a Financial Adviser for 3 reasons (keep updated with recent market and regulatory changes, the team-centric nature of working as an adviser, and providing ongoing client advice rather than a one-off meeting).

Last time I wrote this answer, I related each point back to commercial law and why I would prefer law as opposed to finance (mistake as I got rejected). Does anyone have any tips please on how to structure this and what content firms are looking for? Thank you

Hi everyone, my name is Adesewa and I’m currently studying law in North Cyprus. I have plans to go to the Uk for LLM SQE 1&2 by September 2026. However, I came across training contracts and the fact that they hire two years in advance. I’m looking into applying but I’m being limited since they all require assessment day as part of the application process. I can’t travel to the Uk before September and I have no idea how to go about it. I would love to know anyone who has been in my situation or currently in my situation and knows any firms that has accepted to virtual assessment centre. And if I don’t succeed in training contracts, how do I complete my QWE after my course. Thank you!

Hi guys,

I am seeking a TC and got three interviews finally so I’m happy about that. I’ve never done an interview before except for your normal retail job. Never did one for a law firm. This law firm I’ve done the interview at today is quite big, top 5 The interview lasted 10 mins less than it should have, they said it would be 50 mins but I was finished 40 mins in, is this smth I should worry about? And I just have a couple of questions.

They asked me if I’m interviewing for other firms and I said yes. Not sure whether that was a good choice?

They asked me about my cv, competency questions and cover letter. They were impressed with the fact that I solo travel from a young age and asked me a bit about that, about my degrees, work experience, just basic stuff. Then they’d asked me what did I do when I underwent through a difficult task? They told me to relate back to work, so I used STAR and said I found it really difficult in my job that it was prone to having conflicts with other members as I was leading a department, and said how I overcame this difficult situation- by hearing the other perspective of the member, by communicating effectively etc.

They also asked me what would I do if a client tasked me with a very important job but their signal went off and I had to finish the work in 5 hours but I discovered a mistake in one of the documents. I said I’d alert the team I am working with about this, maybe reach out to a Senior partner and communicate this and in the end try to rectify the mistake as the client is the most important person.

I just feel like I messed up when at the end they asked me how do other people in real life describe me and I said funny. It was the last Q and I was so nervous at the end for unknown reasons and I said funny and then I realised I messed up and just said I work really hard and I always try to communicate and work with people and people always tell me I communicate effectively etc.. I’m not sure lol. Does this sound awful?? It went really well overall though I feel.

I tried to try tell them that the most important thing is to put the client first. Explain legal concepts that might not be clear in a simple way so the client understands. To manage your time well under pressure and all the techniques I have for that. And lastly, to prioritise tasks effectively and to collaborate within a team.

From a very worried person, thanks all!!

hi all,

was wondering if anyone had any recommendation on what resources to use for preparing for sqe 1? im with ulaw and their q bank is good but I wanted to see if anyone, who is currently doing the sqe or has passed the sqe, would recommend any alternative resources that they found effective?

thank you!

Hey People!

Welcome to my hall of f(sh)ame!

For both accountability and easy tracking of updates in a space where I can't be found, I am starting this thread to keep track of all my applications for this cycle.

Who am I?
I am an international student, dipping my toes properly in big law applications this time. I am about to graduate in Technology Law.
While I tried applying for a few firms' last cycle (my first year in the UK), I was unsuccessful for the reasons I now know why (I didn't do any research or knew how to make a solid application). So, ideally, this is the FIRST CYCLE in my books!

But I am learning and preparing myself better every passing day. And, this would be a space where I document all my successes and failures, coz I love myself some journaling. I hope to keep this space updated regularly, and I would appreciate it if you could comment for an update and hold me accountable.

(Note: If you read this and would like to have some insights into some of my successful applications, please feel free to reach out! Wishing you the best of luck throughout this cycle, fingers crossed!)

Open Days: (only the ones that involved the application and selection process)​

Successful Outcomes:​

1. Linklaters (An evening with Linklaters)
2. Hogan Lovells (RAEHL Open Day)
3. HSF Kramer (Digital Open Day)
4. Reed Smith (TS Open Day)
5. RPC (Insights Day)
6. Mishcon De Reya (Social Mobility Open Day, Race Equality Open Day)
7. Akin (Ask Akin Virtual Open Day)
8. Norton Rose Fulbright and Freshfields - Targetjobs "Self-made in Law" event

PFO:

1. BCLP - Race for Change
2. Macfarlanes - dinner with partner
3. DLA Piper - Discovery Day
4. Weil - Insight Day
5. Baker McKenzie - Open Day
6. Skadden - Open Day
7. Covington Litigation Workshop
8. Willkie Open Day

(As of October 30, I am awaiting my results for the Latham And Watkins Open Day. I cleared the first round of the test, and got invited to the second test and VI)

Other such events I attended to know the firms, which were not application-based:​

1. Slaughter and May - London Evening
2. Jones Day - Open Evening
3. Travers Smith - London Presentation
4. Clifford Chance - One Firm Global Strategy Event (upcoming)
5. Dentons - UKELA careers meeting (upcoming)
6. Burges Salmon at UKELA event (upcoming)
7. Ropes and Gray - London Presentation (upcoming)
8. Lewis Silkin - Open Evening (upcoming)

Winter Vacation Scheme:​

1. Covington - Results Awaiting
2. Cleary Gottlieb - application in process

Spring/Summer Vacation Scheme:​

1. TBC

Hi, don't usually post here but was looking for some insight, for the first time in I think 2 application cycles, I've actually score open days application acceptances.
I'm just curious, since I hear these are competitive, if one could take these as indication of the firm seeing you as an potential candidate?, cause honestly I could really use that boost, because applying into the void is exhausting sometimes XD

Hi,

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Hi everyone,

I graduated in 2024 with an LLB in Law from a Russell Group university. My grades were mostly in the 50s and 60s, but I achieved a 2:1 overall. I also have strong work experience, but I suspect that my applications might be rejected mainly because of my grades.

Could anyone share which law firms tend to be more flexible or holistic when it comes to academic results especially for vacation schemes or training contracts?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi everyone,

I graduated in 2024 with an LLB in Law from a Russell Group university. My grades were mostly in the 50s and 60s, but I achieved a 2:1 overall. I also have strong work experience, but I suspect that my applications might be rejected mainly because of my grades.

Could anyone share which law firms tend to be more flexible or holistic when it comes to academic results especially for vacation schemes or training contracts?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi! I'm a first year law student and I need some advice on new study techniques. Right now we're doing commercial law and we have two exams in total. One in late November, which is the easier one that is only contract law, and the other one in mid January. I also have an exam I have to retake in early December.

So my questions are:

1. How do I best plan for all three exams?
2. What is a reasonable amount of time to study?
3. General study techniques

Hey! I am struggling a little here.

I am in year 12 currently applying for year 12 schemes. Multiple law firms seem to have programmes and development schemes as well as work experiences for those who are low-income and from underrepresented backgrounds; however, I seem to be rejected from every single one and I am not sure why as there isn't individual feedback.

I have recently been interested in law (in the past couple of years) after years of working towards a STEM career. It started off in a law competition I took part in which was more related to human rights law but then that moved onto searching more about commercial law. I have taken part in online internships that are available to all in commercial law but I am struggling to find any experiences to showcase my passion.

The general feedback all applicants are receiving is to search up more about the firm, more commercial awareness? I am not sure. I do not know how to do this. I looked into previous cases - although I struggled understanding much of it, I did break the cases down and researched it more. I included the cases I found interesting although probably gave a surface level outlook on it. It also states why I want to join the firm for this programme - again I assume I'd have to research the firm and what the programme offers. Other than the website, I am not sure how to do this further?

I went to an awful school and lived much of my life in poverty so all these opportunities I am coming across, now that I go to a really good school, are eye opening and have completely frazzled my mind! I'd love to get in to one of these programmes but I feel as though I am destined to not get in as someone that doesn't have much experience to begin with especially in commercial law. How is anyone getting into these programmes??

For context:

My first sitting of A-levels: BDD

Resit the following year (dropped one subject, and picked up a new one): AAB

Undergraduate: 2:1 from RG uni

PGDL: Distinction (approx 74)

SQE: TBC

Work experience: Interneships at a MC and american firm

I had applied for TCs and VSs 2024, but was unsuccessful. I did not apply for 2025 as I had not improved on my application for that year, but have decided to apply again now since I have my PGDL results to show for.

My main question is, how detrimental will my first set of A-levels results be?

Hello, Just wanna ask do Walker Morris and CMS provide summer vacation schemes for final year law student? As I saw from CMS website, there is only TC route available, and for WM, they only open their scheme for penultimate year student?

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