TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24
- Thread starter Jessica Booker
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Private Equity Insights on Linkedin is quite good
It’s not a newsletter or website, but setting up Google alerts might be good, and you can also do that for certain topics like leveraged buyouts, management buyouts and so on. You may also want to follow the big players like Blackstone, EQT and KKR on LinkedIn.
- Sep 14, 2023
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Hey @Izzy1026 I hope you are doing okay.
This is a good question and I feel like it is something people struggle with. What I would say is to never use bullet points in application answers, or in any part of an application to a law firm for that matter. That is because questions are asked to not just read what you have to say but also how you say it, and through bullet points that is of course quite difficult to do.
I think that by saying ''outline'', what they mean is:
- Discuss the topic: This means highlighting the key players, the crucial events and phenomena and the overall consequences on society, economy, financial and legal world.
- Emphasise the relevance of the topic: When it comes to this point, I would make sure to clearly highlight why this piece of news is important to the world at large, but ultimately for the legal sector. This will show an in-depth understanding of the commercial world but also of how these intertwines with the legal world.
- Briefly touch upon potential future developments derived from the commercial topic you are talking about: This could be effective especially if you are talking about something very recent and the word count allows you to write a bit more.
I hope that's helpful and good luck with the application cycle!
- Sep 14, 2023
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Hi @hannah04 I hope you're okay!
Regarding your first question, I believe that it is definitely acceptable for you to update sections about your skills and/or experiences. This will allow them to see you in a different light and distinguish your application from last year's one. I would make sure to include major changes and or experiences you have done that will make you stand out as a candidate, especially compared to your last application. As much as the answers and your experiences might be the same, I personally feel as though rearranging them or twitching them, even just slightly, goes a long way. Some tips I can give you here is:
- Talk about an experience you have touched upon in the previous application but look at it from a different angle. I think that this will work really well as you are not changing the experience you are talking about (especially if you have a limited number) but you are just bringing another side to it which might be even more beneficial to your profile than the one you talked about previously. An example would be: if you've talked about a group assignment you did during your internship last year that showed your team working skills, this year you could focus on how in that group assignment you took the role of the leader and you managed to guide the group and achieve a specific goal. I think that this will work really well and will give you a space to manoeuvre your answers!
- Focus on aspects that are quite peculiar to what you have done. I think this will make you a very interesting candidate. For example, when I was applying to a firm and I was talking about my experience in advocacy, I focused on how I pitched a project to some eu officials. However, applying to another firm (very different from the one previously mentioned) I made sure to highlight my experience working for Italian companies where I was talking about diversity and inclusion in my internship. As you can see, with the same internship experience, I highlighted peculiar tasks and opportunities I had for different applications to different firms. I think that this will work even better for you whilst applying to the same firm.
As such, I do not think that it will be counterintuitive for you to talk about new practice areas or new facts about the firm. As a matter of fact, it will be very much appreciated! If you think about it, you would have more reasons as to why you like the firms and more things to talk about in the interview/AC stage!
Good luck with the application cycle!
- Sep 14, 2023
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I think it is still worth applying even though the application deadline is coming up. The thing is even though they are rolling, they offer the scheme to people they really like so I would just apply and make sure to put your best foot forward and write the best application possible and work on the WG. If they like you, they will give you an offer regardless of the rolling aspect. I applied to rolling application for a US firm last year in late December and I got the interview on the same day (and I thought I was really late cause people were having second stage offers from the firm). So, it really goes to show you that as long as you apply two weeks before the deadline and you managed to create the best application you are capable of, I think you are in a good position to succeed!
Good luck on this cycle! @prospectiveswitcher
- Sep 14, 2023
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Hey @hanz123, I would say this is a very hard question but nothing can you cannot handle for sure. I think that the what I will suggest is:Any advice on Trowers & Hamlins "Who are our main competitors and specifically demonstrate how we differentiate from the firms you name" question?
I'd appreciate any tips on answering this question
- Do your research: Make sure you know the firm in and out and you know its position in the market, its competitions and what they specialise in, market coverage and everything that might be relevant information to help you answer the question. This question is specifically research oriented as it pushes to understand the main differences between Trowers & Hamlins and its competitors so, look at the website, look at the relevant news concerning the firm, talk to trainees and associates and investigate the reasons why the firm in unique compared to its competitors.
- Pick 2/3 competitors: You want to be able to talk about how the firm stands out compared to each of the firm you mention, and this will require to have a very in-depth analysis of the the firm, competitors, and the main differences. So, picking more than 3 might be make the task of answering the question exhaustively very difficult.
- Analyse the question asked in a precise way: If you see the question, they ask you not just to name the competitors but also to specifically demonstrate how Trowers & Hamlins differentiates itself from those same competitors (which you have to name), so do just that. I am highlighting this because I remember when I was answering questions like this last year, it was really difficult to focus on the entirety of the questions since you want to write everything you might know about the firm and the competitors at large. So I would always be very generic and never mention any names. In this specific question, my approach would have not worked as you can imagine as they specifically ask you to mention the name of the competitors so do just that!
I apologize but does this mean that you did not receive the VI invite? Anyways, onwards and upwards! You can do it 🥹
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