TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Madison Pinewall]

Good morning all,

I take a glance at the forum here and there nowadays and it’s so nice to see how supportive everyone’s being!

Time for my quarterly (or monthly??!) update:

PFOs so far:

• Reed Smith post app
• Taylor Wessing post SJT
• HSF Kramer even after passing SJT
• Skadden post app (today) 😭
• NRF post VI but I’ve reapplied for summer lmao
• Paul, Weiss post app
• Hogan Lovells post 1st test
• Covington post app
• Willkie post VI
• Bird & Bird post VI
• CMS post WG
• WFW post app

Waiting to hear back from:
• Clyde & Co VI (pleaseeee give me an AC 😭😭😭)
• Goodwin post app
• Cooley post app
• Mishcon post chat interview
• Withers post SJT (assuming PFO)
• Hill Dickinson post app
• Stephenson Harwood post app
• Travers Smith post app
• NRF post Arctic Shores (recycled my score lmao please gimme another VI)
• Ropes & Gray post app
• Farrer & Co post app (got to 1st stage interview for DTC last year, hopefully I progress)
• HFW post app

Will do Womble Bond Dickinson and other DTC apps from next month… 😭😭 planning my wedding is a delight compared to this and that’s saying something !!!

Hi, best of luck with everything, all it takes is 1 app!! It's definitely harder to get past the first hurdle than it is to progress once you get to interviewing / AC stage. Do you mind saying when you heard back from HSF? They are my dream firm and I'm tired or refreshing my inbox haha

 

[Trophy]

Sorry, I meant are they not inviting anybody to AC's anymore

Oh I hope not I applied 12 hours ago haha

 

[Sonia2004]

I have not gotten a PFO or a WE invite from Skadden? Does this mean a PFO?

From my personal experience, when Skadden took a long time to get back to me, it usually meant PFO.

 

[yk1906]

Skadden PFO 😍😍

 

[Aspiring_CommercialLawyer2026]

How long do you typically spend on applications? Say a typical 3 x 200 words/ cover letter application form?

I have spent two days on one application qs, but I hear people submitting a lot more within a smaller time frame!

I fear giving too much energy on one application form which might get rejected post test or something

Hi!

This is a question where there is not a one size fits all answer. Whilst it should always be your intention to make applications consisting of high quality responses, aiming for perfection may be negatively impacting your energy levels and ability to submit other applications. With that being said, when forecasting how long to spend on a response, consider the factors below:

• Your research and application writing speed - depending on how much prior experience you have had with researching firms and writing applications, you may be able to complete applications to a high standard significantly faster/slower than other people. Speed whilst maintaining quality is something that builds incrementally overtime and this should help ease time spent on a single application as you continue to go through the process.
• Your applications strategy - when planning on applying to another 20-30 more firms before the end of the cycle, naturally you will be expecting to turnover applications at a faster rate than completing 5 applications.
• Your commitments outside of applications - if you are employed, studying, have examinations round the corner or other significant personal commitments taking up substantial amounts of your time, once again, that will influence the total amount of time you can invest in writing applications. It is crucial to plan ahead in these circumstances and being realistic in what you can achieve, whilst also holding yourself to account to make sure you aren't looking to find an extra 1% to an application that is of high quality. This is as it is better to submit as many high quality applications as possible, rather than only 1-2 that are perfect.

In my case, when I first started applying it could easily take up to a week or two, while by the end, I had gained strong research and writing skills through the hard work spent in crafting previous high quality applications, resulting in it taking less than a day. I would advise you to reflect on your plan as per your strategy and look at the aforementioned factors to consider how many high quality applications you can make in a period of time.

It remains crucial to not rush applications to submit as many as possible, rather aim to submit as many high quality applications as possible.

All the best!

 

[Sonia2004]

Any tips for a written exercise? What can we expect?

Hi!

This can vary according to the firm you are applying to. Usually you can expect any of these:

1. Advising a client = They might give you a scenario where the client is undergoing a M & A Transaction, and has sent an email asking about potential risks they could face. You therefore would have to outline any commercial and legal risks you can identify within the given time and in a concise manner so the client can understand.

2. Research task = Sometimes, they can give you lots of different links to explore and provide a response. For example, I was given a pitching task at Simmons and Simmons during my AC where there were lots of different links about the firm, its areas, awards etc. I was then asked to used that information and verbally pitch Simmons to a new client.

3. Answering questions using legislations. They might give you a piece of law, and forward you an email the client has written asking whether the law applies to their case, and you will have to respond accordingly.

My best tip for you would be to ensure you are being as concise as possible, direct to your point, and using laymen terms! A lot of candidates try to use 'fancy' words to sound professional but it just ends up intimidating and confusing the clients, so be as clear as you can. Wishing you the best of luck!

 

[SamiyaJ]

Hi, best of luck with everything, all it takes is 1 app!! It's definitely harder to get past the first hurdle than it is to progress once you get to interviewing / AC stage. Do you mind saying when you heard back from HSF? They are my dream firm and I'm tired or refreshing my inbox haha

Thank you! I applied to HSF on 6 Sept and I think 2 weeks later I got the test, and couple of days after I was told I passed the benchmark. Received PFO on 8 Oct. Best of luck with HSF!

 

[Sonia2004]

for the Forsters application question: "Forsters offers legal advice across a wide variety of areas. Which two practice areas are you most keen to explore during your training contract, and why?"
does this refer to the 4 main areas which they work in or is it more specific, like their smaller teams within those overarching areas?

Hey! Do you mean their sectors? I would identify a sector first e.g corporate and commercial, and within those sectors, use a practice area e.g banking and finance. This makes it a lot more specific.

 

[RJ Ruban]

Thank you! I applied to HSF on 6 Sept and I think 2 weeks later I got the test, and couple of days after I was told I passed the benchmark. Received PFO on 8 Oct. Best of luck with HSF!

Sorry to hear that! Was this for the winter vac or one of the spring or summer ones?

 

[opticskibidi]

Skadden written exercise invite!​

Same here 😁😁

 

[aspringlawyer25]

HSF PFO after passing the benchmark, lol, when it rains it pours doesn't it?

 

[Sonia2004]

Any tips for Clyde & Co VI please

Hi!

The best tip is honestly just to practice out your answers. For example, draft out responses to the typical questions you believe they will ask e.g What distinguishes us from our competitors, how will you add value to the firm, what is unique about our clientele, and basic trainee scenarios, so that when you are answering, you are confident. They care about the quality of the response, but understand you are within a restrictive time frame and had to think on the spot, so they will really appreciate a candidate who is confident in what they are speaking of.

Also, if you think you made an error when you were speaking (maybe because you were trying to speak quickly so time does not run out), just go back and say sorry and correct yourself. I have done that so many times and progressed onto the next stage

Best of luck!

 

[uhfwejdj]

Good morning all,

I take a glance at the forum here and there nowadays and it’s so nice to see how supportive everyone’s being!

Time for my quarterly (or monthly??!) update:

PFOs so far:

• Reed Smith post app
• Taylor Wessing post SJT
• HSF Kramer even after passing SJT
• Skadden post app (today) 😭
• NRF post VI but I’ve reapplied for summer lmao
• Paul, Weiss post app
• Hogan Lovells post 1st test
• Covington post app
• Willkie post VI
• Bird & Bird post VI
• CMS post WG
• WFW post app

Waiting to hear back from:
• Clyde & Co VI (pleaseeee give me an AC 😭😭😭)
• Goodwin post app
• Cooley post app
• Mishcon post chat interview
• Withers post SJT (assuming PFO)
• Hill Dickinson post app
• Stephenson Harwood post app
• Travers Smith post app
• NRF post Arctic Shores (recycled my score lmao please gimme another VI)
• Ropes & Gray post app
• Farrer & Co post app (got to 1st stage interview for DTC last year, hopefully I progress)
• HFW post app

Will do Womble Bond Dickinson and other DTC apps from next month… 😭😭 planning my wedding is a delight compared to this and that’s saying something !!!

Paul, Weiss isn’t rolling and doesn't close until the 21st how have you already been PFO?

 

[abc124]

Skadden PFO 😍😍

Same 🫠

 

[elle woods]

Why are the slots so early i barley wake up at 12:30 😭😭😂😂

 

[TortillaTC]

I don't want to sound like a doomer, but I've recently come to the realisation that the content of our application answers doesn't matter. These answers often just act as a filter for the other parts of your candidate profile.

Obviously I can't share these but, I have an old friend's successful applications from his second year of university. Trust me when I tell you that he essentially copy/pasted the exact same application for every firm he applied to – even down to using the same adjective for each of these firm's cultures. They were absolutely indistinguishable. However, this guy was on track to getting a first, he held multiple executive (society) positions, and he had also secured a large number of first-year schemes. If anybody else had written those applications, they would have been binned. But, his candidate profile was genuinely so impressive that (in my opinion) firms were willing to look past the lack of substance in his application answers.

This is definitely a tendency at firms like Skadden or to some extent, maybe even all firms. Sometimes application answers don’t get much attention or their flaws are overlooked because a candidate is so impressive that grad rec just doesn’t care (tbf I wouldn’t care about your alternative career choice if you graduated top of your cohort in Cambridge law either…) - but based on my personal experience, this is not the rule and tailoring answers still matters a lot in general. I’ve gone through a whole cycle of applying to 30+ firms with untailored, generic answers and barely progressed post application stage, while this year I have a strategy, understand how firms are different, submit extremely tailored application, and already see success.

This said, firms are soo random sometimes, I’ve made it to interview with SC and US firms with applications that were retrospectively, mid at best, probably cause the person reading mine saw something that other firms didn’t. Or that specific firm was looking for my kind of profile more than other firms. Or it was pure luck. The point is we can never know for sure but as long as you try your best and put in the effort you know you have to, and you have a clear strategy and idea of where you want to work, you’ll succeed! (Provided that you meet minimum academic criteria)

 

[SamiyaJ]

Sorry to hear that! Was this for the winter vac or one of the spring or summer ones?

Was for winter!

 

[Harvey Specter]

Why are the slots so early i barley wake up at 12:30 😭😭😂😂

The last time I woke up that early was for school and that was like pre Covid lmao. 🤣​

 

[yk1906]

I need a Freshfields PFO to hit me like a rock now 🥲

 

[badmintonflyinginsect]

Haven't heard from Latham at all after getting a feedback report post stage 1 - when can I expect to hear back?