TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[LawLawLawLawLaw]

hello im going to apply for White & Case and HFW but their deadlines are the end of this week, and they're rolling deadlines - should i just apply straight for their TCs instead or still worth a shot?

 

[legallycece]

Pinsent PFO !

 

[jojo23]

Is it weird that I haven't heard a single thing from the firms I applied to in early October and November despite both being rolling?

 

[camrxc]

There will be a higher risk if you are presenting multiple entries as longer than they actually were. It is important to put such experiences in accurately into application forms.

When you are invited to the next stage of the recruitment process or if you have already been invited to a face to face stage or final round interview, I would notify the firm at the earliest opportunity about these discrepancies.

For future applications, ensure these two work experience entries are recorded accurately though.

Thanks again, if the reasoning for the discrepancies was that I originally had the exact dates listed next to the title of the work experience but then edited this out for formatting purposes and forgot to change the description to match the changes, would the best approach be to explain this to the firm and then offer to send an updated version of my cv ?

 

[CG_101]

Is it weird that I haven't heard a single thing from the firms I applied to in early October and November despite both being rolling?

Not necessarily a bad thing, you could be in the maybe pile.

 

[EA95]

Forum slang for a rejection from a firm - stands for “please f*ck off”.

Oh ok, thank you for responding and educating me on that 🤣

 

[EA95]

It is an acronym for 'Please (the F-word) Off', which is one phrase that has been commonly used on the forums to refer to a rejection.

Ok thank you for responding and educating me on that 🤣

 

[Andrei Radu]

in a video interview about 'Why this firm', how many points would you say is sufficient enough? has anyone ever gotten past the vi stage citing one reason and going into detail about that?

I normally went for two or three points, but if you the time limit is quite restrictive (say, 60 seconds) or if the reason both quite uniquely applicable to the firm and also very important to your experience as a trainee there, I think it is fine. For instance, I would not expect a recruiter at Kirkland to have an issue with you going very in depth on only one Private Equity-based motivation. However, if you applied for Latham and only mentioned their litigation practice as a why the firm reason, that may not suffice. This is because their litigation practice, while it admittedly distinguishes Latham from some US firms, is not as uniquely remarkable as Kirkland's PE practice; and because their litigation team is quite small compared to other departments, so it is a less central part of the firm than PE is for a firm like Kirkland.

 

[CG_101]

anyone heard back from Jones Day for the summer VS?

yep PFO

 

[hfbjsdhfbhf]

Pinsent masons pfo, kinda upset because my feedback report was pretty good!!

 

[lawyersum]

omg omg that Reed Smith test and VI were BRUTAL😭😭

 

[Shandy101]

It is an acronym for 'Please (the F-word) Off', which is one phrase that has been commonly used on the forums to refer to a rejection.

Sorry, can you elaborate on which F Word? 😂😂

 

[W12345]

Hi, if I have to change the location from a regional office to London of my training contract- What would be a good reason and is it easy to change?

 

[legallyad]

I normally went for two or three points, but if you the time limit is quite restrictive (say, 60 seconds) or if the reason both quite uniquely applicable to the firm and also very important to your experience as a trainee there, I think it is fine. For instance, I would not expect a recruiter at Kirkland to have an issue with you going very in depth on only one Private Equity-based motivation. However, if you applied for Latham and only mentioned their litigation practice as a why the firm reason, that may not suffice. This is because their litigation practice, while it admittedly distinguishes Latham from some US firms, is not as uniquely remarkable as Kirkland's PE practice; and because their litigation team is quite small compared to other departments, so it is a less central part of the firm than PE is for a firm like Kirkland.

This makes a lot of sense - thank you so much Andrei!

 

[legallawyer]

Hi guys, has anyone heard back re Addleshaw Summer VC (Manchester office)? I've not heard anything since the Critical Thinking Assessment, which I completed on December 23rd, is this the same for everyone else?

 

[VMS]

Hi, if I have to change the location from a regional office to London of my training contract- What would be a good reason and is it easy to change?

From what I've heard, it's not impossible to do this but it's not exactly something firms look positively on.

 

[legalxp2]

omg omg that Reed Smith test and VI were BRUTAL😭😭

Hi, is it automatically sent? also how long prep + speaking time was it?

 

[VMS]

Pinsent masons PFO!

Pinsent PFO

Pinsent PFO !

Pinsent masons pfo, kinda upset because my feedback report was pretty good!!

I'm really sorry to hear that. I wish you all lots of luck on your other apps. Can I ask what office this was for?

 

[hfbjsdhfbhf]

I'm really sorry to hear that. I wish you all lots of luck on your other apps. Can I ask what office this was for?

London!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi all, looking for a bit of recruitment advice. I’m planning to apply to Burges Salmon soon. I did an AC with them in the cycle before last, and last year I applied for a paralegal job. Initially I was unsuccessful however I received a call back offering me a paralegal position in another department. I had to decline as I had another job, however is this something I can mention in my application and would it be beneficial or would it hinder the application? Thanks!

I think it would be beneficial, for the same reason I believe referencing past unsuccessful vacation schemes is beneficial - it quickly communicates to the person reviewing your application the fact that another recruiter judged you to be a significantly stronger candidate than the majority of applicants. This in turn raises your credibility and makes them likely to take your application a lot more seriously.

Any downside consisting of a lack of sufficient enthusiasm that could be inferred from you declining the offer will likely be substantially less impactful than the aforementioned upside. Moreover, I am not very sure there is any downside at all, as recruiters are well aware candidates have to make applications for other job opportunities and have to prioritize what maximizes their chances of securing a TC in a very competitive market. If anything, I suspect that you being in a position to reject their offer because you had another job will make you look like an even stronger applicant.