Vacation Schemes Training Contract Training Contract Journey

New Threads

 Forum list

Vacation scheme and full time job offer

A
Hi,

I’ve been lucky enough to have been offered a vacation scheme for the summer, however I’m facing a bit of a dilemma because I have recently been offered a full time job (not law related) starting a couple of weeks after the vac scheme.

If I get offered the tc from the vac scheme, I’d have to do the gdl first as I’m non law. Would I be able to accept this job and work while doing the gdl? I’m assuming I’d have to disclose this to the other company but naturally they would likely rescind my offer.
Click to expand...

Trainee cohort and intake question!

thedonnabrief
Hi @Jaysen !! Hope you are doing well.

I have a question about something I’ve been trying to understand about vacation scheme and training contract recruitment:

When a firm says it is recruiting for a certain number (say 30) of training contracts for a particular intake, for example a 2028 TC through the 2026 vacation scheme cycle, does that number usually refer strictly to the candidates starting in that specific intake year?

I’ve noticed that some future trainees at the same firms appear to have earlier start dates like 2027, which made me wonder whether they are part of a separate cohort of 30, earlier recruitment cycle, or something else, and hence do not count as part of the 30 intake.

I greatly appreciate your insight! Thank you :)
Click to expand...

SQE 26/27 Discussion Thread

Jaysen
Hey everyone!

Whether you're taking the exam in July or starting in September, this thread is for anyone who wants to prepare ahead of the SQE.

Feel free to introduce yourself here!

Relevant threads​

  1. SQE Journey/Tips by @WillKitchen
  2. SQE Tell All by @average_jo123
  3. Best SQE1 Resources by @plw
  4. Jaysen does the SQE
Click to expand...
  • ℹ️
  • Like
Reactions: Alison C and WillKitchen

Orrick Direct TC- 2028

aanushhhkaaa
Hi, can anyone give some advice on how to approach Orrick's Direct TC cover letter? They have a bunch of application questions, which I believe cover mostly everything I'd like to talk about in the cover letter- (1) Why commercial law and (2) Why Orrick is already covered. I do think I should proceed to include "why me" in the cover letter- but would that suffice? Is there something else I should that would allow me to stand out? Also, I have a very specific area of law narrowed down- arbitration - wherein I've had a lot work & mooting experience too. Should I take this cover letter to include what that specific area of law, or would be counterintuitive?

Secondly, I've read that Orrick generally only hires from it's vacation scheme. Would proceeding to apply the direct TC route, especially as an applicant who would need Visa sponsorship- actually be worth
Click to expand...

SQE Journeys / Tips (July 2026 Exam)

WillKitchen
Thanks to @Jaysen for inviting me to share some of my experiences studying for the SQE.

I’ll share a bit of background, how I ended up on an SQE course, and then my best study tip. I hope this is interesting / useful, and I'd be happy to hear other's stories, too...

My Background

In 2024, I decided to retrain as a solicitor. It had been a long time coming. Back in 2009, when choosing my A Levels, my plan was to enter the law. But a very rewarding time at university studying creative industries encouraged me to consider an academic pathway. After receiving a Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship from the University of Southampton in 2016, I completed a PhD and began teaching. Over the next 8 years or so, I wrote a number of books for Bloomsbury and Edinburgh University Press. I also did a bit of employment law policy and leadership research advisory work and secured my first NED role.

Unusually for an academic, I discovered that I enjoyed the more administrative side of the job: committees, examinations, policy review, governance, global team leadership. By the time COVID came along and destabilised the academic job market, I had established a strong professional profile (including leading an international research team of 20 people from the UK, Sweden, Japan, Canada and the USA) and developed many transferrable skills that could now perhaps be put to better use in commercial law. After finishing my fourth book, I undertook the career move that had been on my mind, on and off, since about 2009.

SQE 1 Prep Course

The first important choice was whether to complete a conversion course / LLM or go directly to SQE 1 Prep. I spoke with several Law academics, and they confirmed my choice to dive into the deep end with SQE prep. I already had three degrees and the necessary discipline to undertake self-directed study. After researching several options (balancing practicality with reputation), I signed-up for a 40-week part-time SQE 1 Prep course with BARBRI, for the July 2026 exam.

My decision to self-fund SQE 1 was strategic. A training contract is equally important, of course, but given the fact that I had limited commercial legal qualifications on my CV (just one week of work experience at a mid-sized regional firm, and a few other bits and pieces), I wanted to start SQE under my own steam so that law firms could see that I was committed to the new career. And, if it might take longer than planned to receive a TC offer, then I would be taking at least one practical step forward in 2026.

The BARBRI course included an Introduction to Law module. This established some of the key principles of legal study, giving me the confidence to catch up with fellow students who might have completed a Law degree or conversion course. BARBRI encourages students to manage their own “PSP” (Personal Study Plan), organising their revision around work and planning study days to suit their schedule. Nevertheless, it is very common for students to create independent study plans alongside the PSP, including flashcards and additional readings (such as the Revise SQE book series by Amy and David Sixsmith).

Preparing for SQE 1 is very different to writing a PhD thesis, and so I had to adopt a new kind of study plan. Although they are not for everyone, I found that flashcards were very effective tools. A typical study day for me involves completing a few hours on the PSP, reading a chapter or two of Revise SQE, and creating a handful of flashcards based on any information that is not quite going in. I regularly put a handful of cards in my pocket and go out for a walk in the countryside, reading and memorising information as I go.

Those activities account for about 90% of my study method. Flashcards are not to everyone’s taste, of course, but here is one tip that has worked well for me…

Study Tip

Try to come up with silly but memorable ways of retaining information. SQE 1 requires you to cram a large number of different dates, facts, figures and time periods. A lot of the data is very dry, and it is easy to get a little mixed up. When studying, I try to find a way of recontextualising that information by assigning it a cultural reference or narrative function.

For example, take the rule about survivorship: if a spouse or civil partner dies and their partner does not survive for 28 days, their partner does not inherit under their estate. If you can find a way to anchor that number in a scenario that is easy to recall – perhaps for the simple reason that it is a bit silly – that will greatly improve your chances of recalling that information during an MCQ.

I found that I could make the rule memorable by thinking about the zombie film 28 Days Later (2002). All I needed to do was create an association between the rule on survivorship and the word “zombie”. This is an effective method because a study flashcard that says “Survivorship, zombies” is far more memorable (I would hope!) than a flashcard saying “Survivorship, 28 days”. It’s about introducing an element of colour and uniqueness into the study process – giving a jolt of electricity to a rather dry procedural rule. Once the connection to survivorship has been formed, you’ll never forget that period of “28 days”, because its right there in the film’s title. The rule will be contained within that bizarre connection you have forced your brain to make.

This can be surprisingly effective, especially if you manage to align form and content, as in the example above. It might not be enough to give you the “single best answer” every time, but it will be a useful tool to guide your judgement when interpreting a question and the answer choices that are on offer.
Click to expand...

Attachments

  • Screenshot.png
    Screenshot.png
    2 MB · Views: 23
  • 🏆
  • ℹ️
Reactions: johnsmith, Alison C, Harvey Specter - Presiding Partner and 1 other person
Load more

Order by:

Latest posts

Deadlines

Top Members

Weekly Monthly Yearly
View leaderboard
Top Bottom
Back