TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[FutureTraineeMaybe]

Hi @Amma Usman @Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam
Hope you're doing well!
Would you have any advice on questions to ask partners after the interview that don't seem too generic?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi everyone! This is my first cycle. Question for the not experienced applicants: I still have not heard back from lots of firms I applied to, what does that mean? Am I on the rejected pile or on a reserve list perhaps?

Hi @Joey green there really is no way to tell - your application might be in the rejected pile, it might be on a waitlist, it might have been progressed though you were not informed yet (if the firm sends decisions in batches, which most do) or the firm might have not even looked at it yet. Quite possibly all of the above are true for at least one of your applications.

Some firms take a lot longer to respond than others for various reasons and you should not necessarily read a rejection into that. For instance, last year it took Slaughter and May two months to reply to me, but I ended up being progressed to an interview and then getting a VS offer. The traditional wisdom for applications is that no news is good news, so try not to worry too much !

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

If I've been told to complete my PW test within 5 days and I received it on Friday, would I be correct in thinking that I have until Wednesday morning to do it?

Apparently if you look on All Hires it gives you clarity of your deadline.

 

[Joey green]

Hi everyone! I’m new to the forum… I still haven’t heard back from the following firms:

Morgan Lewis
Paul Weiss
Latham & Watkins
Gibson
Millbank
Jones Day
Davis Polk
Dechert
Debevoise
Ropes and grey
Morrison Foerster
Case and white (after video interview)
Freshfields

Does anyone have an inkling if this is basically the end of the road for me? Surely Davis Polk, for example, is not going to advance me to the next round after all these months. I’d love any and all kind of input.

Thanks

Never mind; Watkins & Latham send me a PFO

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi @Amma Usman @Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam
Hope you're doing well!
Would you have any advice on questions to ask partners after the interview that don't seem too generic?

Hi @FutureTraineeMaybe I hope you are doing great as well! My advice would be to have a list of pre-prepared questions to keep in mind, but to ideally find some interesting questions to ask connected to the discussion in the interview or specific profile of the partner. For this second category of questions, I have quoted a post bellow in which I analyzed the relevant considerations. For the first category, I will list bellow a few less generic questions I could think of:

• What is your firm's business strategy over the next few years, and how does the London office figure into that? Has this strategy changed in any way in the past few years?
• Which firms do you most often find yourself pitching against? Who do you consider to be your main competitors?
• What are the firm's selling points from a client's perspective?
• What factors are impacting the legal market the most at this time, and how is the firm planning to react to them?
• What is the firm's/London office's strategy for ... (partner's practice area/sector)?
• What is the deal/case/matter you have worked on that you have enjoyed the most and why was that?

I would say what is best to ask depends on (i) what your interests are; (ii) who is interviewing you; and (iii) what has previously been discussed in the interview:

1. Firstly, you want to ask something that you actually care about. Whoever is interviewing you likely has significant experience with the process and will therefore be able to see whether you are being genuine or just asking a question for the sake of it. Thus, when you think of a potential question, first ask yourself why do you think the answer might matter to you. In fact, I think it would be good if in the interview you mention the reason why you care about the question before you actually ask it - this will directly show the interview that you have put thought into it. An example of questions that you may choose to ask could be questions relating to your 'Why the firm' motivations. For instance, if a a strong reputation in one practice area, you may ask: how has the firm managed to build such a strong practice? what are plans for the future of the practice? are there any relevant challenges and opportunities in that practice's market, and how is the firm planning to respond to that? how can the firm's practice be differentiated from competitors with similar reputations? etc.
2. Secondly, you want to tailor your question to the audience as much as possible. Some questions may be more appropriate for an associate, some for a junior partner, and some for a senior partner. For instance, questions relating to junior culture and training experience are great for associates, questions around progression and the different tasks and responsibilities at different seniority levels in the firm would be great for a junior partner, while questions about the firm's strategy, client base, and market reputation when compared to competitors would be great for the more senior partners. Moreover, you may not want to ask a disputes partner about the firm's strategy to increase market share in PE, and you may want to avoid asking a transactional partner about details of the firm's newest competition litigation mandate. If possible, tailoring your questions around your interviewer's expertise is optimal.
3. Thirdly, you want for your questions to feel natural - you don't want to seem like you came in with a pre-prepared list which you were going to ask regardless of how the interview went. Of course, it is good to show that you have done your research and came prepared. However, you also want to make this section of the interview feel as conversational as possible, as for once you are playing the role of the person doing the asking. The more you can link your questions with what has been touched upon in the interview, the better. Some questions could just be follow-ups to the interviewer's answers to your pre-prepared questions. Some could be just about asking the interviewer to elaborate on some points they touched upon beforehand. However, take care to not be repetitive. Thus, only ask a question if you think it is likely there is a lot more that the interviewer could have to add to the previous discussion.

 

[Tintin06]

Holding myself accountable again (Latham rejection)

CC* ✅📝❌
HSF ✅📝❌
NRF ✅📝❌
Weil ✅❌
Akin ✅❌
Sidley ✅❌
Orrick ✅
Willkie ✅🎥❌
Cooley ✅❌
Latham ✅❌
Milbank ✅
Kirkland ✅
Dechert ✅❌
Skadden ✅❌
Goodwin ✅
Covington ✅❌
Linklaters* ✅📝❌
Paul, Weiss ✅
Slaughters* ✅❌
Freshfields* ✅📝❌
Fried Frank* ✅
Gibson Dunn ✅
Macfarlanes* ✅📝
White & Case ✅
Morgan Lewis ✅
Paul Hastings* ✅
Hogan Lovells* ✅
Cleary Gottlieb ✅❌
A&O Shearman ✅📝❌
Vinson & Elkins ✅
Arnold & Porter ✅
Baker McKenzie ✅📝❌
King & Spalding* ✅
Winston & Strawn ✅
Morrison Foerster ✅
Sullivan & Cromwell ✅❌

Key: ✅ = application submitted; 📝 = test received; 🎥 = video interview; ❌ = rejection.

*Training Contract applications

TC apps left to do: Stephenson Harwood; Sullivan & Cromwell, possibly White & Case.

Expecting only rejections at this point.

 

[lawyerletsgo]

anyone applied for shoosmiths discover programme? what is the test like and is it automatic?

 

[Harvey Specter]

Just finished the Paul, Weiss test and I don’t know what to make of my results lmao.

I scored in the middle for applied verbal and very high for applied numerical (idk how that happened I'm awful at maths). 💀

My scores for the pillar things are as follows: grit (7/9), applied intellect (5/9), creative force (6/9) and digital mindset (6/9). As a %, I think it works out to be around 66-67%. 🥲

Has anyone scored similarly? 🥲​

 

[Joey green]

From what I have seen on the forum, most of these law firms haven’t got back to people. 🙂

I have seen several Davis Polk interviews and White & Case AC’s. I just did my VI/TI for White & Case today. Gibson Dunn have done a few of their interviews and offered SVS. 🥲

Paul, Weiss will be reviewing our online SJT test scores alongside our applications (that’s what it says upon the completion of the test).

Ropes & Gray deadline just passed on the 31st so we will need to wait a couple of weeks. 🥲

I never got the invite for the SJT test… did everyone generally get them?

 

[Harvey Specter]

If I've been told to complete my PW test within 5 days and I received it on Friday, would I be correct in thinking that I have until Wednesday morning to do it?

I would try and do it tomorrow night to stay safe in case they include Friday as the first day. 🙂🙂

 

[Katy12345]

Hi @Jessica Booker I have a question about adjustments for my AC, it is a bit personal a topic so if I send a DM could you please kindly answer? Thanks

 

[Tintin06]

I never got the invite for the SJT test… did everyone generally get them?

I didn’t get the invite either. They should just send rejections already.

 

[KJ]

anyone have any advice or insights on Osborne Clarke's virtual AC? is the research topic fairly broad?

 

[defiledpenguin]

Holding myself accountable again (Latham rejection)

CC* ✅📝❌
HSF ✅📝❌
NRF ✅📝❌
Weil ✅❌
Akin ✅❌
Sidley ✅❌
Orrick ✅
Willkie ✅🎥❌
Cooley ✅❌
Latham ✅❌
Milbank ✅
Kirkland ✅
Dechert ✅❌
Skadden ✅❌
Goodwin ✅
Covington ✅❌
Linklaters* ✅📝❌
Paul, Weiss ✅
Slaughters* ✅❌
Freshfields* ✅📝❌
Fried Frank* ✅
Gibson Dunn ✅
Macfarlanes* ✅📝
White & Case ✅
Morgan Lewis ✅
Paul Hastings* ✅
Hogan Lovells* ✅
Cleary Gottlieb ✅❌
A&O Shearman ✅📝❌
Vinson & Elkins ✅
Arnold & Porter ✅
Baker McKenzie ✅📝❌
King & Spalding* ✅
Winston & Strawn ✅
Morrison Foerster ✅
Sullivan & Cromwell ✅❌

Key: ✅ = application submitted; 📝 = test received; 🎥 = video interview; ❌ = rejection.

*Training Contract applications

TC apps left to do: Stephenson Harwood; Sullivan & Cromwell, possibly White & Case.

Expecting only rejections at this point.

Wait when did you hear back from Linklaters??

 

[Tintin06]

2018: Slaughter and May work experience
2019: Debevoise & Plimpton summer VS
2020: Travers Smith virtual vac scheme
2024: Ropes & Gray spring VS

When do these count against me? Is it worth more VS apps? Should I only apply for TCs? Will these even matter for TCs? Not boasting but feeling very confused. Also feeling like these were pointless.

 

[Diana54]

Holding myself accountable again (Latham rejection)

CC* ✅📝❌
HSF ✅📝❌
NRF ✅📝❌
Weil ✅❌
Akin ✅❌
Sidley ✅❌
Orrick ✅
Willkie ✅🎥❌
Cooley ✅❌
Latham ✅❌
Milbank ✅
Kirkland ✅
Dechert ✅❌
Skadden ✅❌
Goodwin ✅
Covington ✅❌
Linklaters* ✅📝❌
Paul, Weiss ✅
Slaughters* ✅❌
Freshfields* ✅📝❌
Fried Frank* ✅
Gibson Dunn ✅
Macfarlanes* ✅📝
White & Case ✅
Morgan Lewis ✅
Paul Hastings* ✅
Hogan Lovells* ✅
Cleary Gottlieb ✅❌
A&O Shearman ✅📝❌
Vinson & Elkins ✅
Arnold & Porter ✅
Baker McKenzie ✅📝❌
King & Spalding* ✅
Winston & Strawn ✅
Morrison Foerster ✅
Sullivan & Cromwell ✅❌

Key: ✅ = application submitted; 📝 = test received; 🎥 = video interview; ❌ = rejection.

*Training Contract applications

TC apps left to do: Stephenson Harwood; Sullivan & Cromwell, possibly White & Case.

Expecting only rejections at this point.

Really sorry to hear about Latham. Do you mind letting us know when you heard back from Latham?

 

[Tintin06]

Really sorry to hear about Latham. Do you mind letting us know when you heard back from Latham?

I got the rejection this evening.

 

[TonyStark]

I got the rejection this evening.

Sorry to hear that. Did you get a holding email on Friday?

 

[Tclarocks123]

I am so sorry to hear this, truly. I wish you the best in your other applications!!! Hopefully good news comes your way soon

Without sounding insensitive lol I did want to ask if this was for the TC or the VS?

TC. I missed my SJT deadline

 

[ashwright]

Freshfields TC rejection really threw me off today. I'm waiting on my last few apps so I've been reflecting on my cycle - my lack of progression is just astonishing. I'm pretty ashamed of myself. The likelihood of success for the remaining ones is pretty low - a couple of them were rolling deadlines which I applied for late.
I've learned a lot from this process but I worry that I've not learned enough. Working on building my commercial awareness for ACs that never come, improving on the Watson Glaser yet still getting rejected etc.
Just a journey of self-improvement, just need to remember there's light at the end of the tunnel, even if I can't see it...!