I don't think there was an option to choose, but if there was, I chose 2026.May I ask if this is for September 2026, March or September 2027 intake? Congratulations!
TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5
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tbf
I am making good progress through the applications, however, due to the volume, I will now be aiming to provide an update on your application by the end of business, next Thursday. |
What is meant by "end of business"?
In Lehman Bros International (Europe) v Exxonmobil Financial Services [2016] EWHC 2699, there was dispute about the definition of "close of business", which EMFS said was 7pm, and LBIE said was 5pm.
It was then determined that "close of business" might refer to the US markets and could also have different meanings in certain contexts, and there is subsequently clearly a legitimate debate about what "end of business" might mean in the context of a city law firm.
In this case, they sent out the PFOs at 00:50 on Thursday night/Friday morning. Which is a usual work time in certain seats at certain firms......
Conclusion: this PFO was a lucky escape!
I scored 3 average and 2 below average with work ethic, ownership and social adaptability as my top strengths.
In previous years, some candidates progressed to the telephone interview stage with below average, while others didn’t progress despite having above average scores.
2020-21 Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion
If it's helpful - my rejected application for the Freshers Meet Freshfields 2018 event was updated in January 2021, so I really don't think you guys need to be too concerned about when the portal was updated.
www.thecorporatelawacademy.com
2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion
Wow I've just caught up with this and gone on a whole journey from university debates to Gordon Ramsay memes, I love this forum 🤩 Regarding the RG vs Non-RG universities debate, I was just wondering whether GR typically take subjects into account (beyond the law vs non-law level) as well? I ask...
www.thecorporatelawacademy.com
I also noticed that some candidates progressed with the same strengths to mine, so I’m hoping Mayer Brown still values those same strengths 😅
2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion
Does anyone have any tips for the White & Case Video Interview? Are the questions pretty standard? How many questions and how long to prepare/answer?
www.thecorporatelawacademy.com
Hearing Back from Law Firms, Assessment Centres & Interview Tips - 2019 - 2020
Has anyone here ever gotten average scores for all but one with the Mayer Brown VRT & progressed ? I feel as though, those scores are perhaps what they look out for more than the situational judgement. So if you score a over average in all, plus have a good app..the you get through. Cause the...
www.thecorporatelawacademy.com
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- Sep 7, 2024
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Hiya @mmm918
Just wanted to share what a friend heard directly from HFW. Essentially, if you applied for the vacation scheme this cycle, that actually meant you were also considered for the training contract at the same time. So unfortunately, you wouldn’t be able to reapply separately for the DTC this cycle. I know that’s probably not the news you were hoping for, but you can reapply when the next cycle opens later this year. Best of luck with your other applications!
Hey can I ask how long it took to get the first test? Also, when did you get the VI? Thanks!I scored 3 average and 2 below average with work ethic, ownership and social adaptability as my top strengths.
In previous years, some candidates progressed to the telephone interview stage with below average, while others didn’t progress despite having above average scores.
2020-21 Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion
If it's helpful - my rejected application for the Freshers Meet Freshfields 2018 event was updated in January 2021, so I really don't think you guys need to be too concerned about when the portal was updated.2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion
Wow I've just caught up with this and gone on a whole journey from university debates to Gordon Ramsay memes, I love this forum 🤩 Regarding the RG vs Non-RG universities debate, I was just wondering whether GR typically take subjects into account (beyond the law vs non-law level) as well? I ask...
I also noticed that some candidates progressed with the same strengths to mine, so I’m hoping Mayer Brown still values those same strengths 😅
2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion
Does anyone have any tips for the White & Case Video Interview? Are the questions pretty standard? How many questions and how long to prepare/answer?Hearing Back from Law Firms, Assessment Centres & Interview Tips - 2019 - 2020
Has anyone here ever gotten average scores for all but one with the Mayer Brown VRT & progressed ? I feel as though, those scores are perhaps what they look out for more than the situational judgement. So if you score a over average in all, plus have a good app..the you get through. Cause the...
COB,EOB,EOD, etc. are all very fluid terms and no one actually give it much weight. At my firm we either set a clear X GMT/CET/ET, whatever, time - or some sort of COB/EOD which may mean 5pm it also may mean 2am. Wouldn’t go as far as legal precedent haha.
Historically speaking though, C(E)OB would essentially always be 6pm or whenever one would assume that the office would close its doors for visitors, the same way a shop would. This was usually in line with the coming work day ie. 8-5, 9-6. EOD is in line with the industry standard of like firms, in legal / finance that can be anything up until open business tomorrow lol
10 days (applied on 14 Feb, received the tests on 24 Feb, completed them on 2 Mar, received the results on 5 Mar)
Though Mayer Brown is rolling, I’m still waiting to hear back on my application and tests. Hopefully I’ll get an invite for the job sim + VI
Ashurst first test will be sent Monday 31 March. Automatic right?
I imagine they will most likely start getting back to people with AC invites from early to mid April, based on this post from this thread:
If you have not heard back yet, take it as a good sign! Quite a few people have already received PFO post WGT. Best of luck for HL! 🐐
Can anyone clarify whether you can reapply for Mayer Brown in the same cycle, post-VS rejection? There was nothing in their email or on their website, but my "create new" button is greyed out in allhires, so I'm guessing maybe not?
I had the same issue. There are two application forms. One is grades, uni modules, basic personal info etc.; the other is the covering letter and supporting questions etc. Try accessing the supporting qs in the same way you did initially, rather than through the e-mail.
- Sep 7, 2024
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Hiya @trainee4u I remember graduate recruitment telling me during the 2022-23 cycle that it wasn’t possible to apply for a direct training contract if we had received a rejection for the vacation scheme in the same cycle. They effectively told me to wait until the next cycle to apply again. It’s possible their policy has changed since then, but haven’t been able to find anything online to suggest that it has. If I come across any updated information, I’ll mention it here and tag you
Hey everyone, I have an AC at King & Spalding next week and would really appreciate if anyone has advice please !
Anything would help!
Anything would help!
- Sep 9, 2024
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Hi @jacksollaf and congratulations for getting to the AC! I have found a post on TCLA of a candidate discussing their Kings & Spalding AC experience from 2021. While it is quite possible that the firm changed their assessment processes since then, it should give you at least some indication as to what you can expect. Besides this, I have linked here my Complete Competency Interviews Guide (describing my step by step approach for interview preparation) and have quoted bellow some posts with AC advice (one for general interview tips, one for written exercises, and one for group exercises.
My top tip would be to focus on doing well and not on being perfect. Many people go to ACs thinking they need to blow away the partners and the recruiters to succeed, but I think this is the wrong attitude to have. First of all, while your achievements and skills might be impressive for this stage, it is quite unlikely you will manage to overly impress anyone no matter how hard you try - you will know a lot less about any given commercial law subject than lawyer in the firm. Secondly, this attitude will make you feel even more stressed than you would normally be and will therefore likely impact your performance. If you will be assessed for a total time of a few hours, it is impossible to be perfect in every moment. When you notice an imperfection in an answer, the right reaction is to acknowledge it but then to move past it and make the best of the rest. Instead, the overly perfectionistic candidates tend to stress about it a lot more than they should, and in attempting to fix the initial mistake they do a lot more harm to their progression chances. People with this mindset thus often end up creating negative feedback loops for themselves: they make a small error, then they begin overthinking it, which decreases their self-confidence, which impacts their next answer, which in turn further intensifies their anxiety; a series of events which can end up completely derailing one's performance.
To avoid this, instead of aiming to excel everywhere, I would simply aim to perform well - to do a good job on every task and score well on every relevant assessment criterion. This boils down to using your preparation to make decent substantive points and communicate them in a clear and confident manner. If you manage to do this you will have performed better than the majority of candidates and in most cases should be enough to get you progressed - it did for me 4/4 times. If you reframe your task in this way, I think you should feel a lot less anxious about it: while perhaps it is difficult to convince yourself that you will pull of an extraordinary performance, you should feel a lot more confident in being able to respond sensibly to tasks and to cover all your bases well.
A final piece of advice I have for calming down on the day and to avoid blanking out is to take your time:
Finally, know that just by getting to the AC you have proven yourself to be one of the very best candidates out of a huge pool, which means you have all it takes to succeed! Best of luck
- Firstly, taking your time before starting your answer. Instead of just jumping into a response the instance the interviewer stops speaking (which is a very natural temptation) take 3-4 seconds to think about and structure your answer. This will significantly decrease the number of times you find yourself blanking out mid-answer or having difficulty finding the right way to end a sentence.
- Secondly, if you have difficulty with finding sensible points for a question, it is perfectly acceptable to request some thinking time - just say 'May I please take a minute to consider my answer?'. In the unlikely case you do not find anything after that, explain that you are unsure what to say; but also walk the interviewer through your thought process of your best guess.
- Thirdly, aim to speak more slowly. When you are anxious, your hear rate goes up and you naturally start speaking at a higher pace, which is problematic in that this simply means taking less time to think as you answer. This naturally reduces how articulate and confident you seem, especially since speaking quickly more often leads you to losing your chain of thought or expressing yourself in unclear language. As such, try to slow down. Also, use strategic 2-3 second pauses in your speech to add emphasis to points and to get valuable thinking time as you are moving between the different parts of your answer.
Hi @FutureTraineeMaybe for the group exercise I think you need to strike the right balance between showcasing teamwork and collaboration but also demonstrating your capacity for commercial analysis and leadership. Since there is a tight time limit and since everyone will be aiming to show the same qualities, there is a natural tension between the two. As such, many candidates end up either being too passive (in not getting sufficient airtime because everyone else always wants to speak as well) or too assertive (in constantly interrupting others to get their points across). However, there are a couple of strategies you can use to ensure your individual contributions shine through without undermining others:
For the written task, I will quote bellow a number of posts I have recently written with my best tips - but do let me know if you have any follow up questions. Best of luck
- Offer to keep the time: this shows a proactive attitude while not being very demanding as to your mental focus. It also enables you to (i) avoid taking the responsibility of any required writing, which is more demanding; and (ii) naturally intervene at certain points in the discussion to mention time considerations, which is also an opportunity for you to add substantive points.
- Try to introduce structure and organization: although many candidates will want to immediately start the analysis, instead of simply throwing yourself into discussing substantive points, try to introduce a framework: what points will you discuss, in what order, how much time will you spend on each, and what relevant assessment criteria should you keep in mind when analyzing the points? This will ensure a more comprehensive overview and a more clear output.
- Focus on finding more niche/less-obvious analysis points: as you are given a brief for the group exercise task, you will normally have a bit of preparation time during which you can think what points to bring up. You will find some points that are really intuitive which you will know the others likely also thought of. Instead of focusing on those and fighting with everyone to get to express those obvious points, I would use that time (and the extra thinking time in the initial discussion phase when everyone is fighting to say the obvious points) to find relevant ideas that others may have missed. The, as the discussion is winding down on that subpart of the task, I would mention these more niche points. This will avoid making you seem competitive and also showcase ability for more nuanced analysis.
- Focus on synthesis and weighing: another similar strategy for impressive contribution which may not require too much fighting over airtime is to once again seek to contribute as the discussion on the substantive points is winding down. What you can do here is intervene to summarize what everyone has contributed, weigh their points, and then make an informed argument as to what the decision should be.
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