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Got invited to a Sidley Austin final partner interview for WVS.

Hi, does anyone on here know how to go about deleting one's account? Thanks

Hi everyone,

I hope you'll join me in giving a very big welcome to Paul, Weiss’s graduate recruitment team, Paul Gascoyne and Lizzie Arthey, who are live right now in the forum to answer your questions.

They are joined by three associates:

• Alexander Brown, an associate working in the M&A team at Paul, Weiss
• Meg Hebbert, an associate working in the London antitrust team
• Ali Fazeli-Nia, an associate in the IP and technology transactions group

Please use this thread to ask any questions you have about Paul, Weiss, the application process, or anything in between.

Best,
Jaysen

---

And here are the upcoming Paul, Weiss Deadlines

Vacation Schemes

Winter Vacation Scheme: Apply by 28 September 2025
Spring Vacation Scheme: Apply by 21 December 2025
Summer Vacation Scheme: Apply by 21 December 2025

Open Days

October Open Day 2025: Apply by 30 September 2025
November Open Day 2025: Apply by 2 November 2025

I've applied for a firm and progressed to the VI, I haven't really done such pre-recorded interviews before and I feel so out of my depth. There was an initial 'practice' question that didn't count towards the assessment, but would be used to 'get to know me'. I felt it so stressful to see the timer go down and then being put on the spotlight!! I had 2 whole minutes to just talk about me, but used up about 40 seconds only. My mind went somewhat blank, and now I feel I have zero confidence to continue with the actual assessed questions! I have watched videos on youtube on how to prepare with VIs, so I know what I'm supposed to do, and how, but the confidence isn't there at the moment. The funny thing is, in real interviews, I'm not like this at all, I like talking to people, but this VI feels so impersonal, robotic and you're essentially talking to your laptop. *sighs* I realised this is a rather sad and self-depreciating post, but please share your initial VIs experiences and how you've risen above challenges since...

I've applied for a firm and progressed to the VI, I haven't really done such pre-recorded interviews before and I feel so out of my depth. There was an initial 'practice' question that didn't count towards the assessment, but would be used to 'get to know me'. I felt it so stressful to see the timer go down and then being put on the spotlight!! I had 2 whole minutes to just talk about me, but used up about 40 seconds only. My mind went somewhat blank, and now I feel I have zero confidence to continue with the actual assessed questions! I have watched videos on youtube on how to prepare with VIs, so I know what I'm supposed to do, and how, but the confidence isn't there at the moment. The funny thing is, in real interviews, I'm not like this at all, I like talking to people, but this VI feels so impersonal, robotic and you're essentially talking to your laptop. *sighs* I realised this is a rather sad and self-depreciating post, but please share your initial VIs experiences and how you've risen above challenges since...

Hi everyone!

My name is Andrei, I’m a future trainee at Davis Polk and I am currently in my SQE year. I’m excited to returning as one of TCLA’s Community Assistants for this year alongside @Amma Usman and @Abbie Whitlock. I just wanted to say hi again to those who know me from last year and introduce myself to new people!

To share a bit about my background and journey: I’m originally from Romania, and I have only moved to the UK in 2022 to start my law degree at UCL. I knew I had an interest in commercial law since the very beginning of year 1, but I knew very little about the application process and legal landscape in the City. As such, in my first application cycle, I was rejected in all my applications at the first stage.

Fortunately, with the support of a number of friends and career mentors, I bounced back by using my frustration and anxiety as motivation to give 100% in the next application cycle. By attending several careers events every week, completing courses and virtual experiences, and using some of the amazing resources offered by TCLA, I managed to significantly improve my research and application writing skills. Thus, my second cycle was the complete reversal of the first. I ended up receiving vacation scheme offers from Slaughter and May, Milbank, Willkie, and Davis Polk, and was fortunate enough to receive TC offers from the last three firms.

Subsequently, I have started spending lots of time to help friends and acquaintances in overcoming the same struggles I had faced. I took on a similar role at TCLA last year, when, alongside Amma and Ram, I spent the last application cycle as a Community Assistant. Afterwards, during this summer, I spent my time reviewing and updating TCLA’s Law Firm Profiles to ensure they are as informative and up to date as possible.

To list some of the queries I feel like I would be in a good position to answer:

• Application process questions, particularly regarding how to research law firms to identify unique selling points, writing tips, and application strategy.
• Interview tips, especially competency interviews and general commercial awareness/case studies.
• How to improve commercial awareness, particularly in how to make best use of events and online resources.
• Any questions around PE, M&A, and equity capital markets work.
• Tips for overcoming rejection.

However, definitely feel free to ask me anything and everything throughout the forum threads – I am here to help !

Finally, my top tip for aspiring solicitors is to realise you are not in this journey alone. The biggest difference between my first and second application cycle has been the support I received from so many people the second time around, without which I would not be in in this position. So, whether it is friends, your university’s law society, LinkedIn connections, or this forum, do not be afraid to reach out for help!

Hi TCLA Community!


Due to popular demand, a thread has been created which outlines the firms that do not require situational judgment tests (SJTs) and the Watson Glaser test in their application process.

As always, do let us know if there are any suggestions for improvement, or anything we could add to the information below.

We hope you find this useful, and best wishes with all your applications this cycle! We are very much rooting for you all!

​

Firms Without The Watson Glaser​

​

Firms Without SJT’s​

How long is too late to apply for a position which is rolling?

Hey all,

I'm relatively new to corporate law as a whole and I wanted to find out more about a couple firms through going to their Open Days. I recently submitted an Open Day application to Reed Smith only to get rejected, and therefore I'm left confused about how an Open Day application should look like. I couldn't find successful Open Day application examples so I ended up structuring mine modelled after Vacation Scheme application answers, which might have been the problem. I thought Open Days were for those with little to no legal experience, which is what I am, so it'll be helpful if anyone can provide any feedback or insight as to my answer didn't work. Thanks!

Hi all, I am a recent graduate and I wanted to keep this thread active as a way to keep myself accountable. I am fortunate enough to have strong academics, and so right now my goal is to get as many interviews as possible. I am hoping for the best.

Applications (To send before October):
Gibson Dunn
HSF
Paul, Weiss
Latham and Watkins Open Day
Hogan Lovells
NRF

Applications: (Already Sent)
1. Sidley Austin
2. Slaughter and May (HK)
3. Macfarlanes


Rejections:
1. Paul, Weiss Open Day
2. HSF Open Day

Success:
1. TCLA x Willkie Open Day
2. Jones Day Interview

Hello everyone!

My name is David and I am about to begin the law conversion course at ULaw Bristol! I last applied for VS/TCs in the 2019/20 cycle without passing application stage even once (I don't consider tests to be post-app) and decided to try my hand at other things after graduating in 2020 but I've now found myself back here cos I think law is really where I belong after all! I'd never introduced myself on the forum before and simply started posting last time but I'm looking forward to being more active and getting to know people better this time!

I hold a 2:1 Scots law degree although my individual modules are actually not very consistent but I've had a huge change in mindset over the last year and am hoping to land a VS/TC this year by methodically meeting law firms, curating a shortlist of the firms I want to apply to, and going through the VS route rather than DTC (with the couple of exceptions in A&OS/Freshfields among others).

Hi all, hope everyone reading this is well.


I am an international student who recently graduated with a 2:1 in law from a solid university (i.e. LSE/UCL), but did not manage to secure a TC. I will be staying in London on a graduate visa and am hoping for advice on my applications strategy for the coming years.

I have been advised that experience as a paralegal would put me in a strong position for VS/TC applications in the coming cycles. However, I have also heard that paralegal roles can be very competitive, often requiring experience (which I do not have). I am also unfamiliar with other general expectations like working hours, length of employment, pay, etc. Are there specific roles/areas I should be aiming for? (i.e. firms that have a paralegal-trainee pipeline, or specific practice areas that large law firms particularly appreciate when considering applications).

Could anyone please share where I could learn more about this? I would especially appreciate insights from people who secured TC's after paralegaling for a while (and the impact of that experience on your interviews/AC's, etc), or those who chose alternative paths (and your reasons why).


Thank you!

Is anyone else finding practice SQE questions that are badly written and omitting key information necessary in order to make a reasonable judgement, even in reputable legal education books?

There is supposed to be a level of ambiguity in the possible answers that is designed to test our problem-solving and legal reasoning skills, of course. But I have seen more than one question which - in the explanation of the correct answer provided - assumes an awareness of specific facts about a case (not legal knowledge) that are not provided by the question.

Here is an example:

"A party was organised which took place in the woods. Starting at 11pm, the party continued for 12 hours and thousands of people attended. DJs played loud music, and attendees parked cars along the roads to the woods. There were no toilets or litter bins in the woods."

"What is the court's approach likely to be when considering if the party organiser created a public nuisance?"

The correct answer is: "The court is likely to find that the organiser created a public nuisance on the basis that noise and inconvenience affected the locals."

All the other answers are wrong, and not all of them assume that a claim has been brought by a particular person or class of people.

The problem is that the scenario contains no mention of any "locals", let alone their proximity to the party, attitude toward the event, or position in respect to a possible claim. So, when considering the question the reader immediately excludes this (correct) answer because it refers to specific information which is not taken for granted in the premise of the question. Public nuisance claims may be brought by individuals, classes or the Attorney General, but none of these possibilities are contextualised by the MCQ in a way which leads to the correct answer.

Has anyone else seen this kind of mistake in SQE question construction?

Can anybody give some insight into the Pinsent Masons blended assessment, please.