New Threads

I have a TI coming up with DLA Piper for the summer internship. I've only done a TI once and it went horribly. What kind of questions could I expect?

Hello! I'm working on the BM direct TC application, and the first question is "Tell us about something - anything - that excites and inspires you."
I'm wondering whether I really can just talk about a completely non-law related interest, like history and art? Or should I somehow bring it back to something that the firm does?

Would it be okay? I took part in a VS this summer and got rejected. It was Freshfields Asia office.

What should I do to get more fully prepared? Specifically, in the VS interview shall I change my answers to questions like "why FF" "what is your biggest accomplishment"?

thanks a lot~!!!!

Hello,

I am answering the following two questions in relation to a direct Training Contract application. I would appreciate some input, as it is not entirely obvious to me how detailed my second answer should be.

Do you require a work permit to work in the UK?
No

Do you currently hold a valid work permit? If yes, please provide details.
Pre-settled status valid until August 2026

How detailed should my second answer be?
- Should I include details about my broken continuous residence? I left the UK late June 2021 and did not spend the required 6/12 months in the UK during 2021. I think this could potentially be relevant because of the 5 years of continuous residence required to qualify for settled status further down the road. By the time my pre-settled status expires, I would not have 5 years of continuous residence in the UK, and I am unsure of the effect of this.

Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone,

I apologise if this has already been asked before, but does anyone know the rough start and end dates for the BPP Accelerated LPC that commences at the beginning of each year (i.e. Jan/Feb, not the one that starts in August)? Does it even exist...?

Is it possible to start the BPP accelerated LPC in January and end by July of the same year (my TC starts in August)? The BPP website seems really vague about this. I've also exhausted all of my other channels (emailing BPP, asking my firm's HR and seniors) but it's very difficult to get a response from anyone.

Apologies for the ignorance , and thank you in advance for your help!

Hey all! I have a telephone interview with CMS next week if anyone has any insights / tips. Wondering how different the format will be from the previous video interview.

Hi, I was filling out a training contract application and the question is:

"Please give details of any prizes, scholarships, positions of responsibility (or something you are proud of) and any other noteworthy achievements that will support your application" (250 words)

I am running short on words. For such an answer is it needed to relate the prizes/ position of responsibility back to me and what I took away from those experiences (because the answer doesnt say so)?

Or would it be alright just to state what my prizes and position of responsibility have been and describe them briefly?

Thank you

Hi all,

I am creating a temporary thread so we can keep abreast of any news following the Gowling WLG VS AC 2022.

Please feel free to comment below on any news/updates you have received from Gowling.

Good luck, all!

Hi,

I would be interested in some feedback from those who took the SQE1 – FLK1 and FLK2 in November 2021 as I will be taking the SQE1 in due course.

- Do you have a law background or not? ;

- Did you enrol on a self-study course with Barbri/QLTS School, etc or did you enrol on a course with the University of Law/BPP, etc? ; what was/were your criterion/criteria as to the course provider that you chose? ; what are your views, in terms of both substance and form, on the preparation that you were provided with? ;

- Would you have any general and/or specific recommendations to provide in terms of studying for the SQE1? ;

- How did you find the FLK1 and FLK2? ;

- Did you feel that the questions were more difficult than the mock tests/questions (which I suspect)? ;

- What about the time management matter during the exams?

Many thanks.

Hi everyone

Recently, I've noticed that ppl in ACs have been asked "what challenges do you think you'll face on this vac scheme/training contract?" Ik answers will likely vary person-to-person, but rn I'm wondering how to best approach this question. Weakness questions are incredibly challenging.

Could I say something along the lines of "I think one challenge I’ll face during my VS relates to meeting people at the firm. Since the job is only 3 weeks, this will be tough to do, and its something that's quite important to me b/c wherever I go, whoever I met, I’m naturally curious about people. And I find that, outside the scope of my work on the vacation scheme, getting to know a majority of people at the firm and develop an understanding of their practice areas will be a challenge."

Let me know.

Happy evening, ya filthy animals.

So in a shocking turn of events, I just got through to the Assessment Centre stage for Ropes & Gray's Vac Scheme! I’m equally elated and terrified. Anyone else got the email?

Pretty please, if you've got experience with R&G, do you mind sharing your tips for their particular style of assessment? Or does anyone have any resources to prepare for the components (negotiation exercise, elevator pitch style presentation, written exercise) through the R&G framework?

Lastly, I wanted to know if anyone knew of any program that helped you (maybe even on a 1 on 1 basis) prepare for interviews and negotiations. I haven't ever landed an AC and come from a non-law degree background so I feel like barfing (hence the title of the post) when thinking about being potentially grilled by a partner. I've heard there's resources like AS and Rare that help those from a BAME background succeed but Rare's not accepted me 2 years in a row and I've missed AS' deadline already I think.

Anyway, any support or thoughts would be accepted warmly. Thank you so much!

Hello everyone,

I was hoping someone may be able to shed some light on a question that I had regarding the GDPL at The University of Law.

I have recently accepted a TC at a magic circle firm as a non-law student and being asked to apply for a GDPL course soon. The firm says you can apply to any institution that offers it but preferably University of Law.

I wanted to ask if anyone can speak from experience / have knowledge regarding it, if the GDPL course the University of Law offers has a campus/hybrid studying mix? How much of the learning is via remote, and/or what do you need to go on campus for if you do have to go in? I was considering applying for the online only course that they offer (not sure yet if my firm allows this) but wanted to get a good idea of how much remote studying is possible on the original GDPL course.

I appreciate any guidance on this, thank you!

Anybody heard from Linklaters regarding their TC applications 2023?

Good afternoon all,

I'm currently an LPC student at Ulaw and am looking for some advice. I did the GDL in the pandemic and decided to go straight on to the LPC just to get it done so I can start working. I've done about 12 vac scheme applications this cycle and been rejected from all of them in the first round. I had similar results in the GDL. I was wondering if my grades were the issue.

My issue is as follows, during the Pandemic, my university (Exeter) had a safety net policy to prevent your grades from being disrupted. This helped me scrape a 2:1 as it mitigated my dissertation grade. My dissertation went terribly due to a lack of access to resources I needed to analyze in the dissertation, as the archives containing them were closed. Without the safety net, I would have achieved a mid 2:2 overall. Will law firms see that as a major issue when I apply/ have been applying?


I then went on to the GDL and obtained a distinction due to me getting very lucky with how their safety net policy worked. Long in short I scored a mid 2:1, but due to quirks of Ulaw's policy, I ended up having my entire average based on one result which was a first. Will this also be viewed as a distinction or a mid 2:1, based on the safety net quirk?

I am being ambitious and aiming for big commercial city firms i.e Magic circle, NRF, HSF, Ashurst, Osborne Clark, DLA etc . I know I can do it as I have strong GCSE's(A*-A) and A levels (2A*- 2A's) to back them as well as good extracurriculars ( 1st team sport, Student staff liaison team, committee member and a part-time job ). Should I consider smaller firms in future cycles ?

I do wish to pursue law as a career and am happy to paralegal until I get a TC, I'm just wondering if my grades may be holding me back a bit.

Any and all advice would be super useful!

Hi!

New here and just wanted some advice on my situation please. I work at a regional firm, but have also been offered a vacation scheme at probably this firm's biggest competitor. In my vacation scheme interview, the interviewers said that they knew some of the staff at my current firm.

I am worried because I do not want my current firm to know that I have secured a vacation scheme with this other firm, for obvious reasons. Does the GDPR prevent them from legally sharing this information with my current firm's employees, or do I need to explicitly request for this to be kept private? I am also concerned that my current firm would being notified of my vacation scheme during screening. Do firms typically carry out employment checks pre-vacation scheme or not until just before starting a training contract?

Thank you!!

@George Maxwell Hi George. I was wondering if you could shed some light on some of the tasks you were responsible for as a vacation schemer at HSF? Curious how different/similar it is to the role of a trainee, and looking to make some connections between that and my past experiences (for my upcoming AC). Cheers!

Hello Guys,

I hope the application process is treating you well (though Id guess it’s not ).

I applied to Travers Smith’s summer vacation scheme, the deadline was on the 17th of January and still haven’t heard anything back, did anyone receive an update on their application yet?

Also, anyone heard back from shearman and sterling, and BCLP?

Hello,

I am an international lawyer and I have completed my law degree in an Indian law school. I am filling out a training contract application which requires me to select:

'Is this a qualifying law degree (i.e. one that exempts you from the GDL)?'

Having completed my law degree in India, would I be exempted from appearing for the GDL? Apologies if this is a straightforward question but I was not very sure.

Thank you

@AvniD
@Jessica Booker

Hello!

Do law firms generally have their assessment centres on weekdays or weekends? And is it possible to do them virtually? I understand that it would be beneficial to attend them in person, but I am based outside the UK and have a job. While I will try to attend them in person, I am unsure of how many assessment centres I could feasibly attend if I had to fly into London for each one of them.

Thank you in advance.

2 questions:

1) I just received a VS offer from a US firm, and I was thinking of maybe emailing one or two of the interviewers I felt I had built good rapport with, with the idea that I can start building relationships with some lawyers at the firm, and so I can also reach out to them straight away for work during the VS (one of the lawyers does work in a practice I am interested in). Should I do that (for all interviewers?) and if so what should be in the email?

2) I am allowed a choice between Spring and Summer, quite torn between this decision and would appreciate some advice. I think the main consideration is whether it makes a material difference on my chances of converting to a full-time offer, so if there are any factors relating to this I would really appreciate anyone sharing.

Thanks as always for all the help!

Can anyone who started the PGDL in September last year (or will be doing it this September at the University of Law in London) tell me the exact date (roughly) that it will start in September? The website just says 'September' everywhere.

Hi there, just wondering whether the commercial articles will be recontinued or if something similar is being done? Thanks