New Threads

Hi there,

As with many people on here I'm currently going through the process of applying for 2022 Vac Schemes in the hopes of securing a TC. As a non-law student, my plan is to complete a conversion after I graduate this year, and would ideally like to have a TC lined up so I can secure funding for the course.

My question is this - given many firms have a chosen law school or provider, but I won't know if I have any offers until Summer 2022, how do I know when and where to apply? I know there is 'no deadline' for courses, but I feel as though leaving it this long would be too late.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated as I am ever so slightly confused, thanks!

Hello, does anyone know if your title necessary needs to be Trainee Solicitor if you are training in-house or could it be your normal position ie Paralegal etc? Thank you.

Hey guys
I’m currently facing a little conundrum and I would appreciate any advice. I currently have a TC with a silver circle law firm and I am supposed to start the LPC in February and start my TC in September 2022. However, I just got an AC with Linklaters and Hogan Lovells in February for the direct TC as well. I am not sure if I should go ahead and start the LPC with the silver circle firm or defer to see if I will get a TC offer from Links/HL.

Starting the LPC next month is advantageous for me because I am an international student and my visa expires soon so if I start the LPC with the silver circle firm, I wouldn’t have to pay for the visa fees myself. The second advantage of starting in February is that I wouldn’t have to do the SQE which is longer and more uncertain. However, the advantage of deferring to September 2023, which is the next available start date, is that I would have more time to see if I can secure a TC at Linklaters or Hogan Lovells. I am not sure if that is a good enough reason to potentially waste a year and to risk doing the more uncertain SQE. Is the prospect of training at a MC firm worth it or should I go ahead with starting the LPC and TC with the silver circle firm?

@Jessica Booker Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

With the beginning of 2022, I want to post this thread to give our community here at TCLA an opportunity to reflect on the year that went by and manifest their wishes for the year that lies ahead.

Your resolutions can range from anything, including-

• Something you want to change
• Things you'd like to introduce
• An aspect of your life you want to improve on
• Things from 2021 that you want to maintain in 2022
• Things from 2021 that you want to banish in 2022

For me, something I want to change is showing more kindness to myself in 2022- I set unrealistic expectations at times and put way too much pressure on myself to satisfy them. One of the ways I'm hoping to change this is by practising mindfulness for a few minutes everyday to be more in touch with where I am and what I want to achieve in a day- I've been trying to do this while watering my plants and it's become a cute, calming ritual that I genuinely look forward to

What are your resolutions for 2022?

Hello people, I'm Reshma Balagopal. Currently working as a Legal Counsel at Dr.Reddy's Laboratories.
Here to secure a training contract and to cheer you in your journey

Hi all!

I wanted to create a thread on the different types of commercial/legal remedies that can be used during a case study. As many of you know, you're encouraged to not only identify risks/issues but also offer solutions too. It can be quite overwhelming so I thought I'd create a thread as to what commercial/legal remedies you could offer in a case study.

I'll add some shortly but all are welcome to contribute!

Looking forward to reading your answers

Hi everyone,

I wanted some guidance for an AC I have coming up.

When an interviewer asks "Tell me about yourself" or "Tell me about your background", is this a genuine "Tell me about yourself" question i.e. would I mention what I'm currently doing, what I'm hoping to achieve, what my extracurriculars are, etc?

Or, is the interviewer asking "Why you"?

I appreciate this would depend on a lot of factors but I'm struggling a little on how best to answer this question.

Thanks!

Good afternoon all!

I was hoping to get some perspectives and advice on my specific personal circumstances. I am an LLB graduate (2017) who previously worked in Paralegal roles before switching careers in 2019 to a Fast-track Detective programme. I am now looking to reenter the legal sector and secure a training contract.

I have been researching self-funding the LPC or SQE. I am apprehensive about self-funding the LPC due to the phased transition to the SQE anticipated over the next few years. I am keen to show my dedication to a career in law and believe self-funding an SQE course may be one way to achieve this. I have sufficient savings to fund the costs independently. I also think it would be beneficial to study alongside others with the same aims and objectives as myself.

• What would be the benefits/drawbacks of self-funding the SQE for someone in my position looking to secure a TC?
• Are there any other recommended routes into the profession based on my background?

Any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks,

J

Hello,

I've just sent off an application and as the title suggests, I made an embarrassing error. For one of the application questions in the second sentence, I misspelled the surname of an employee I referred to. Do you think this will be detrimental to my application?

Just had a question if anyone could be of any help! I have a VI coming up that's focused on scenario-based questions. I'm just wondering whether in my answers I should say, "in this situation, I would do...", or whether I should give actual examples from my past experiences (like using the STAR method).

Thanks

Hi, I was wondering if anyone can provide me with some advice? Unfortunately I've missed out on about 2 months of uni due to personal circumstances and I'm still trying to catch up. I've an AC at my dream firm soon (it's my first AC) but I am so overwhelmed with work from my current degree that I get so anxious focusing on my AC preparation without risking it compromising my grades. Feeling rather burnt out already, has anyone experienced this and how did you cope?

Hi everyone,

I am currently a GDL student at the Uni of Law. I did my undergraduate studies in International Relations at King's College London. I only started looking at law firm applications at the end of my third year and I fear I should have started way earlier. Till now, I have submitted some TC and Vac scheme applications and I am waiting to hear from the firms. Though I believe I have made significant progress in improving my applications, I am very nervous about the interview and assessment stages. I am sure that I can get over that by utilising and taking part in the resources and discussions at TCLA.

Cheers

Hi - does anyone know what it means if a law firm is listed in top tiers 1 and 2 and as leading individuals in 2020 but do not appear anywhere in The Legal 500 rankings in 2021? Thank you.

Hi there - does anyone have any advice on how to do things differently in a new year on applying for TCs? Is it a matter of seeking new opportunities and thinking about what new legal experiences we can add to applications? After all, if we have not secured a TC we don't want to repeat the same experiences we have mentioned and want to show we are growing as a person to stand out. If one has got their studying for the LLB, GDL and LPC out the way, how can we take advantage of all the time we have now besides undertaking legal work experience opportunities which during Covid has been limited to say the least. Is it it a good idea to explore different legal working environments such as local authority, high street law firm and commercial law firm?

I have heard some law firms are offering TCs to qualify into one practice area. Law firms usually follow suite. Other than undergoing work experience in the areas we would like to practice into, how would one make themselves stand out when applying for a TC like this?

All the best for the new year!

Dear Corporate Law Academy Team and everyone,
@Jessica Booker

@futuretraineesolicitor​

@AvniD

I hope you are doing well. Merry Christmas and Happy new year to you and your family.

I am currently studying in LL.M. course specializing in Corporate and Financial Laws from Jindal Global Law School, India.

I am now doing my LL.M. dissertation on the title "Money laundering – The hidden illegal financial transactions behind terrorism, corruption, extortion, trafficking, smuggling, online fraud scams etc. – A grave concern for economy, security, privacy, fraternity".

The purpose of writing this message is to seek guidance from you all. I want to work in a United Kingdom Law firm in a white-collar crime practice area. I am also open to any other opportunities which I could get in the UK. My LL.M. course will get completed in June 2022. If you could please guide me through the process for applying to the firms in the United Kingdom, that would be very helpful to me. Alternatively, If I am late in the process, kindly guide me in my further course of action to get an opportunity to work after one year. Further, could you also guide me about the firms that practice both in India and the United Kingdom.

Kindly help.

Thanks and regards,

Shreyansh Agrawal
LL.M., Jindal Global Law School, India

Hi!

I recently attended an Open Day at Shearman & Sterling and one of the speakers said that Sheaman & Sterling have a single global partnership, where all the firm's partners are in a single equity pool/pot of profits. He said that other elite NY firms also had this model, e.g. Weil, Gotshal & Manges, but that there are alternative models which separate profits by office, such as in White & Case.

However, I'm having trouble finding any of this online. I'm not sure what the names of these different models are and when I google things relating to partnerships or profits, I can't see White & Case posting anything about separating by office, only profits per partner.

Has anyone got any idea what these models are called OR where to find this information about each law firm? (I've already checked W&C's annual review)

Hi!

I'm applying to Withers and one of the quetsions is "Please name a person who inspires you and explain why?"

I'm not sure how to approach this question - should I name a public/political figure or someone I know personally? And what are they looking for through this question?

Thanks for any help

Hi ,


I wanted to know whether the "if you could introduce a new law what it would be and why?" question always has to be commercial-related? Or does it depends on the firm?

Do you think that I can ask to the graduate recruitment team to be sure?

Thanks,

Hi all,

I thought it would be good to start a separate thread for the consortium firms accelerated LPC at BPP as the course is a bit different to the standard LPC.

Has anyone started the mountain of foundational study materials they have given us? Feeling a bit overwhelmed already as I have been out of studying for a bit and need to get back into that studying mentality fast!

If anyone has already done the accelerated LPC, how did you approach the foundational study materials? I find it a bit odd how they have said to read through them and do the activities/quizzes on the hub. I feel like I should be making notes as I go along or something. However, I am also cautious of time.

Hi I would like to ask if anyone has experience of the critical reasoning test of Linklaters recently - I applied for an associate role and was told to finish a critical reasoning test in 72 hours once I confirm my availability. I have been searching on this forum and online in general, it seems to be the Watson Glaser but then I read something about the CAPP one - would be great if someone could enlighten me!

For the work experience section of an application, I'm wondering about end-dates. I started working part-time during the summer at an events place (started in June) but stopped at the end of September when first term started (I needed to move back up north for uni). Now I've moved back home for Christmas and pick up a few shifts at the same place. I'm worried about leaving the end date blank because it might give the impression I worked there during first term, but putting the end date as September might be seen as deceptive since I'm picking up some shifts there now? How should I approach this?

Hi all, I'm wondering what factors are important when hoping to do a lateral transfer to a different firm's transactional department, say between NQ and 3 PQE? I'm guessing things like size of deals you've worked on etc. matter, but I'm struggling to make an exhaustive (or at least semi-exhaustive) list.

Like does it matter if you did a client secondment? What about an international secondment (or both)?

University / grades? Etc.

Appreciate any input!

Hi everyone,

I hope you had a great festive break!

I wanted to ask you all, how do you prepare for an assessment centre? What do you do to nail the competency questions, the commercial/case study questions and how do you go about firm research?

I have one in 3 weeks which I'm preparing for but I have no clue on where to start and what to do. I, as I'm sure others, would appreciate any guidance.

Thanks!