TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

[lawapplicant]

Is DLA Piper VI prep untimed? How long did people spend on the preparation?

 

[islasorna]

Honestly, I have found there is no simple solution to combat the mental toll of the application cycle. However I would say, allow yourself to detach once in a while.

Do not be afraid to take a little bit of a break here and there, but not too long to the point you lose your mojo. For example, and this is probably not the best advice, but I missed out on sending my Covington & Burling/Allen & Overy WVS applications even-though they were on my list. However, looking back I do not regret it. I needed those breaks to recharge and relax, and I have found its helped me a lot with my other applications, and tests/VI's. I would say balance this out, I could afford to lost out on these two because they have spring/summer/direct. Try to see if there are any applications you can pass over to another month, just to give you that extra time to rest.

Equally, try not to think about an application once it has been sent. In the past, I would sit here waiting on any update, and each time I would see somebody get invited I would assume an automatic rejection. It's crippling and can lead to demotivation for the rest of the cycle, thus impacting further applications. The best thing you can do for yourself is ignore the application once it has been sent or once any automated tests have been complete. Honestly, doing this I found my disappointment in a rejection post-app to be very short-lived, and it does not impact me as much as it did in the past.

Lastly, as for the anxiety or nerves, what works for me is to prepare as well as I can, and breathe. TCLA has a wealth of insight over individual applications, whether thats through another member's experience, or past applications and successful answers. There is so much there to allow you to feel a little less alone, and a lot more supported.

You've got this! x

P.S. The DLA VI (if that's what is bugging you atm) is not so bad. It is just a strengths-based interview which requires little to no knowledge of DLA. I actually messed up the last question and only answered the first half (which in my opinion should have been more than enough for a rejection) but I passed the benchmark and have proceeded to review.

For VI's, I would recommend doing a practice test with shortlist.me. They are not the same platform, but they are the only platform out there (which I have seen) that give you an insight as to how textbook VI questions should be approached.

Hey, I totally understand!

First thing: do not panic (hilarious coming from me given my last post, but really!)

It really wasn’t as difficult as I had built it up to be in my head. It was actually quite simple.

About the VI:

If I’m remembering correctly, you get around 1/2 minutes prep time for the first two questions (your response is limited to 1 minute) and 4 minutes to prepare for the last question (your response is limited to 3 minutes).

The system allows you to practice before you submit and makes the process quite clear, so don’t worry about that.

About prep:

For the VI itself, I would recommend thinking about your skills and looking at the DLA Piper values.

Where I struggled was that I prepared a lot for very difficult questions, so when the VI asked simpler ones, I stumbled a bit. So, I recommend making sure you cover basic questions in your prep, too.

I hope this helps! Best of luck for it 😊 just stay calm and collected (even if you don’t feel it), and remember to look at the camera and try to pretend like you’re talking to a person.

It is definitely difficult for everyone and I totally relate to this feeling. Last year, when I was applying, it really took a toll on me, let's not even dive into the rejections which are to be expected.

I would say that one of the most important things for me was taking time out and focus on doing things that were not law related. I forced myself to stop checking my exams every two seconds and I tried to go on long walks after each assessment I was taking to clear my head. This helped me a lot with distressing and clear my head.

I also used to practice for every assessment with friends and this made the process of preparing for assessment centres way easier, calmer and funner for me, so if you can I would highly recommend to practice with friends and family. This also helped massively with dealing with anxiety because during the interviews or assessments, I just remembered how fun it was to practice and I carried that through my interviews transforming it into enthusiasm and it worked really well!

As much as this process is quite strenuous, I am sure you will do great, just remember to take more care of yourself!

Thank you all so much for your responses! I competed the VI and decided to take break from thinking about applications for the rest of the week, which I think has really helped me to not feel too overwhelmed. And strangely enough, I feel more confident going into the application I'll be working on next. Nerves and anxiety can really take a toll, so thank you again for all your advice! x

 

[islasorna]

Is DLA Piper VI prep untimed? How long did people spend on the preparation?

All questions are timed, first 2 questions are 1 mins prep, 3rd question is 4 mins prep.

 

[islasorna]

Hi, does anyone know if DLA sends WG in batches or immediately after you submit an application - thanks in advance!

I've no clue (sorry for not really helping here) - but to provide my own experience, I submitted my app on a Sunday, got and submitted the rare survey on the Monday, and got the WG invite on the Wednesday.

 

[estimur]

irwin mitchell VI invite! if anyone has tips or has done VI's with them before i'd reeeeally appreciate it as it's my first VI ever

Have you done this yet? I just got mine and would appreciate tips x

 

[islasorna]

Do people still use forage virtual experience? Is it a useful tool? Can you like this message if you have used forage in the last 6 months to use it to get to know a firm/apply for a scheme?

I honestly quite enjoyed doing some forage programs for the activities themselves - they do help you get a taste of the work that you might be doing as a trainee, and also help you plan your time to do the task within the recommended timeframe. In terms of your CV, having a couple on there won't harm you (don't go overboard), but different firms (and different employers/recruiters) may place different value on it - and some firms may see it as a positive that you have done their forage program, but that in and of itself is (probably) not enough to get you a VS. You get out what you put in, so if you've got your sights set on a particular firm that has their own program, then I'd recommend doing it, trying your best, and then reflecting on your experience and what you enjoyed, what you found challenging, and why it has encouraged you to pursue a career at that firm. There's obviously a limit on what you can learn about a firm through forage, but if you have the spare time, it's definitely better than nothing (imo).

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker

Do firms consider A-level/university grades as a lateral hire post-qualification? For example, if a firm requests AAB at a VS/TC level, will this requirement still be applicable as an NQ or 1/2/3 PQE level, and if so, does this tend to be a strict requirement? Thanks

Degree grades could be taken into consideration on a minor level at a NQ level - the more experience you gain the less that will be the case as your training contract/qualified lawyer experience is going to always be the key “prior experience” element taken into consideration and the more of that there is , the less the other evidence becomes important.

I would not expect A-level grades to be part of a post qualified consideration at all. I wouldn’t expect most people to even include that in their applications.

There won’t be a strict requirement on grades though. The qualified job market is very different as there are far fewer people qualifying each year (roughly about 6000 a year) compared to tens of thousands of applicants at a trainee level, so firms just don’t get the level of applications for NQ roles like they do TCs.

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker Hi, do you know when White & Case send out the video interview invites? Thank you

I don’t know these kind of details unfortunately.

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker Hi, How do you access the video interview simulator? I tried emailing, but didn't receive a response. Thank you

Let me check with the team as I know there have been some changes with the video interview simulator.

 

[s9111]

NRF - Pfo
Travers Smith - Interview
HL - Waiting following wg
Akin Gump - Submitted app
CC - Passed wg
S&S wvs - Waiting following vi
A&O - VI pending
Kirkland - App submitted
Apps working on cms hsf ashurst links weil dla (Manchester)

is the TS interview for a Winter VS? When did you find out? Best of luck

 

[Zaakir]

@Jessica Booker @axelbeugre

I had a quick question I was hoping either of you, or anyone else in the forum could help with.

It it a bad sign that neither of my interviewers asked me about why commercial law or why this firm in the interviews?

It’s happened to me twice now, and I don’t know if I’m overthinking it - but if they’re conducting a wash-up and are assessing for motivation - how am I supposed to score high if these questions weren’t asked.

I would say, neither of these interviews seemed pre-planned. Each question was specifically tailored to my application - so perhaps there isn’t a hardcore mark scheme for the wash-up?

(Sorry I think my one year stint in graduate recruitment has traumatised me)

FYI - I did a law degree, all of my experiences have been in a law firm and I’m currently doing the LPC whilst working as a paralegal in a city law firm.

Haha same thing happened in my AC- the whole thing was competency based and they straight up asked me “have you lived abroad and what was that like?”😭

 

[axelbeugre]

Anyone heard back from Gibson?

I am pretty sure that some people got interview offers from last month!

 

[axelbeugre]

Hello everyone! Anyone else a bit stuck on Gowling WLG's question: Why is ESG important to Gowling WLG, and how can lawyers proactively promote ESG best practices in the commercial world? (350 words)

Do we approach it as Gowling WLG as a business or more the ESG work they do for their clients?

Many thanks

Hey, this is the advice that I gave to someone who asked the same question, I hope that helps:

TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2023-4

Yes i got one the day after i failed sorry to hear that, did they give you any percentile benchmark that was supposed to be met?

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

Good luck with the application!

 

[Manuchelsout]

is the TS interview for a Winter VS? When did you find out? Best of luck

Yes winter and thanks

 

[axelbeugre]

@Jessica Booker @axelbeugre and anyone else, I would appreciate your advice! I recently started an in-house paralegal role that has given me a lot of amazing experience. Before this role, I was still very involved in extra-curriculars and some high-street law experience but of course my current daily responsibilities are most relevant to what a trainee might do at a commercial law firm. I am just wondering if, in an application with multiple written questions about my experience / my interest in commercial law / how I have displayed the firm's values etc. I focused solely on my current paralegal experience, is this too much? Should I still try and balance my answers with non-legal work experience in questions that ask how I have displayed the firm's values (as opposed to sticking to examples from the same workplace)? Hope this makes sense, thanks

I would say that diversifying the experiences mentioned works in your favour as the answers do not seem redundant. I was very inclined to only use legal related experiences when I was apply, though they were not much, however I got the advice that law firms like to see someone with different experiences.

I am sure that in the case you feel like your paralegal job is the only experience that could distinguish you from other candidate, I would make sure to tackle the experience from different angles and highlighting the different skills you have learned.

Good luck with the application!

 

[axelbeugre]

@Jessica Booker @axelbeugre

I had a quick question I was hoping either of you, or anyone else in the forum could help with.

It it a bad sign that neither of my interviewers asked me about why commercial law or why this firm in the interviews?

It’s happened to me twice now, and I don’t know if I’m overthinking it - but if they’re conducting a wash-up and are assessing for motivation - how am I supposed to score high if these questions weren’t asked.

I would say, neither of these interviews seemed pre-planned. Each question was specifically tailored to my application - so perhaps there isn’t a hardcore mark scheme for the wash-up?

(Sorry I think my one year stint in graduate recruitment has traumatised me)

FYI - I did a law degree, all of my experiences have been in a law firm and I’m currently doing the LPC whilst working as a paralegal in a city law firm.

Hey @LegallyBrown,

That has been my experience too in in my interviewers and I always successful. My interviews mainly focused on me and my background and the language ability I have, I have never been asked why the firm. I have never thought too much about it but I am guessing that the partners were just very interested in what I had to say that they forgot to ask me that question. I would not worry too much as this happened to me too!

I think it really depends on the firm and their assessment process, some are more structured, others go 'with the flow' if that makes sense and it is difficult to not cover something you might consider fundamental, especially if they were very impressed by your background and what you do.

Do not overthink these interviews too much, I am sure you did amazing!

Good luck with the process!

 

[axelbeugre]

Hi @Jessica Booker . @axelbeugre, could you please share your opinions on this.

Yes, I think it makes perfect sense and it is also such an interesting story, I am sure whoever reads your application will want to know more. I think that you should be focusing on highlighting what specifically pushed you to do law over computing.

This story is definitely personal to you and you found an amazing link to patents and cyberlaw that will perfectly fit into your motivations, especially for law firms operating in these spaces.

I would also advise to link this personal story to an experience you have done, if any, that has substantiated this realisation that you had in high school as that will further cement your motivations to law, and specifically commercial law.

I had a personal story too when it came to my why law answer and I think that by explaining my personal motivations, combined with an internship I did, which cemented my interest in commercial law, I was able to further convince whoever was reading my application that I was genuinely passionate about the profession.

I hope this helps and good luck with your journey! @DKLaw

 

[axelbeugre]

@Jessica Booker Hi, do you know when White & Case send out the video interview invites? Thank you

I think it depends but a month more or less from when you applied I would say.

 

[flower1]

@Jessica Booker Hi, Is there a question bank of previous interview questions asked on TCLA? Thank you

 

[hannah04]

Do people still use forage virtual experience? Is it a useful tool? Can you like this message if you have used forage in the last 6 months to use it to get to know a firm/apply for a scheme?

I personally like to do them if I can so that I have have it as evidence for my interest in the firm and its practice areas, so its useful for "why this firm" or a cover letter to talk about what you enjoyed about the tasks!