New Threads

Is there a term or phrase for when a law firm has the ability to work across different practice areas, on the same deal. Say project finance and capital markets, in order to complete a deal/ project.

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well. I am a second year student at a RG school studying Law with French Law (4 year course).

I haven't found a discussion on first year schemes in general for this year. How has everyone been getting on?

I've currently applied to 14 open days/schemes and have passed the SJTs/WG tests for some and be told to PFO by Baker and Slaughters....

Wondering if anyone else has heard back?

If the client in an M&A transaction case study is an investment / PE firm, can we assume that there won't be any competition concerns, and that the method of acquisition is a share purchase? Competition concerns and asset purchases seem to me like they'd be only relevant to trade buyers.

Would love to hear anyone else's thoughts on this.

I've recently had an AC and I'm waiting to hear back but I can't help but pick out and overanalyse all the mistakes I made. There were good moments, but I feel like the bad moments are going to overweigh and leave me with that PFO.

I often wonder why would they choose me if there's someone who is close to perfection and that's how I often feel both going into interviews and afterwards

-

"Please tell us about an outstanding personal achievement which added value to either your academic or working environment."

So, I think this could be answered in one of two ways:

1) I could discuss a "personal" i.e. extracurricular/non-academic/non-work achievement that added value to my academic or working environment (and how it added value to it); or
2) I could discuss something I personally achieved at work, or academically.

What do you think they're trying to get at, and why?

The firm is Peters & Peters- they do a mix of white-collar criminal law and commercial law.

Has anyone recently completed the Eversheds VI? If so, any advice on the theme of the questions (i.e. strengths-based or competency) or tips on how best to prepare would be really appreciated!

Hi Everyone!

I currently have a Training Contract offer commencing in September '24. Does this mean if I do the PGDL in January of '23 I am able to start the CCP with my cohort in September of '23? Or do I. have to do the PGDL starting in September '22? Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone. I'm a third-year law student that's waiting on some vacation scheme responses. I'm planning of paralegaling if I'm unsuccessful. I'm wondering, how does one actually go about securing a paralegal position without having done the LPC before? I've heard that a lot of firms want people who've done the LPC before, so I'm not sure what my chances would be of taking this route... is this a thing with large firms that can afford to be more restrictive with requirements? I'd be quite happy to paralegal at high street and regional firms too

Hi!

I am aware businesses can choose where they are registered, based on tax benefits, local laws etc, but I was wondering what the benefit of this is for the country, especially if that business is not going to generate nay income in that country and therefore they cannot tax their income.

Thanks

Hey everyone,

We'd love for you to join us tonight at 6pm for our first webinar of 2022. Places are completely free and issued on a first come, first served basis.

@Jessica Booker and @Paul - Shearman & Sterling will be sharing their best lessons from reviewing thousands of law firm applications.

Register here

See you then!

Best,
Jaysen

Hey guys, has anyone heard back from Macfarlanes? I applied night before the deadline but checked on vantage and saw the deadline being extended every day tilt this Friday so got very confused. does this mean they are going to reply late?

I was wondering how you could effectively answer this question? It had come up during my Irwin Mitchell VI and I don't think I answered it well at all.

Hi all! I'm not sure whether this goes under the discussion topic for vacation scheme or interview but I hope this is fine!

Basically I am in an in-person winter vacation scheme, but another firm has asked me to attend an interview for a direct training contract during the work. These two vacs/direct TCs start in the same year. Both firms are similar in some ways (small intake, lean teams, specialising in corporate)

Question: is it advisable to tell the firm, at which I'm interning, that I need to take time off for another firm's interview?

I have been weighing some factors around so it'd be great to see what you all think!

Reasons why I should tell the firm about my interview:

• This interview bolsters my competitiveness in the eyes of the law firm
• Honesty and integrity matter a lot
• No matter any alternative reasons I use to explain my absence, I look like I don't value the vacation scheme that much
• Law firm grad recs are interconnected and they may find out

Reasons why I should NOT tell the firm about the interview:

• I look really disloyal to the current firm I'm interning at!
• Candidate information is confidential and the law firms cannot share with each other
• Honesty is one thing, but the full disclosure is unnecessary (as with how you think about what you say in interviews instead of blurt out everything)

This is a real dilemma (and something that sounds like a taboo even outside the TC app stage) so any thoughts are welcomed!

Hey! So a couple of firms that I have applied to like Norton Rose Fulbright/ Weil recruit on a rolling basis. However, during workshops hosted by the firms, they stated that they still go over all the applications they receive. I am unsure how this plays out and I would be grateful if anybody could explain why they said this and what exactly it means

Thank you in advance!

Hey everyone,

A question for those who are paralegals with upcoming vacation schemes and/or have previously done a vacation scheme while working as a paralegal:

How did you go about having a conversation with your boss/supervisor asking for time off to attend the scheme?

It sounds like a particularly daunting conversation so I’d be really grateful to hear how people have approached it!

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone!
I'm currently doing my PGDL having got a vs last year but not converting. I am currently applying to some TC's/ VS but how this cycle is going, I'm finding it unlikely to get a TC. I have a few options post-PGDL and am looking for some advice on which would be the best going forward.

1. I am in the final stage for a non-law role which would last 18-24 months FTC focused in regulation (the CMA)
2. I have the option to go to Spain and work there for a year (I did a TEFL qualification last year)
3. Try secure a paralegal job in the UK.

My issue is, I don't know how it would if i got a full-time job not in law and was wondering if this would reflect badly on my determination to be a lawyer?

Thanks in advance!

Hello guys.


I am a non-law final year student from Hong Kong, and I am considering becoming a solicitor in the UK. I plan to self-fund my further studies (money is not a major concern here). I have some legal knowledge as I quit my law degree before reading for my current degree.


I am facing a dilemma as to the new SQE route. I plan to go for either one of the routes provided by ULaw:


1. SQE Essential (10 weeks full time/ 16 weeks part time) --> SQE 1 prep course --> SQE 2 prep course


2. GDL (1 year full time/ 2 years part time) --> SQE 1 prep course --> SQE 2 prep course


I noticed that GDL is no longer a prerequisite for the SQE route. Yet, as a non-law graduate, should I take the longer course to better prepare myself for my SQE and career? Would reading a GDL give me a higher chance to get into a better firm upon graduation?


There isn't much information on the web right now, so I'd like to seek advice from you all.

Thanks!

Hi All,

Has anyone received an Assessment Centre invitation from Ashurst (2022)? I've been invited to it for next week. I am unsure on how to prep as I have never attended an AC before. Any help/advice will be hugely appreciated! Thank you

Hi everyone!

I'm Jacob, a PPE and Law graduate currently on the hunt for a vac scheme/TC. I've kept an eye on TCLA for a while and thought it was about time to join in and meet you. I have one vac scheme and a couple of workshops under my belt but I'm looking to develop and secure that ever elusive TC.

At the moment I work in a legal tech and resourcing startup so I have some experience of the business side of the sector if anyone wants to chat about that.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you all - best of luck!

Hi everyone!

I have a video interview for Clyde and Co coming up and in the email it says I have until 7th January to complete it. But does this mean I would have to complete it by 00:00am (in a few hours) or 23:59pm? I tried to contact them earlier and have not heard anything back yet, so would appreciate any help on this!

Thank you!

I am a career changer. I worked extremely hard since September to get a place on a VS. I know that's not a lot of time - some people apply for several years before they get a VS. But I did get a VS and I did my absolute best to ensure I shine. I read up more about the firm history than I know about my own family history. Since I am a career changer, I had to start from scratch about how the legal recruitment process works and the strategy to succeed. I invested a lot of time, effort and emotion into this - and balanced it along with my work (which means working through the night).

However, I failed to convert my VS to a TC. I got some wishy-washy feedback which wasn't convincing at all. TCs were offered to some participants that said exactly one sentence through the entire VS, asked no questions and were honestly unnoticeable. I have a strong feeling it could be because I need visa sponsorship and with Omicron tearing through the UK, budgetary constraints would incentivize them to choose a British national instead of someone on whom they need to spend 5000 pounds just to onboard. I don't want to sound like a sore loser but I genuinely cannot believe I was that bad, especially since I've been in the workforce for many years and can objectively assess my performance to a decent degree. It has completely destroyed my motivation. I have a work deliverable by tomorrow and cannot focus.

Help!

Hi! I have HSF and S&M interviews coming up.

I was wondering if anyone has ever had a disputes case study and if so, what was it about? I hear a lot about M&A but I know HSF is big on disputes so I just want to be prepared!

Thanks