Thank you
I completed it yesterday and emailed Grad Recruitment asking for my scores to be emailed. If you don’t ask you will not receive them. What was your sjt report like? Wishing you all the best with your application!-
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
I completed it yesterday and emailed Grad Recruitment asking for my scores to be emailed. If you don’t ask you will not receive them. What was your sjt report like? Wishing you all the best with your application!
Hi guys,
I'm struggling with the "what recent work at x has interested you" questions. I know I should pick a deal/case and explain why it specifically caught my interest, but I'm struggling to find information on a lot of these cases on firms websites. They generally just provide an overview of the deal, without much extra information as to complexities etc. that could enable me to provide more thoughtful analysis. Any tips?
I'm struggling with the "what recent work at x has interested you" questions. I know I should pick a deal/case and explain why it specifically caught my interest, but I'm struggling to find information on a lot of these cases on firms websites. They generally just provide an overview of the deal, without much extra information as to complexities etc. that could enable me to provide more thoughtful analysis. Any tips?
That’s great! The sjt is hard to judge for me personally because all these skills are essential to a trainee. I am assuming sjt, WG and our general application will all play a part in the next round.
For Taylor Wessing one of the early careers team told me that if someone fails the test outright they would find out 'shortly' after their test window closes - I'm not sure how helpful that is but if a few weeks go by with no news I would assume it means you passed the test and 'in the running' for the next stage
I would think so, tbh with such a high Watson Glaser I wouldn’t worry about critical thinking being your lowest grade!!
Did anyone get an email about Weil insight day, as I got rejected but they were “impressed by my application and I should apply to their second open day” is that a generic response?
That’s really good to know, thank you for the insight! I did mine on 28 Sept so fingers crossed
Omg Willkie VI invite!!! Super surprised as my uni grades are not the best
Wow that's very reassuring. I had not applied yet for the VS, but I'll do it after the open day! I want to get to know them better before submitting my app. Thank you for confirming this, so I can prepare too.
Thank you! XxAmazing news! I would say Willkie definitely have a holistic approach to reviewing applications which is great so congrats
Thank you! It’s for the VS (to be considered for both spring and summer as they don’t give you an option to choose)
On their website it says: “We do not recruit on a rolling basis as two of our application stages (written exercise and partner-led interview) will not take place until after the application deadline, meaning we won’t make any offers at all until after the deadline and will not fill up places before the deadline.”
I think this means that VI invites are sent out before DL but the rest of the stages are after.
Hi!
My working days at the firm are Wednesday and Thursday, so I will definitely be replying to the AMA thread later this week (I just haven't been in the office yet!)
To answer your question here, it's definitely a complicated balance, but the firm is incredibly supportive and understands that your studies take top priority (especially given the recent SQE pass rates). There is an emphasis on not working beyond office hours on your intern days, and if you do (i.e. you work an event), they'll make sure you work less on the other days. There is study space in the office as well, and a lot of the SQE interns come in to study together which is really nice! As well as the really interesting work you get to complete as an SQE intern, it's been super lovely for me to meet my cohort, especially as someone who came through the direct route.
Personally, I have been following the SQE study schedule provided by the College of Legal Practice, which allows me to stay on top of the sub-units whilst also revising previous topics. As we are working alongside it, the course is part-time! I've really enjoyed the course so far (as much as you can enjoy the SQE...), and I haven't felt overwhelmed by my SQE intern days alongside it - in fact, I quite enjoy the break from studying!
If you have any further questions on the SQE internship or Reed Smith, please do put them in the AMA thread and myself and the rest of the Early Careers interns will get back to you later this week
Hello!
Congratulations on receiving the written exercise invite! Whilst I am not too sure on the specifics of the Dechert exercise, I've outlined some advice below that I gave a little while ago in relation to preparing for written exercises.
- Practice timed writing - pick a 30-45 minute slot, read a short business or news article, and summarise the key points in a structured 1-2 page memo with a clear conclusion summarising your findings.
- Work on prioritisation - pick an article with a lot of information, and practice picking out the 3-4 most important issues rather than trying to summarise and include everything.
- Use a clear structure - this was the main thing that I implemented that helped me score higher on written assessments! Follow a clear structure in your answer, and practice what this would be for each type of document. For example, you might be asked to write an email to a client, a letter, a memo, or a report. Have a look at what the structure of each of these should be, and have a go drafting a couple to get used to it in advance.
- Check clarity - after writing (potentially one of the above), ask yourself if someone with no context to the facts could follow along with the information and your reasoning.
- Proofread under pressure - I would get used to quickly checking grammar and flow, as this is really important in a written exercise! I sometimes struggled with this, as the pressure made me skip parts of my writing, but I found that literally following along with a pen or your finger can make sure you don't miss anything.
- Review sample case studies - I would have a look online and see if there are any free resources that you can have a go at. A true lifesaver during my last cycle was this forum post by Jacob Miller, and I would definitely give it a read!
I'd focus on condensing large chunks of information into clear, concise summaries, and then presenting these within a straightforward structure that flows logically and leads to a well-reasoned conclusion.
I hope that helps, and best of luck with the written exercise - we'll all be rooting for you!
Hey!
As the deadline isn't until December, I would say that it isn't too late to apply! Whilst it is advantageous to apply earlier in the window when it is a rolling deadline, the most important thing is that you are submitting a strong and tailored application. If you're confident that you can do this before the deadline, I would always encourage you to apply!
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