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Hello!

Just wondered if anyone here has a VS with Irwin Mitchell on the BLS stream (although I know they've changed their business model to combine the two streams) - I have one with the London office, albeit virtually and would love to speak to people re tips on preparation and just how it's being structured etc. Would also be nice to see a familiar face (or virtual face) on the scheme!!

I am currently applying for training contracts in London. I have some vacation scheme experience in the past, and so am looking to do direct applications.
I really want to improve on my commercial awareness, and am hoping that being a premium member will help me with this.

Thanks!

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Hello!

I am currently applying for training contracts and I came across a question which I'm not really sure how to approach as I find it to be very broad. The question is: Identify a current commercial issue which is relevant to RPC. Please explain why you consider it to be significant to the stakeholders involved.

I have a few questions on how best I should approach answering the application question above:
- How do I know which commercial issue I should focus on?
- Should I focus on a commercial issue that is relevant to my current experience/ niche?
- In relation to the mention of 'stakeholders', do you think that means RPC as the stakeholder or its clients?
- Would you also attempt to set out a solution as to how that commercial issue should be addressed?

I would be really grateful if anyone has any advice/ ideas on how I should approach answering this question.

Thank you so much!!

Hi all,

I have managed to secure a training contract and, as a non-law student, I am currently down to study the LLM Law and Legal Practice at BPP (Waterloo), commencing this September. From what I understand, the LLM Law and Legal Practice is essentially the PGDL plus an extra module which confers it LLM status. It seems that the PGDL normally finishes in April, however, the extra module for the LLM takes it up to July. I know that the SQE will start in September after this. I am also aware that this will likely be my last extended period of holiday and, therefore, my last chance to go on a multi-month travelling trip. The LLM would also require me to pay two or three extra months in expensive London rent! So, I have two questions:

1) Given that the firm in question has no preference as to whether I do the PGDL or the LLM, is there any real advantage in doing the latter?
2) Were I to do the LLM, would it actually require me to be in London, paying all that extra rent, if the added module were just a research project as is one of the optional modules?

In essence, would my desire to do the PGDL over the LLM (because I want to travel) be a lazy decision?

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

This is a throw away account for privacy purposes. Please be kind with your responses. If I could go back in time, I would make better choices regarding who I hung out with. We are human and we all make mistakes.

I've recently obtained a training contract, having passed all the necessary checks, but I've become increasingly worried about the consequences of a past event.

In short, about 6/7 years ago, I was with a friend that was rolling up a joint (hash). The friend had what was probably less than a gram, although, as I understand the amount doesn't really matter. Anyway, we were stopped by the police and they asked me for my details, which I provided, and my friend was told that he had to attend the court to pay a fine as this was the second/third time he had been caught.

Having done an enhanced DBS check a few years after this incident, nothing showed up on my record. Everything was clean. Similarly, it has never cropped up on any standard DBS checks either. Unfortunately, I lost the paper that the police gave me after they concluded their investigations so I'm not sure what information they have on me. But, most likely, it appears that they gave me a warning. Not sure if this is formal or informal. I feel uncomfortable with applying for a Subject Access Request in case this past event comes to light. I hate the thought of it.

Can someone please advise me as to any consequences that I might face and whether I will have any issues passing the SRA Character and Suitability application?

The SRA have unhelpfully informed me that I should just apply for an early Character and Suitability application. However, having read through the application, there is no requirement for disclosure of a drug offence warning. Their guidance does not appear to stipulate this type of disclosure either. I really don't know what to do and I'm afraid that my chances of becoming a lawyer are close to zero at this point.

FYI: I've never committed any offences before or after this incident. My record is clean, apart from this one mistake I made 6 years ago. Also, I was over 18 at the time and reside in England.

I hope you can all understand my situation. I am not looking for sympathy and I do not see myself as a victim. I made a conscious choice and chose to hang out with a very different crowd back then. I have since severed all ties with such friends and completely turned my life around, achieving excellent academic grades and have been offered several vacation scheme places/training contracts.

Hi everyone,

I am due to have the Wiggin interview tomorrow and just wondering if anyone has already done this and if they could provide some insight!

I am considering leaving my job as a paralegal at a high street type firm so that I can focus on what is left of the training contract season. It is really hard to meet firms and write a good app alongside a full-time job. Does leaving a role after only 3 months for this reason look back? is it best to just stick it out until september and apply for vac scheme?

Do I immediately have to tell my current employer (where I am a paralegal) that I now have a 2023 Training Contract Elsewhere. (I hope to carry on with my paralegal work for another 15 months) ? (thanks in advance for your advice)

Has anyone heard anything from Bates Wells post-WG?

Why do you want to join the firm? (Paralegal job application). Is there a special way how to go about answering this? I always feel I need to mention the firm itself and then the role but I'm not sure how to answer it by sounding genuine but not generic at the same time.

Thanks.

I have a TC at an international City firm but I'm quite interested in exploring a move to a US firm at either on qualification or at a junior level.

I was wondering how common this is? How hard is it to move from a non-MC/SC firm to a US one? Is it really dependent on the type of work that you did as a trainee or do they really care about where you trained?

Hi guys,

So I finished my joint hours Law and Finance degree in 2019 and finished a LLM in Banking and Finance Law in 2020 with the idea of starting a career in insurance despite having some experience working as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal. Job hunting during pandemic was a real struggle and although I was interviewed for jobs in insurance, I didn't get any. In the end, I accepted a job in Business Development at one of the city law firms and started considering applying for Paralegal roles and TCs in the future. I thought that could help me with gaining better understanding of the legal environment. I also started volunteering to develop some more new skills.
It's been over 6 months of applying for legal roles and I keep getting rejected or ghosted and I'm slowly losing my hope of getting into a legal role. I'm also 25 so I keep thinking I might be getting too old to start my legal career.

Please could anyone advise me what I should do to make my profile stand out or what are the best places to look for roles? I will appreciate any advice!

Hello all,

I am considering applying for a direct TC for Ince Gordon Dadds. I am interested in them mainly because of their practice areas and because I feel I have somewhat of a foothold with the firm having done an Open Day with them in 2017.

But what I have read about online made me question whether the firm is right for me. The firm seems overly conservative and reluctant to adapt, which led them to near collapse in 2018. Also I have read on Legal Cheek that most trainees agree that post-merger the training has taken a big dip.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Would it be worth applying?

Thank you

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Hi

I'm in my third year and I just got my April exam results and I got a 2:2. However, I got a 2:1 in my Jan exams and a 1st in coursework. So my overall third year grade will either be a high 2:1/low 1st

My second year and first year overall grades have been a first as well and I performed well in my A-Levels.

I was wondering if having that single 2:2 in my transcript would reduce my chances of getting a VS or TC (at Magic Circle and American firms). I've heard that law firms are quite strict on individual grades so would this impact my chances.

For context, I study a STEM degree

Hi All,

We're delighted to announce a revamp of TCLA's Mock Interview Service! This service is run by two new members of the TCLA team:

• Mahesh is a trainee solicitor at a magic circle law firm. He completed three vacation schemes, and secured four training contracts.
• Chloe is a future trainee solicitor at a top US law firm. She received vacation scheme offers from four firms before ultimately signing a training contract.

We are also delighted to launch a new integration with TCLA Premium. Gold members are entitled to 40% off any mock interview using the coupon code “GOLD”, while bronze members are entitled to 10% off using the coupon code “BRONZE”.

To celebrate the launch of our new service, we are giving away four free mock interviews. Factors taken into account include: a) financial hardship; b) being from an underrepresented group; and c) where a free mock interview will make a substantial impact to your application journey.

Apply via this short form (Deadline this Saturday)

Please note that these sessions will be recorded, purely for training purposes for the new mock interview team at TCLA.