London Office - has anyone else received WG after applying on Sunday?
TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
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I applied 23:59 deadline and have not received. I understand everybody gets sent the WG.
for the other experiences section can we then just list other experiences in bullet points or pick maybe 2 of those other experiences and have bullet points/prose for each?
Errr anyone still waiting for BCLP spring vac scheme reply after doing their first test ?
Hi @Abbie Whitlock!
For RS, would talking about the SQE intern be discouraged in my reasons for why RS?
For RS, would talking about the SQE intern be discouraged in my reasons for why RS?
Does anyone have any tips for answering Macfarlanes' VS Q:
If someone were to read your story so far, what would make them think, ‘This person belongs at Macfarlanes’? Max 300 words
For example, should I connect my own experience's to the firm's values, or more their strategy / work e.g., private client work, buddy firm strategy etc.,? Thank you!
If someone were to read your story so far, what would make them think, ‘This person belongs at Macfarlanes’? Max 300 words
For example, should I connect my own experience's to the firm's values, or more their strategy / work e.g., private client work, buddy firm strategy etc.,? Thank you!
Thank you so muchHey!
Good questions! For a written exercise, I always aimed for a professional but not overly formal tone.
For sign-offs, I'd say you can use:
- Client email: Kind regards / Yours sincerely (if very formal)
- Supervisor / partner: Kind regards / Best wishes
So yes, you can adjust slightly based on audience, but I would use "Kind Regards" if in doubt!
In terms of how to address them:
You don'y necessarily need big report-style headings, unless the task suggests it. However, I found it useful to use headings to create a structure that makes the email clearer to read, especially if multiple issues are being analysed.
- Supervisor / Partner: "Dear [First Name]" is generally acceptable internally unless told otherwise
- Clients: it is safer to use "Dear Mr / Ms [Surname]" unless the scenario indicates a more familiar relationship
Clarity is the overall priority - it's important that you show you can organise information logically for a client!
I hope that helps
I used it as one of my reasons and got progressed - it's quite a unique feature of the firm and directly impacts how you are onboarded/trained so I'd say go for it
I received my link after I registered so it’s likely it is somewhere in your inbox. Might be worthwhile checking the junk folder incase it’s there.
Found it, thank you!
Hi guys,
I'm currently going through the Bird & Bird application form, and I had a few queries - if anyone has any tips, I'd be really grateful!
1. On the Work Experience section, candidates are asked:
"Please list any experience(s) where you feel you've developed your skills or knowledge, this could include paid or unpaid work, legal or non-legal internships, volunteering, societies/clubs, and attending events."
How detailed do you think candidates should be in this section - after all, it appears to cover not only work experience per se, but also a wide range of extra-curricular stuff (e.g. attending events). For instance, would it be relevant to talk about doing Bird & Bird's online Virtual Experience Programme? Moreover, do you think candidates would be expected to mention any work experience they've done (even, for instance, a short volunteering role at a local charity several years ago?). I'm quite anxious about failing to write down something which I ultimately should have written down; but at the same time, I'm aware that if I interpret Bird & Bird's definition of "work experience" too broadly, then I might end up writing down about so many events that it actually ends up having a detrimental effect on my application!
2. I took some time out of my degree due to unforeseen circumstances, and so although I took exams at the end of three academic years, it took me more than the usual three years to graduate from university. The problem is that the application form assumes that if, for instance, your degree lasted four years (i.e. there was four years between the start date and end date of your degree), then you received academic results for each of those four years - the form doesn't allow me to leave "Year 4" blank, and so I've had to resort to typing in "N/A" in the "module name" and "module grade" section. Does this sound okay?
3. The application form asks candidates to give their "Overall university average score/GPA". Is this literally just a case of adding up all of my module scores (as a percentage), then dividing them by the amount of modules I took? Or do I have to take weighting into account? To be honest, I'm not even entirely sure how my university grade are weighted - all I know are my marks for each module, the grade I received at the end of each year, and the final grade I was awarded!
4. The application form asks: "Why do you want to be a trainee solicitor at Bird & Bird?" - would it be valid to include some reasoning explaining why I am thinking of becoming a commercial solicitor (in other words, why I'd like to go into commercial law), or is best just to focus on "why Bird & Bird?"
I'm currently going through the Bird & Bird application form, and I had a few queries - if anyone has any tips, I'd be really grateful!
1. On the Work Experience section, candidates are asked:
"Please list any experience(s) where you feel you've developed your skills or knowledge, this could include paid or unpaid work, legal or non-legal internships, volunteering, societies/clubs, and attending events."
How detailed do you think candidates should be in this section - after all, it appears to cover not only work experience per se, but also a wide range of extra-curricular stuff (e.g. attending events). For instance, would it be relevant to talk about doing Bird & Bird's online Virtual Experience Programme? Moreover, do you think candidates would be expected to mention any work experience they've done (even, for instance, a short volunteering role at a local charity several years ago?). I'm quite anxious about failing to write down something which I ultimately should have written down; but at the same time, I'm aware that if I interpret Bird & Bird's definition of "work experience" too broadly, then I might end up writing down about so many events that it actually ends up having a detrimental effect on my application!
2. I took some time out of my degree due to unforeseen circumstances, and so although I took exams at the end of three academic years, it took me more than the usual three years to graduate from university. The problem is that the application form assumes that if, for instance, your degree lasted four years (i.e. there was four years between the start date and end date of your degree), then you received academic results for each of those four years - the form doesn't allow me to leave "Year 4" blank, and so I've had to resort to typing in "N/A" in the "module name" and "module grade" section. Does this sound okay?
3. The application form asks candidates to give their "Overall university average score/GPA". Is this literally just a case of adding up all of my module scores (as a percentage), then dividing them by the amount of modules I took? Or do I have to take weighting into account? To be honest, I'm not even entirely sure how my university grade are weighted - all I know are my marks for each module, the grade I received at the end of each year, and the final grade I was awarded!
4. The application form asks: "Why do you want to be a trainee solicitor at Bird & Bird?" - would it be valid to include some reasoning explaining why I am thinking of becoming a commercial solicitor (in other words, why I'd like to go into commercial law), or is best just to focus on "why Bird & Bird?"
Is it normal for a WE assessment to be 2 hours long???
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