New Threads

Hi everyone!

I’ve been inspired by a few on this forum to start my own thread on my TC journey.

I’m currently working full-time and I’m finding it quite exhausting balancing TC/VS applications with life and work. This is my second application cycle. Last year I passed three app stages but ultimately fell down at the test/vi stages. So I’ve decided to be a little more strategic this year and focus on firms with simpler processes. However, I think I’ll still attempt to apply to some firms with test/VI stages.

Applied:
Linklater’s open day
Paul, Weiss open day
Simmons & Simmons WVS
Fieldfisher TC
Travers Smith TC
AG TC

Pending:
Pinsent
Willkie
Covington
Gibson
Goodwin
HSF
Skadden
Slaughter and May
White & Case
Arnold & Porter
Akin

Rejected:
Taylor Wessing post test

I might apply to Sullivan & Cromwell because i like the sound of their generalist approach. However, a lot of their trainees are Oxbridge grads with first class and that’s just not me

I want to apply to Hogan Lovells but I find their application questions so longwinded but we’ll see. I also heard that now they review your app before sending the WG? Not sure how accurate that is

I'm going to apologise in advance if this isn't the right forum to be on but it seems like a very knowledgeable place! For context nothing about my educational background, situation or ambitions are the norm for this site; I don't have an LLB or PGDL; I'm a mature "career changer/not changer" and I have no desire whatsoever to work in a law firm, let alone one in the magic circle or silver circle. However, I am trying to navigate a path from my current role to that of an in-house legal counsel.

Allow me to explain as succinctly as I can! I am a company secretary and I quite like my job but increasingly people like me are getting pushed out by people who are lawyers. Many years ago I did a History degree and then I did the ICSA exams because back in the early 2000s, that is the kind of thing you did if you wanted to be a company secretary. However, quite soon after that the financial crash happened and in that carnage there was less legal work around, the lawyers started entering the cosec profession and I found it harder and harder to progress. However, there was plenty of compliance work in the banking sector. So for a decade, I happily did that instead, doing intricate work reviewing and summarising regulatory change and supporting various parts of the bank to implement the changes. Until I hit the "lawyer's only ceiling" in that profession too. I managed to eventually get a decent opening into the company secretarial world based on my compliance experience but I'm generally excluded from all the most interesting listed work because of my background.

To prove a point (that company secretaries don't need a law degree to understand the law), last year I did SQE 1. Compared to ICSA/CGI, it really wasn't a very hard qualification to get. I suspect it's also true that an LLB or a GDL is also much harder to achieve than SQE 1. And so to my dilemma.

With my background in financial regulation, my years of experience as a company secretary and now gaining SQE 1 combined with the fact that I genuinely enjoy this intellectual challenge, my question is whether there is any path towards eventually becoming the general counsel in a business without having to work for a law firm first? I know the mechanics of the SQE allow it - all sorts can pass as legal experience these days - but my question is more whether it is achievable in practice and if so how?

In particular, some questions I have are:

1) If I complete both parts of the SQE, is there any remaining merit in doing an LLB or GDL? Is there any danger in not doing so?

2) Similarly, would getting a relevant LLM be in anyway useful and if I was really keen to avoid doing an LLB or GDL (and I really am!) could an LLM be a good substitute to show I can cope with the academic side of the profession?

3) Are there any other particular skills in-house firms want that are unique to them?

For everyone applying for vacation schemes and direct training contracts, remember that this journey requires persistence, resilience, and focus. Each application is an opportunity to grow, learn more about yourself, and refine your unique approach to entering the legal profession. It’s completely normal to feel challenged at times, but know that every bit of effort you put in now brings you closer to your goal.

Here are some TCLA resources, among many others, to guide you:

Law Firm Profiles: These profiles offer detailed insights into individual law firms. Familiarizing yourself with this information will help you tailor your applications and understand each firm’s unique qualities.

Vacation Scheme and Training Contract Discussion Thread: These threads provide a space for candidates to discuss their experiences, share tips, and support each other through the process. Engaging in these conversations can be incredibly beneficial, helping you stay motivated and learn from others’ experiences.

Law Firm Deadlines Calendar and Threads:
Staying on top of deadlines is crucial. This calendar ensures you don’t miss any key dates for applications, interviews, or assessments. The threads also offer real-time discussions on application stages, so you can keep up with the latest advice and insights.

Law Firm Directory: A comprehensive list of law firms and relevant information about each. Use this directory to explore different firms, track which ones align with your career goals, and identify opportunities that resonate with your values and aspirations.


Each of these resources, as well as many others, can empower you to approach your applications with confidence and clarity. Remember, every small step counts, and you have a community here to support you every step of the way. Keep pushing forward—you’ve got this!

Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out for help, especially if you’ve done an assessment centre before. I’m just one step away from securing a training contract!

Here’s my situation: I’m on a unique route with Addleshaw Goddard—I’ve successfully passed every stage of the vacation scheme/training contract recruitment process and was invited to the vacation scheme. However, I haven’t yet sat for the assessment centre. They informed me that I did so well in the vacation scheme that I’m now the only candidate invited to the upcoming assessment centre. If I pass, I’ll be offered a training contract right away!

So, I’m here asking for any tips or resources you can share to help me prepare for the assessment centre. Haha! I would really appreciate any insights!

Thanks so much!

Hi guys, I would like to know what is the most effective way to make LPC notes in your opinion. What did you do when you studied the LPC? I am doing the LPC online with ULaw and I am currently typing my notes but I think I am not getting anywhere by doing that. I was thinking that I should rather make folders for each module and use the printed sheets that the university sent me.

Any tips will be greatly appreciated

Please i do have a question to-ask.
I am a lawyer outside the UK
Presently taking the SQE Courses.
i am however sponsoring myself throughout all the process but it is tough considering few copies of books i could afford because of high cost, i do intend to find out and plead for recommendations if a firm will offer me a visa sponsorship to enable studies go with practice

Hello,

I was wondering how I should manage my application strategy regarding applying for vac schemes vs direct TCs (I am a recent graduate with a few months of legal work experience). I understand that most law firms recruit largely from vac schemes at first instance and so it would increase my chances of joining that specific firm if I applied for vac schemes. However, I would likely not be able to atttend more than one or two vac schemes due to the dates overlapping - and what if, for the vac schemes I choose to attend, I flunk the TC interview and end up with nothing?

Should I focus on applying for a mix of vac schemes and direct TCs ? How should I decide which one to apply for for each firm?

Thank you!

Hi all,

I was looking onto to find a kind of academic profile for white & case trainees. From what I have seen on LinkedIn, it appears that associates who work at the firm and are Non RG are only considered if they have obtained a first.

I have a range of grades in my uni degree during my first year which were 2:2, 2:1, for the penultimate year it was 2:1 and then for my last year it was high 2:1s and 1sts.
I graduated with a high 2:1 (68%).

During my a levels & uni I had a range of mitigating circumstances which impacted me: I broke my back at university which meant I had to take 2 years out to recover, I grew up in foster care from the age of 8 and had to work full time hours in jobs throughout my A Levels & University to support myself.

Presently I am completing my LLM at RG uni and striving to graduate as high as I can. Additionally, I am completing my remaining LPC exams at BPP.

Is it worth me applying or will I most likely be rejected?

Has anyone done the SQE graduate solicitor apprenticeship with Datalaw?

Hi everyone.

I am a recent graduate in the process of researching firms and hoping to secure a vac scheme soon, after which I am hoping to secure a TC. However, I am scared and disheartened about my circumstances and whether all my hard work will be for nothing.

I have a CCJ for unpaid rent for my university accommodation from 2021. This all went on during covid-19 and I was unaware how much the issue was escalating until I one day found a CCJ on a credit assessment. I have been repaying it slowly since but I still have a long way to go (somewhere around £4k due to the extra legal fees and charges I have incurred). No one knew about this at the time - I did not tell anyone until last year. The reason why this happened was because my father was meant to pay for the accommodation but we had a falling out and I was unable to pay it myself. I have a number of mental health issues as well as at the time undiagnosed neurodivergence that prevented me from dealing with this appropriately. I was also 19 when this first happened and had just moved to the country less than a year prior - I was scared and did not know what to do.

I am concerned the SRA will never even consider admitting me as a solicitor. Should I do the early character and suitability assessment to know for sure whether my dreams can never be achieved?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Hi all,

So I am seeing a lot of trainee solicitor roles now that are stating on the job advert that they do not want someone who has completed the LPC.

I will finish the LPC in August 2025, I took an interruption of studies for 1 year as I've been self funding it and was struggling to balance my job and finances for it.

Anyway, my concern is, if this is the case and now firms are no longer wanting those who have completed the LPC - what do I do???

I didn't convert my LPC to the SQE because I would have still had to pay separately for the Barbi exams and did not have the funds for this. Also, the low pass rate and knowing people around me struggling so much to pass SQE1 deterred me further. Am I correct in saying that I also will only need to do the SQE2 as this was my understanding once you have completed the LPC.

But yea, seeing this addition to job adverts now means I cannot apply for these roles and with firms phasing out TCs.. what do I do? Is it either direct TC or Vac scheme?

Hi all,

As per the heading, can you apply to 2? Both are Vac Schemes at A&O with 1 being in Belfast at their delivery centre and another for London?
I am confused as they said you can't apply for two unless it's at for example one of their delivery places.. so I guess it means it's fine?

Anyone had this experience before? I don't want them to strike off my applications for applying to both.

Thanks!

Hi all, just wanted to come on and get some advice on what I should do (and vent just a little)...

My background: I came to the UK as an international student to study law with a russell group uni, graduated with first class results in September 2022. I have been applying to vac schemes and training contracts since my second year of uni and have never succeeded in getting into AC. The furthest I have gonee is a video interview with Baker McKenzie.

I was unemployed for a year following graduation. Understandably, the UK was in a recession at the time and economy probably played a part. At the time I was still applying for VS and TCs, as well as FT paralegal position. For that whole year I only got rejections, and I figured that in part I got those rejections because employers were unable to sponsor a working visa which I required at the time. It has taken a toll on my mental health and at the same time a close family had passed away which really hit me hard.

I finally got my first paralegal job in June 2023, and at this point I have stopped applying for any VS and TCs. I thought I would just work a little while and step back from applying for TCs to let myself get a breather.

Then I switched to a better job in December 2023, and have been paralegaling with my firm for a year now. I have since only applied to my firm's TC and have been offered an AC in March this year. At the time it was not confirmed when the AC would be as the date was not set. After 7 months, only earlier this week, I was told the AC will not be going ahead until further notice in 2025, as the firm has suddenly decided not to fund trainings this financial year etc.

Now I am left a little disheartened because I thought I was so close to getting that TC, and it's like all that hope and chance of getting that TC is gone. I have to reapply to other firms and wait for another couple years before I can train and qualify.

I am now back to square one of considering my next steps and reapplying to firms. I have only done this one TC application with my firm since June 2023 and I feel so rusty. I have had a look at most firm's websites and they are recruiting for trainees 3 years in advance (to start in 2027)?! When has it gone this wild? I remember it used to be 2 years in advance a few years ago when I was still in my final year of uni...I work FT right now and job applications a weekend job. It's difficult to get much done during the weekdays.

I am turning 24 in 3 months and I just feel so disheartened that I have gone this far to do everything I can but also it is so difficult to get a TC. I really want to give up because I really can't see an end to this application marathon. But also I don't know what other careers I can go into because I realise a law degree really isn't that transferrable to other industries (ie. many business roles would want candidates to have studied business for example).

I have not done my LPC/SQE yet so I am planning to self-fund it to start in September 2025, if I cant get a TC this application cycle. But even with that, finishing a LPC/SQE does not guarantee a TC and I still may not be able to train until after 2027/2028. By the time I start training and get qualified, I would be at least 26/27 to start and 28/29 to qualify. My partner and I would want to start a family by then and I feel that I would be putting life plans on hold because my career plans are not moving forward.

At this point I feel extremely discouraged and I dont know what I can do. All my friends from uni have progressed with starting a TC with big london firms, earning big bucks and almost qualifying. Meanwhile I am just a lost sheep roaming around not sure of what to do. Why were they able to get a TC and not me?

If i self-fund a LPC/SQE, which one should I do? So many people have told me the LPC gives you more practical knowledge of the law profession than the SQE, and from my research I know the LPC has much better pass rate than the SQE. ULaw is also no longer offering LPC at many branches (only limited to London and up North, which I don't want to be at as the former is expensive and I've never been up north).

I would really appreciate any advice, thoughts etc from anyone in similar positions or have gone through the same.

Sighs.

End of Week Motivation: Keep Pushing!

To everyone out there in the thick of vacation scheme and training contract applications: you've made it through another week, and that in itself is worth celebrating. This process is demanding, but remember, each form, interview, and even rejection is building resilience and refining your story. Here’s a reminder to:

Keep Learning – Take a moment to reflect on the week. Did you come across any new commercial trends, or was there a feedback note that made you rethink your approach? Embrace every insight, as it adds depth to your profile.

Stay Consistent – Consistency is your greatest ally. Even when motivation dips, stick to your application goals. Trust that every effort brings you closer to an offer.

Rest & Recharge – The journey is a marathon, not a sprint. For the remainder of this weekend, take time to recharge. Rest fuels resilience, and a refreshed mind is your best tool for the week ahead.

Your dedication is inspiring. Keep pushing forward, and remember that every application is a step closer to your goal. You’ve got this!

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