TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Abbie Whitlock]

Thanks Harvey, and also wanted to seek advice from everyone here. For ease of ref, here is the question:

If someone were to read your story so far, what would make them think, ‘This person belongs at Macfarlanes’? (Max 300 words)

I will approach it with explaining how my competencies, skills, and interests in the practice areas they excel in align with them. However one thing I struggle with is that unlike some other firms, they don't list on the website any specific skills / competencies they look for, like Hogan Lovells. Does anyone have any insights into what makes them unique in terms of their culture, working styles, or anything beyond their practice areas?

Hi!

Great question - I've wondered the same thing before, as it can be tricky to get a clear sense of what they value from things listed online!

A lot of insight can come from how they describe themselves and what trainees say. It might be worth:

• Checking out the Macfarlanes graduate site, especially the "Training Programme" section - this gives a good feel for their emphasis on quality, responsibility, and teamwork
• Their "Meet Our People" profiles are great for seeing how current staff talk about the culture - the common themes are independence, approachability, and variety of work
• The Chambers Student and Legal Cheek profiles are also very helpful - for Macfarlanes, they mention a mix of a "collegiate, small-firm feel" with "City-level work"
• If you want to dig a big deeper, you could have a look at Macfarlanes' annual review and responsible business report (on their website) which can give a sense of their values and long-term mindset.

From my quick browse at that information, a few traits seem to come up, such as independence of thought, intellectual rigour, and curiosity. It would be worth having a look yourself and finding ones that relate to your own values and experiences

When you write your answer, you can connect your story to those - show how your experiences reflect curiosity and independence, or other relevant traits you find!

I hope that helps, and best of luck with the application

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

hi, i just wanted some advice, i recently was lucky enough to be invited to an AC for macfarlanes. I am just looking for some advice on what to do and how to prepare from now, its in about a months time. on the email they mentioned that the day will include a group negotiation exercise, a written exercise, and a competency and case study interview. I am fairly confident on preparing for the competency interview, and the group negotiation exercise sounds similar to things I have done at uni, but how would I best prepare for these elements?

Hello!

Huge congratulations on getting an invite to the Macfarlanes AC - that's a fantastic achievement!!

It sounds like you've already got a good handle on the competency interview, which is great! For the group negotiation, I'd recommend practicing staying calm and structured under pressure - try to balance contributing your ideas confidently while also showing that you can listen, build on others' points, and bring the group towards a practical consensus. Sometimes they are mainly assessing how you work well with others in the team, so I would focus on remaining professional at all times and working with the rest of your group. One thing that always used to help me was to summarise what had already been agreed at points throughout the negotiation - this shows that you are ensuring everyone is on the same page, and that you have been listening!

For the written exercise, it's usually about clear and logical communication under time pressure. If you can, I'd have a go at practising summarising complex information into concise recommendations - think about structuring your writing and being clear on what your rationale is. Structure was always really vital for me - it might be beneficial for you to have a read on the formatting of various types of documents (e.g. report, memo, client email, client letter, etc) to have an idea of what they will be expecting. Additionally, reading a few business case summaries can help you get into that concise and professional writing style.

For the case study interview, I would try to practice analysing unfamiliar information quickly. It might be worth reading through all of the documents first, and then going back to look at the fine details and identify the issues / opportunities. I would try and use a set framework to help you structure your thinking out loud - for example, what's the problem, what information do you have, what do you need, and what's your recommendation? You may be challenged on your thoughts, and remember to try and stay calm - show your thought process, and be open to changing your mind if they introduce a point you hadn't thought of.

Finally, I would also give yourself some time to do some more research into the firm. I know that it can feel like no amount of research will be enough, but I would try and bring your own perspective to discussions and show how you are a great fit for the firm!

Good luck! You've got plenty of time to prepare, and it sounds like you're approaching it in exactly the right way. I'm sure you'll smash it

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hello,
For law firms that require a CV, do we just list work experiences, or do we highlight transferable skills to a commercial lawyer?

Many thanks

Hello!

I'd try and highlight transferable skills where you can, rather than just listing experiences. The graduate recruitment team will want to see how your roles have helped you to develop things like teamwork, communication, commercial awareness, and attention to detail. You could use bullet points to show what you did and how it's relevant to being a commercial lawyer.

However, this should only be a brief link, and you do not have to go into a lot of detail - just a quick mention to show that you acknowledge the relevance of your experience to the skills needed in commercial law

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Does anyone have any advice on approaching this CMS question?

"What impact do you want to make at CMS?"

Hello!

I've included some previous advice I have given on this question below - I hope it assists! Let me know if you have any specific questions, and I'd be happy to offer some further tips

Hey!

That's a great question, and it can definitely feel open-ended! If I was approaching this question, I would think about it in two ways:

1. Personal Contribution - what unique strengths, experiences, or insights would you bring to the firm? For example, would you help foster collaboration, or do you bring in a global outlook?

2. Overall Impact - how does your contribution tie into CMS's wider goals and values? If the firm has a focus on innovation, you might discuss wanting to support the firm in delivering innovative solutions to clients.

It doesn't have to be something 'grand' - you could even focus on how you'd like to make a positive difference in your team or with clients, which shows self-awareness and motivation. I would make sure to link your answer back to both your personal qualities and CMS's culture.

Your answer could follow a structure such as:

1. Start with your motivation - why CMS? What about the firm has motivated you to apply there?

2. Discuss your strengths - highlight the qualities and skills that you gained from previous experiences that would allow you to make an impact.

3. Link this to the impact - show how these strengths translate into a positive contribution at CMS. This could be on a team level (e.g. supporting colleagues), on a client level (e.g. innovative thinking), or on a firm-wide level (e.g. championing diversity or sustainability).

4. Conclude - tie it back to the kind of professional you hope to become at CMS and the difference you'd like to make in the long run.

I hope that helps

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi
I have a short presentation to prepare for an interview (I don't know the details of the topic yet). I was wondering if anyone had some advice as this is my first time doing this type of assessment.

Hi!

Congratulations on getting to the interview stage - that's a fantastic achievement!! Presentations can feel daunting at first, and as someone who has always been nervous when it comes to public speaking, I used to dread them! However, they're really just a chance to show how clearly you can communicate and structure your thoughts. I found that taking the time to prepare in advance and practicing a couple times really helped to calm my nerves, and I got a lot better at them over time

Once you get your topic, I would start by planning a simple structure - an introduction, two or three main points, and a clear conclusion or recommendation. Make sure that everything links back to your main message / overall theme so it feels focused and logical.

I would also try to practice delivering it out loud (and timing yourself can help), and try to sound confident and conversational rather than overly scripted. If visuals are allowed, I would keep these simple and easy to follow as the focus should be in the information that you are delivering.

It also might be worth preparing for one or two follow-up questions, as interviewers often want to see how you think on your feet. I would avoid trying to prepare for every follow-up question possible - as long as you have a good understanding of the topic itself, and take a moment to clear your thoughts, you should be able to tackle any question they throw your way!

You've got this - with a clear structure and a few practice runs, you'll definitely come across polished and confident!

 

[Chelsea101]

are the CMS apps only for TC? I am not able to find the apps for VS on their website??

CMS do not have a vacation scheme for law graduates (unsure about non-law) only direct tc

 

[Chelsea101]

Do people actually reapply to firms where they were rejected after completing a vacation scheme? I'm just curious

 

[i-want-a-tc]

For those who have done NRF VI, could you please provide insights to how many questions are asked and are they strength based interview questions?

 

[i-want-a-tc]

Do people actually reapply to firms where they were rejected after completing a vacation scheme? I'm just curious

Some firms don't let you reapply if you did vac scheme with them so check the policy of each firm individually!

 

[ExcitingEasting]

Hello!

A question for RPC’s vac scheme is “In what ways do you see yourself as ‘strikingly real’, and how does that connect with your motivation to apply here and your confidence in succeeding?”

How should I go about answering this question?

 

[Afuturetrainee]

does anyone know if you can re-record your answers for the Latham VI?

No

 

[Afuturetrainee]

Which law firms other than Gibson Dunn, Slaughter, CC, Cleary, and Davis Polk are coverletter-based?

S&C, freshfields

 

[johnsmith]

Hello!

I've just had a look at the White & Case Application Form, and as there is a separate section for including your overall grade for each year, it seems that you do not need to list individual module grades for your undergraduate degree.

If you are still unsure of whether these should be included somewhere, it might be worth emailing the graduate recruitment team as I'm sure they'd be happy to confirm

I just checked back on my application and there was a section for undergraduate modules after putting in the summarised year averages. I wonder if they’ve changed it since?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hello!

A question for RPC’s vac scheme is “In what ways do you see yourself as ‘strikingly real’, and how does that connect with your motivation to apply here and your confidence in succeeding?”

How should I go about answering this question?

Hi @fatimaanjum56 this is certainly a strikingly unusual question - my interpretation of what the firm is looking for here is that they want you to discuss some of your qualities/abilities that are both:

• Connected more strongly to your sense of who you are, your conception of yourself (from the "real") part; thus, here you will want to look for abilities/qualities that are tied to your important character traits and to your major passions/interests.
• Somewhat unusual or very noticeable (from the "striking" part): I think your answer will have to go beyond a usual story about how an example of an experience evidences a relevant skill or ability; it will have to be something more unusual or extreme, which will capture the attention of the reader.

If I were answering this question, I think I would go for the following structure:

Paragraph 1:

1. Name the relevant quality/ability/passion and provide a brief explanation of why this is something that is deeply important to who you are.
2. Provide an example of an experience where that quality/ability is showcased in a particularly unusual/noticeable manner. To the extent applicable, you can also elaborate your previous explanation of why this is so important to your sense of self.
3. Explain how this quality/ability is connected to the any of the firm's unique selling points (i.e. if, say, the quality is a relentless passion for advocacy, and the firm is great in disputes work, there would be a clear overlap).
4. Briefly explain how this quality/ability would be relevant for your work at the firm and your success in the TC (here, there may be some overlap with step 3, so you can consider merging them into one).

Paragraph 2/3:

• Repeat the above for a new ability/skill/passion if you have available word count.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Do people actually reapply to firms where they were rejected after completing a vacation scheme? I'm just curious

I do not know how often this happens, but I definitely know some examples of people who have ended up receiving a TC after an unsuccessful VS - a firm that comes to mind where I know this happened is White & Case. Nonetheless, I know there are also some firms that do not allow replications following rejections at that stage, or who only allow them provided you can show a substantial improvement of your candidate profile. As such, if you are considering reapplying, I think you should try to directly contact the relevant firm to ask about their policy.

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

I just checked back on my application and there was a section for undergraduate modules after putting in the summarised year averages. I wonder if they’ve changed it since?

Hey!

Yes, I remember there being a section to include individual module grades when I applied last year. It might just be that they've changed it for this year!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Anyone know what I might expect from the final partner interview for Sidley? Any and all help appreciated!

Hi - I found this older TCLA post (from the 2017 cycle) and this thread from 2018 where some candidates described their experiences interviewing at Sidley. There are also some more in depth and recent descriptions of interview experiences at Sidley (from 2024 and from 2022) which you can find on the premium database here - nonetheless, you must have a premium TCLA subscription to access them.

 

[johnsmith]

Hey!

Yes, I remember there being a section to include individual module grades when I applied last year. It might just be that they've changed it for this year!

Sorry I meant I applied in September and that section was there

 

[c.t.tc]

If anyone else has applied to Osborne Clarke with a law conversion were you able to put your module grades in (for the post-graduate bit)?

 

[BT0901]

So drained after the Freshfields assessment:/