Honestly I applied to A&O Shearman summer vs and they automatically changed me to DTC route. I already received PFO and confirmed with them that was a summer PFO. I didn't even have access to Portal rn as they auto changed for me. 
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TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
Do any of you know anything about starting early. if someone got say a 2028 TC, after having accepted, is it realistic to try and begin in 2027?
Yay! That sounds like good news, did they email you saying that they changed you to the DTC route? And when did you receive the PFO email may I ask?Honestly I applied to A&O Shearman summer vs and they automatically changed me to DTC route. I already received PFO and confirmed with them that was a summer PFO. I didn't even have access to Portal rn as they auto changed for me.
Yes, they emailed me before the DDL of TC and told me I've switched to DTC route as I am graduating this summer and tell me I am expected to be heard back at the end of Nov/beginning of Dec; and I received the PFO for summer on 15th Nov.
honestly I don't have strong hope on it: as I got 'mid' for verbal and 'good' for numerical
On the topic of A&O, my application page says under review and last updated 12/11/2025? I created an a&o page on the 16th of November and submitted on the 17th… I’m assuming this is a glitch, not sure if anyone else has experienced it
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I mean the other ones, and tbh I don’t think u should be too worried if they liked you enough to bother switching you for DTC
Honestly I struggled to find the one report you appointed, but I figured out how to access to the portal and found out they filled me two app 2027/2028 route respectively. Hope they are not doing this for fun.
Ok your kind of giving me hope as they seem to like you so there’s still a chance of ACHonestly I struggled to find the one report you appointed, but I figured out how to access to the portal and found out they filled me two app 2027/2028 route respectively. Hope they are not doing this for fun.
saw someone who applied on the day the application opened and they were invited to the AC, for VS
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Hi, for Freshfields, long after submitting the application did you get the Stage I invite? Been two days, haven’t had an update yet. Worried it’s a PFO before it even began 😭
I saw that as well. Maybe VSs work differently, I wish I knew what was going on, hahaha
Hi all, first post here and I'd love some advice. I'm an Oxbridge non-law grad (2:1) currently doing the PGDL, hoping for a training contract to materialise this year...
I have a few pieces of legal work experience - time spent in a corporate set, vac scheme in a regional firm, and two weeks of quite intense work experience in private wealth at a big London/international firm (I'm speaking to their recruitment team today). I have also have some semi-relevant work (including an internship at a private tax company in Switzerland) and generally useful trustee experience and my own small business.
I'm applying for small-medium UK-based firms, with view to working in private client (wealth, trusts, family, etc.) teams. So, not many training contracts available.
Do I apply for vac schemes or direct TCs? Some firms mainly / exclusively recruit through VS so I'll obviously apply for those, but for the firms that don't - do I have to apply for a VS? I know there are many pros, but I know the application pools are much bigger than for DTCs. Does this matter? I'm not just trying to game the system, because I can't make many of the spring VS and I have no idea when I'll be free for some of the summer weeks. However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to apply to VS because there are generally more applicants.
Would it be really stupid for me to only focus on DTC applications?
I have a few pieces of legal work experience - time spent in a corporate set, vac scheme in a regional firm, and two weeks of quite intense work experience in private wealth at a big London/international firm (I'm speaking to their recruitment team today). I have also have some semi-relevant work (including an internship at a private tax company in Switzerland) and generally useful trustee experience and my own small business.
I'm applying for small-medium UK-based firms, with view to working in private client (wealth, trusts, family, etc.) teams. So, not many training contracts available.
Do I apply for vac schemes or direct TCs? Some firms mainly / exclusively recruit through VS so I'll obviously apply for those, but for the firms that don't - do I have to apply for a VS? I know there are many pros, but I know the application pools are much bigger than for DTCs. Does this matter? I'm not just trying to game the system, because I can't make many of the spring VS and I have no idea when I'll be free for some of the summer weeks. However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to apply to VS because there are generally more applicants.
Would it be really stupid for me to only focus on DTC applications?
Honestly, it sounds like you have more than enough experience to be making DTC applications. If that's the route you want to take, you should go for it.
Hi @Andrei Radu, @Abbie Whitlock and the team,
Hope you're doing well!
Do you guys have any advice for preparing for an AC in a short space of time? I received my first AC invite ever (A&O Shearman) and I don't have much time to prepare. I never thought that I would reach this stage (years of rejection have made me uber-cautious!), so I would greatly appreciate any firm-specific and/or general guidance.
Whilst I read/listen to the standard commercial awareness podcasts, my technical knowledge (e.g., how to calculate EBITDA, company value, market cap) is lacking. Any advice on this in particular would be especially appreciated.
On a separate note, I would also appreciate any guidance on building confidence. I am not sure whether I can change how I feel inside in just a few days, but I would appreciate any advice at least on appearing confident to others (even if just for a couple of hours).
Thank you
Hope you're doing well!
Do you guys have any advice for preparing for an AC in a short space of time? I received my first AC invite ever (A&O Shearman) and I don't have much time to prepare. I never thought that I would reach this stage (years of rejection have made me uber-cautious!), so I would greatly appreciate any firm-specific and/or general guidance.
Whilst I read/listen to the standard commercial awareness podcasts, my technical knowledge (e.g., how to calculate EBITDA, company value, market cap) is lacking. Any advice on this in particular would be especially appreciated.
On a separate note, I would also appreciate any guidance on building confidence. I am not sure whether I can change how I feel inside in just a few days, but I would appreciate any advice at least on appearing confident to others (even if just for a couple of hours).
Thank you
congrats!! when did you get the invite if you don’t mind me asking? and is this for dtc 2027 or 2028? and don’t worry, the key to confidence is to fake it til you make it. you deserve to be there, you just gotta show them once!Hi @Andrei Radu, @Abbie Whitlock and the team,
Hope you're doing well!
Do you guys have any advice for preparing for an AC in a short space of time? I received my first AC invite ever (A&O Shearman) and I don't have much time to prepare. I never thought that I would reach this stage (years of rejection have made me uber-cautious!), so I would greatly appreciate any firm-specific and/or general guidance.
Whilst I read/listen to the standard commercial awareness podcasts, my technical knowledge (e.g., how to calculate EBITDA, company value, market cap) is lacking. Any advice on this in particular would be especially appreciated.
On a separate note, I would also appreciate any guidance on building confidence. I am not sure whether I can change how I feel inside in just a few days, but I would appreciate any advice at least on appearing confident to others (even if just for a couple of hours).
Thank you
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