TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Amakaa]

I think for phone interviews I would advise you to keep your answers short and easy to understand, as you will simply have less time and a harder time communicating than in an actual interview. Because of the time constraints most of it will likely be focused on the usual competency/motivational questions, so prepare for them really well.

As for questions you can ask the graduate recruitment team, while I think it is generally best to try to link them with something discussed in the interview, I will list some that I think are fine bellow:

• Are there any particular skills/attributes you are particularly looking for in a candidate? What is the most common quality trainees at the firm have?
• What have you observed to be the most common difficulties that trainees at the firm deal with, and how does the firm support them in overcoming them?
• What is the firm's training philosophy? Are people at the firm offered any training on non-legal matters?
• How does the firm's seat/secondment allocation process work?
• What does the firm do to foster its culture?

Thank you so much!

 

[M_m]

This might be a dumb question, but one of the OC application questions is “Please describe the top three extracurricular and/or work/volunteering experiences that have most significantly contributed to your skills development. Which skills have you developed through these experiences? And why do you believe that these skills are essential for a successful career at Osborne Clarke?”

What exactly counts as “skills”? In the sense, do resilience, adaptability, discipline, etc. count as skills?

 

[TheInevitableTCholder2025/26🙏]

Anyone with tips on the Akin telephone interview?

 

[MR218]

Have you been invited to it?

Yeah I got an invite today

 

[ren1110]

i think their email said they'd send out invites and tests in January? Also jan 10th (today!) has been mentioned as a date we might hear back about tests so keeping my eyes extra peeled on my inbox today

Have u heard from them ( bakers)?

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

anybody experienced accidentally leaving another firm's name in a work experience and still being progressed to the AC? 🥲

Yes I did this for a US firm this cycle

 

[badmintonflyinginsect]

Hi, would it be safe to assume a Davis Polk PFO?

 

[pepsicola96]

have completed the NRF arctic shores and I am more perplexed than anything else.

I am anti-psychometric test in general, but at least with other tests I can kinda see where they're coming from. E.g watson glaser is objectively testing skills for a lawyer, SJT tests are testing how you respond in real situations you may be put it. This test felt like it was solely testing my reaction time. Having read the feedback report I don't think any of those conclusions are reasonable to make about a person based on this test.

Having said all that I actually think it went okay, just definitely the most odd one I've ever done.

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

Not heard from Taylor Wessing… probably a PFO?

 

[xxx]

Hi! I was just wondering, when we are asked to give references to previous employers it would only be for ones with formal work experience? For example, a part-time jobs/ internships rather than let’s say a volunteering position or a society role/ mentorship scheme?

Also, if I’m a tutor on a platform like tutorhunt, and I count as self-employed how would I go about providing a reference for my work?

 

[asplawyer100]

If I have not heard back from Mayer Brown after job simulation, is it a PFO or are they sending our invites staggered? I am a bit concerned because I realised I did not receive an email to confirm completion after the assessment.

I’m wondering the same thing. I did the Mayer Brown job simulation a couple of weeks ago. I have seen that a fair few people on this forum have received AC invites as long as a week ago, so I’m guessing it’s likely a PFO for us.

 

[helterskelter]

Hi. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to prepare for the analytical interview portion of the Freshfields AC?

I’ve been regularly reading the FT and Watson’s Daily but I’m struggling to find overarching trends so feel this puts me as a disadvantage. Is there any recommendations for a website that clearly articulates how each story affects the overarching industry.

Thanks!

 

[kokoprep]

Hi. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to prepare for the analytical interview portion of the Freshfields AC?

I’ve been regularly reading the FT and Watson’s Daily but I’m struggling to find overarching trends so feel this puts me as a disadvantage. Is there any recommendations for a website that clearly articulates how each story affects the overarching industry.

Thanks!

Is this for DTC

 

[NCTC2025]

Anyone know what a good score for the NRF Arctic Shores Feedback is?

For anyone interested the tests that came up were:
1. Tickets
2. Directions
3. Patterns
4. Emotions

Emotions had some nightmarish AI-generated eldritch horror faces to figure out.

 

[Amiyrerose]

No I haven't taken it yet! Have you??? Hopefully tomorrow. If you have taken it , how did you find it

Nope I’m taking it today !!😭 I’m just going to try my best good luck to you

 

[bangarangbass39]

For AG = Completed the Voice Interview on the 10th of Jan. Went much better than I expected but it is so up in the air. Been waiting since May last year for this one application so if I don’t make AC that’s so disappointing😭.

For CMS = Completed the WG on the 18th of Oct. Honestly not to fussed. It’s at the bottom of my list. I only want to see what stages I need to improve on for other apps.

For DAC = Completed the VI on the 3rd of Dec.

I have heard nothing from Bates Wells - applied on the 10th of Oct; they are supposed to be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. The one I’m most nervous about because of the size of the firm and their communication style. There is very little I can assume reliably.


Similar with Lewis Silkin who I applied to on the 23rd of Oct.

 

[Miss Chocolate]

Anyone know what a good score for the NRF Arctic Shores Feedback is?

For anyone interested the tests that came up were:
1. Tickets
2. Directions
3. Patterns
4. Emotions

Emotions had some nightmarish AI-generated eldritch horror faces to figure out.

thanks for this 🙏 What do the first two mean?

 

[FutureTraineeMaybe]

Not heard from Taylor Wessing… probably a PFO?

Wondering the same...

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to prepare for the analytical interview portion of the Freshfields AC?

I’ve been regularly reading the FT and Watson’s Daily but I’m struggling to find overarching trends so feel this puts me as a disadvantage. Is there any recommendations for a website that clearly articulates how each story affects the overarching industry.

Thanks!

If by overarching industry you mean the broad big law industry, I would recommend the legal press itself: The Lawyer, Law.com, Business Law, The Global Legal Post and Bloomberg Law. Some of this are only available on a subscription basis while some are have both freely accessible content and premium content. For some you will also be able to get a free subscription through your univerisity.

Besides these, as a free resource, I would recommend looking for good commercial law podcasts. Some law firms run periodic podcasts on important news stories - I found Latham's and White & Case's to be particularly useful. The legal press also hosts some free podcast episodes, among which i would recommend: Law, disrupted; The Lawyer Podcast; and Bloomberg Law.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi! I was just wondering, when we are asked to give references to previous employers it would only be for ones with formal work experience? For example, a part-time jobs/ internships rather than let’s say a volunteering position or a society role/ mentorship scheme?

Also, if I’m a tutor on a platform like tutorhunt, and I count as self-employed how would I go about providing a reference for my work?

Society roles are not employment (and generally should not be in your work experience section), so wouldn’t be requested.

I have seen references requested for some volunteer roles - it usually depends on the organisation, the nature of your role and how long you did it for.

For self-employment you would provide either a form of tax return (if earning above the threshold), or some kind of document from your client to show you had done the work. Some of these platforms do provide such references to confirm the period you were active on it.