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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

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really struggling to work out NRF's competitors with specific reasoning, does anyone have any idea?
NRF's specialities lie in project finance & banking.

Have a look at the practices the firm is ranked Tier-1 in (for example infrastructure projects), and then have a look at which other firms have the same ranking.

For example for infrastructure projects:

NRF.PNG

You can try this for other practice areas as well, and you should be able to come up with strong arguments for which firms are competitors! 🙂

Also look at lateral hires for NRF (the firms they come from), and the firms that advise on deals alongside NRF.

Hope this helps!
 
Hi, everyone. Quick question ahead of the next cycle: are there any firms that are known to be "pro-" or "anti-" career changers?

I'm phrasing it more bluntly than what I expect the reality to be, but I'd love to hear thoughts on whether XYZ firms tend to only welcome non-law grads from certain industries, if there are some known for taking on people in their 30's, etc. - any of this sort of insight would be most appreciated!
 
Hi, everyone. Quick question ahead of the next cycle: are there any firms that are known to be "pro-" or "anti-" career changers?

I'm phrasing it more bluntly than what I expect the reality to be, but I'd love to hear thoughts on whether XYZ firms tend to only welcome non-law grads from certain industries, if there are some known for taking on people in their 30's, etc. - any of this sort of insight would be most appreciated!
Trowers make a point of being career changer friendly. They were the most explicit about it from the ones I came across in their recruitment info.
 
Hey @Crystal86,

Again this is only my opinion, but yes!

I tried to be curious during my interview and enthusiastic about the issues that we were discussing. This approach indicates that are you engaged and interested, as well as being keen and willing to learn/improve, which bodes well for when you become a trainee. For example, from what I remember, I asked my interviewers (as I had two scenario interviews when I was applying) what their thoughts were about X or Y (even during the interview rather than just at the end) and what they found difficult etc.

I think this worked well for this style of interview partly because it (in some ways) replicates a conversation between two lawyers trying to work through a new legal scenario together and questions would naturally arise during this sort of discussion.

That being said, I would not force it. I tend to be one of those people who naturally asks a lot of questions and am generally enthusiastic, so for me this came relatively naturally. But I do not think that you need to ask lots of questions to be successful.


I hope that helps. Do ask if anything is unclear etc. 💪
Thanks again @George Maxwell . As a non-law student, I am a little worried that I might not understand some terms the partner may use, do you think it's okay to ask them to clarify? Also, do you think the scenario interview is supposed to be a formal or an informal discussion?
 
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Has anyone found themselves in a position where they had an AC for a direct TC that you could/did attend when halfway through a VS at another firm?
 
I have an odd question. If you miss a law firm's phone call, do they eventually e-mail you? I'm currently not in the UK and I can't get phone calls from the UK so I'm a bit worried that I missed a call
In my experience email them to let them know and they will give you your response by email or schedule a call via zoom/ teams
 
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