they cancelled the vs's and are doing only tc nowdid u apply for kirkland tc directly or for the vs?
they cancelled the vs's and are doing only tc nowdid u apply for kirkland tc directly or for the vs?
yup, i applied for VS and after AC they said they're just doing tcthey cancelled the vs's and are doing only tc now
Thanks so much for this James! I know in my case we only get one associate mentor in our chosen area but could pick out top three from the departments. As someone who finds energy really fascinating I chose the corporate seat in that and two disputes seats because I think I have a genuine interest in litigation (having working in a court got 11 months!) thanks again for the advice and for sharing your experience!!First of all, congratulations @LEL and @thirdtimelucky on securing vacation schemes! It is an exciting position to be in where you are about to experience the inner workings of a commercial law firm for the first time
I have seen some great suggestions on this topic and I think that the first thing to consider is whether you will have the opportunity to explore multiple seats throughout your time on the scheme or if you only get to explore one. If you have the opportunity to sit in multiple departments, then I would definitely take the recommendations that some users have given to sit in contrasting departments - perhaps one corporate seat and one disputes or advisory seat.
When making this decision myself, for example, I knew that I was really interested in trying competition/antitrust because a lot of the regulatory side of competition law is related to politics and international relations which I really enjoyed studying at uni. At the same time, I did not know enough about what being a competition lawyer entailed so if I had only had the choice of a single seat, I probably would have gone for one of the firm's bigger departments - corporate or litigation. At this firm, I ended up sitting in two seats - Private Equity and Competition, so I got the best of both worlds. Competition proved to be as interesting as I thought it was, partly because the team had its own clients and was not purely a support team, which may have also impacted my decision making.
I think personally that you cannot go wrong with a corporate seat at any commercial firm as you will gain exposure to a lot of the clients and work that drives the firm as a business! You will often have the chance to liaise with members from supporting teams and you will likely sit alongside plenty of other candidates for your seat to be well-structured enough that the firm is able to accurately assess you.
If you are really into disputes, then by all means choose that as your single seat and if you are interested in another more specialised area then I would be more inclined to choose it if it is an area where the firm specialises. As another user advised, it is good to get a sense of what the firm's specialisms and compulsory seats are so that you can have an accurate understanding of what it would be like to work at the firm in question when you come to choosing whether to train there
I'm only a future trainee but I believe salary changes much more with seniority than with the department you are in. So you would expect someone 1 year PQE in one department to earn roughly the same as someone else 1 year PQE in a different department at the same firm (although bonus may vary). But you would expect someone 5+year PQE to earn significantly more than someone newly qualified.This might be a nosy question... but I feel like salary transparency is really important
Lets say on legal cheek, it states that a NQ lawyer at a firm earns £140,000
would that be for every NQ in every single department? does the salary you earn fluctuate by the department you are in?
lets say the firm is well know for real estate would someone in real estate earn lets say £160k and someone in their less money making department lets say banking would make £135k (this is all hypothetical btw)
so my main question is, would it work by the department you are in or by how many years you are qualified? lets say a PQE+1 would earn less than a PQE+5?
not sure lool
I haven't found much on this online and can't recall anyone having shared their interview experiences here on the forum. I think as long as you have four core answers prepared to why commercial law, why you, why KPMG and why KPMG over its competitors (I think this last one is important to demonstrate that you can distinguish it from other Big 4 firms and city law firms.Does anybody here have any experience interviewing with KPMG Law? Any advice/insight would be appreciated - please PM me!
This used to sting so bad every.single.time.I just cannot get over the fact that TW rejected me after writing 8 questions, 8 freaking questions
Before you start answering a question, think of the role you assumed in your team. Were you a listener, a leader, someone who challenged others to think of better solutions, someone who drew up a vision or was better at executing it etc.I really struggle with answering application/interview questions regarding teamwork (Such as' Please provide us with an example of when you have worked within a team to achieve a positive outcome. What were your goals and what challenges did you face? ')
Can anyone give me a structure on how to answer this, an example, or anything like that? I have a lot of work experience which involved team work but I've never known how to best approach emphasising it.
NQ salary will typically be fixed and across all departments (e.g. what you are paid when you qualify).This might be a nosy question... but I feel like salary transparency is really important
Lets say on legal cheek, it states that a NQ lawyer at a firm earns £140,000
would that be for every NQ in every single department? does the salary you earn fluctuate by the department you are in?
lets say the firm is well know for real estate would someone in real estate earn lets say £160k and someone in their less money making department lets say banking would make £135k (this is all hypothetical btw)
so my main question is, would it work by the department you are in or by how many years you are qualified? lets say a PQE+1 would earn less than a PQE+5?
not sure lool
This might be a nosy question... but I feel like salary transparency is really important
Lets say on legal cheek, it states that a NQ lawyer at a firm earns £140,000
would that be for every NQ in every single department? does the salary you earn fluctuate by the department you are in?
lets say the firm is well know for real estate would someone in real estate earn lets say £160k and someone in their less money making department lets say banking would make £135k (this is all hypothetical btw)
so my main question is, would it work by the department you are in or by how many years you are qualified? lets say a PQE+1 would earn less than a PQE+5?
not sure lool
At NQ/associate level which department you’re in won’t matter. There will be a base salary tied to your seniority, possibly a discretionary bonus, and a bonus tied to your hours. So an NQ in real estate and corporate will earn the same. However it’s possible that a 5 PQE in real estate may take home more if they’ve hit a higher billable target and/or received a discretionary bonus while the other person just hit a lower target or didn’t receive a discretionary bonus. But as an NQ within the same firm there should be no difference, to my knowledge.Thanks so much for this James! I know in my case we only get one associate mentor in our chosen area but could pick out top three from the departments. As someone who finds energy really fascinating I chose the corporate seat in that and two disputes seats because I think I have a genuine interest in litigation (having working in a court got 11 months!) thanks again for the advice and for sharing your experience!!
I wouldn’t call it “practice” but a lot of people choose to do it when they accept the offer.Hi, I was wondering if it is common practice to announce on LinkedIn that you’ve been offered a Vac scheme or do most people not do that?
It's up to you, I guess. I haven't done it myself.Hi, I was wondering if it is common practice to announce on LinkedIn that you’ve been offered a Vac scheme or do most people not do that?
could i ask when u got ur ac offer?they cancelled the vs's and are doing only tc now
It’s a bit like marmite, some people love it some people hate it.Hi, I was wondering if it is common practice to announce on LinkedIn that you’ve been offered a Vac scheme or do most people not do that?
From my understanding it depends on the firm's availability but in general you qualify in a specific team.Has anyone ever seen/heard of associates switching practice areas after they're qualified? Probably more so within the same field e.g. M&A to capital markets, as opposed to a drastic change like M&A to arbitration. Do you qualify as a solicitor generally, or as a solicitor in a specific practice area? I feel like the idea of staying in one area for the rest of my career is daunting, what if I don't like it anymore lol
You qualify as a solicitor generally. I’ve heard of associates moving within a practice area (ie from a specialist area to a more generalist area or vice versa) but not personally of moving between practice areas. I imagine in limited cases this may be possible but within specific topic confines.Has anyone ever seen/heard of associates switching practice areas after they're qualified? Probably more so within the same field e.g. M&A to capital markets, as opposed to a drastic change like M&A to arbitration. Do you qualify as a solicitor generally, or as a solicitor in a specific practice area? I feel like the idea of staying in one area for the rest of my career is daunting, what if I don't like it anymore lol
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