TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Abbie Whitlock]

DAC Beachcroft VS offer!! I am honestly in disbelief. After a gut wrenching TC rejection from another firm at the final stage back in February, I didn’t know if this would happen for me. But it goes to show not to give up, and that resilience really is part of the process.

Huge congratulations, that is amazing news!! I can totally relate to that - whilst my rejections last cycle definitely stung, it made the offers all the more rewarding when they finally came through!

You should be super proud of yourself, especially given how competitive these schemes are. I hope you take some time to celebrate properly!!

 

[LH4]

For DAC Beachcroft vs (London) is the final stage a written exercise and is anyone still waiting to hear back post critical thinking test?

 

[hxnnahrobinson]

For DAC Beachcroft vs (London) is the final stage a written exercise and is anyone still waiting to hear back post critical thinking test?

I applied for Leeds, so it could be a staggered release of feedback. I wasn’t sent a written assessment in the end, think it’s because they ran out of time

 

[corplawperson23]

Hi! I have a Squire's vacation scheme coming up and I just wanted some tips on how to prepare for a vacation scheme, and more specifically, how to prepare for an interview at the end of a vacation scheme?

 

[Swiss_Toni]

I am fortunate to have been offered a training contract and have 4 weeks to respond with my decision. However, in 5 weeks' time, I have an interview for a vacation scheme with a firm that I feel would be a better fit, and the vacation scheme wouldn't start until a few weeks after that. So this firm's training contract offers could be about 3 months away. So I don't feel that asking for such a long extension to my TC decision deadline is viable.

I understand it is pretty common to renege on training contract acceptances - if I were to be offered the vacation scheme and it led to a TC at the other firm, in this case, I would not have received any money from the initial firm, and I wouldn't have strung them along for that long.

My question is about the upcoming vacation scheme interview. When they ask, how did your vacation scheme at firm X go? Naturally, it's good to say it went well and led to me being offered a TC from that firm. Makes you look like a competitive candidate. But what do you say when they ask how you plan to respond to the offer? Saying I've accepted it, but I will breach the contract and renege if I get an offer from your firm, doesn't sound great, does it? Or would they not care? Nor does lying and saying I've declined it, or lying and making out I've negotiated an unrealistic and unbelievably long period to accept/decline the TC offer... Any tips appreciated, thanks!

 

[Jaysen]

I am fortunate to have been offered a training contract and have 4 weeks to respond with my decision. However, in 5 weeks' time, I have an interview for a vacation scheme with a firm that I feel would be a better fit, and the vacation scheme wouldn't start until a few weeks after that. So this firm's training contract offers could be about 3 months away. So I don't feel that asking for such a long extension to my TC decision deadline is viable.

I understand it is pretty common to renege on training contract acceptances - if I were to be offered the vacation scheme and it led to a TC at the other firm, in this case, I would not have received any money from the initial firm, and I wouldn't have strung them along for that long.

My question is about the upcoming vacation scheme interview. When they ask, how did your vacation scheme at firm X go? Naturally, it's good to say it went well and led to me being offered a TC from that firm. Makes you look like a competitive candidate. But what do you say when they ask how you plan to respond to the offer? Saying I've accepted it, but I will breach the contract and renege if I get an offer from your firm, doesn't sound great, does it? Or would they not care? Nor does lying and saying I've declined it, or lying and making out I've negotiated an unrealistic and unbelievably long period to accept/decline the TC offer... Any tips appreciated, thanks!

The best practice is to be honest. The nice thing here is that the firm you will be interviewing with is your preferred firm. So you can say something like, 'Honestly, I have been offered the training contract. But I would prefer this firm. This is why I chose to still do the interview.'

You don't really need to go into details about the timeline of the offer etc, and they're not going to question how much time you have been given to make a decision. What I definitely wouldn't do is say you plan to renege on it.

 

[Swiss_Toni]

Thanks Jaysen, yes you're probably right, here's hoping they won't ask about the timeline of the offer...

 

[Jaysen]

Thanks Jaysen, yes you're probably right, here's hoping they won't ask about the timeline of the offer...

It's very unlikely. But I'd prepare an answer just in case so you feel a bit better

I'd then be honest and say you had to accept given the time frame.

My model for this is: whenever you're unsure about what to do, say the truth. Interviews are just a weird situation where some things are acceptable to say, and some things are not. So, sometimes, you don't lead with everything unless you are asked.

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi everyone,



I’m trying to understand the main types of real estate work done at commercial law firms.



I’ve researched real estate finance and property litigation, but what other areas are there?



Also, which areas are most useful for international lateral moves, for example moving from London to Dubai?



My assumption is that transactional, investment and development-focused work is more transferable than purely domestic landlord/tenant or property disputes work, but I’d appreciate views from people in the field.

@Abbie Whitlock @Jaysen @Ram Sabaratnam

Thanks.

Hey!

I'm definitely not an expert in this area, but when I worked as a paralegal at a real estate focused firm, it is usually slightly broader than just landlord & tenant work or property litigation.

A few of the areas that I have come across include:

• Acquisitions and disposals of commercial property
• Real estate finance
• Development work (e.g. large-scale regeneration or infrastructure projects)
• Construction-related matters
• Planning
• Investment work for funds or institutional investors
• Corporate occupier work (e.g. office leases)
• Hotels/Leisure (which can sometimes be its own sub-section)
• Real estate disputes and property litigation

A lot of firms will split their teams differently, so some might have dedicated construction or planning lawyers whereas others might roll parts of that into a broader real estate practice.

On the international mobility point, I unfortunately don't have a lot of knowledge on lateral moves specifically, so I wouldn't have a definitive view. However, from what I have heard, your assumption does seem broadly right. Transactional or investment-focused work appears to travel more easily internationally, particularly in markets like Dubai where there is a lot of cross-border investment, development, hospitality and infrastructure work. For similar reasons, real estate finance also seems quite transferable as it often overlaps with broader banking/finance work and international lenders too.

On the other hand, some of the more domestic landlord & tenant or highly jurisdiction-specific disputes work can be loss portable as it depends heavily on local statutory frameworks.

All of that said, I do think the international nature of your clients/deals probably matters just as much as the practice area itself. For example, someone doing high-value cross-border development or investment work in London is probably building a more internationally transferable skillset than someone doing purely domestic advisory work, even if both technically sit within real estate.

Hopefully someone currently practising in those specific areas can give a more detailed answer, but that is my understanding based on my experience and from speaking to lawyers. I hope that assists!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi! I have a Squire's vacation scheme coming up and I just wanted some tips on how to prepare for a vacation scheme, and more specifically, how to prepare for an interview at the end of a vacation scheme?

Hey!

Congratulations on the vacation scheme - that is an amazing achievement!

I have written a few posts on how I'd prepare for a vacation scheme, and specifically how to prepare for the post-VS interview, which I have quoted below. It might also be worth checking out our TCLA Spring & Summer Vacation Scheme Thread if you haven't already, as there are posts and discussions about things like coffee chats, assessed tasks, and other questions relating to vacation schemes.

Best of luck with the scheme - I'm sure you'll smash it!!

Hey!

This is a very normal feeling before a vacation scheme! It can feel a bit overwhelming because you don't really know what to expect, and so it can feel hard to prepare for it! I've highlighted a few things that you could potentially do to prepare below, but don't worry if you don't have any of this information yet - on most of my schemes, I used an hour or so in the evening in the week to prepare for the next day once I had more information!

I would start by brushing up on your knowledge of the firm so that you feel comfortable talking about their key practice areas, clients, and what differentiates them (this last point being key!). If you happen to know what team you will be sitting in, it is worth doing a bit of light research into that area (e.g. typical work, recent deals that the firm has completed, and any key terminology). However, if you don't know the area that you will be in yet, that is completely fine too - just having a general understanding of the firm should be enough, as you won't be expected to understand the technical detail from day one anyway! A helpful tip that I was told is to make sure that you have your introduction down for your first day so you can make a good first impression - on nearly all of my schemes, my supervisors took me around the department and introduced me to everyone, so I repeated this a lot!

It is also helpful to make sure that you are familiar with some of the key terms used in commercial law and any of the firm's core sectors, just so nothing feels completely unfamiliar when you are hear it (things like warranties, indemnities, representations, etc.). Alongside that, I would try to get a clear idea of what assessments are involved in the scheme (if any!) and think about how you might approach them, so that you aren't going in completely blind! I was encouraged to speak to trainees at the firm who might have gone through the recruitment process recently to ask about how they prepared for the assessments - it might be worth reaching out, or asking your trainee buddy!

I would also make sure that you can clearly articulate your motivations as well, as this is bound to come up at some point, even in informal conversations. If you have a final TC interview at the end of the scheme, make sure that you incorporate insights and experiences from the scheme to show your motivations - they'll want to see that you have used the scheme to make an informed decision about why you want to train at this specific firm.

One thing that is also underrated that I was advised to do before my schemes is to have a bit of a system for reflecting as you go - for example, keeping a quick daily journal of what you did, who you spoke to, and any interesting insights. On my schemes, I would take 30 minutes or so when I got back to my accommodation to just write down anything that I learned that day or found interesting. This ended up being really helpful when it came to the final TC interview, as I could go over this the night before and have clear examples to refer to that backed up my points.

If they have shared a schedule of sessions in advance, I also found it really helpful to quickly brainstorm a few questions ahead of time for each session. Whilst you should ask any questions that pop up during the session, I found that it helped take the stress off in the moment and allowed me to make the most of the opportunities.

Finally, it is definitely worth having a few competency examples in the back of your mind (e.g. teamwork, leadership, handling pressure, etc.) as they might ask these kind of questions in an interview. I personally found it helpful to create a mini bank of my experiences so that I could briefly read over them before any interviews, but you don't need to script anything - I would just be prepared to speak about your past experiences and relate them to your motivations towards the firm or to a specific scenario.

Overall, the main thing is to go in prepared but not overwhelmed - you won't be able to prepare for every possible scenario, and they're not expecting you to know everything! They just want to see that you are engaged, thoughtful, and someone that they would enjoy working with.

You'll be absolutely fine, and I'm sure you'll smash it! Just shout if you have any final questions before your scheme - best of luck!!

Hey!

Congratulations on the vacation scheme!!

Generally speaking, I'd say that the format is quite similar to a normal interview - you'll usually get a mix of motivational, competency, and some commercial questions. The main difference is that the bar is higher at this stage, particularly when it comes to your motivations.

You really want to show that you have used the scheme to properly get to know the firm and that you made the most of the opportunity. That means going beyond the more research-heavy reasons you may have given at application stage and instead grounding your answers in tangible experiences and insights from the scheme. For example, you can draw on specific pieces of work that you were involved in, conversations you had with trainees / associates / partners, talks or workshops that you attended, or even smaller conversations that gave you insights into the firm's culture and ways of working. Whilst you can still talk about aspects of the firm that you have researched and not necessarily experienced first-hand, I would always recommend referring to specific instances from the VS where you can - ultimately, the main difference between the pre-VS and post-VS interview is the experience of the scheme itself!

For motivational questions especially, it is important to clearly link these experiences back to why the firm appeals to you. Therefore, rather than just saying that you enjoyed the scheme, I'd try to articulate what you enjoyed, why it stood out to you, and how that aligns with what you are looking for in a training contract and your longer-term legal career. The more specific and reflective you can be, the better! This is why I'd recommend keeping a journal (of some sort!) during the scheme, so you can note down specific insights or information that you learn each day - it makes it a lot easier once it comes to preparing in the days before the post-VS interview!

For competency questions, you can still drawn on examples outside the scheme, but don't be afraid to use experiences from the vacation scheme where relevant - it can be a good way of showing how you operate in a legal environment. Again, this is something you could jot down in a journal so that you can quickly refer to skills and competencies that you have displayed during the scheme.

Overall, it is about demonstrating that the scheme has confirmed the firm is the right fit for you, while also reinforcing that you would be a good fit for them. Wishing you the best of luck - I'm sure you'll do great!!

Hello!

I am having a good day, thank you - I hope you are too!! Congratulations on the vacation scheme, that is amazing news!

In terms of preparing for the scheme, I would try not to worry too much about doing lots! The main things that I would focus on are:

• Having a solid understanding of the firm (e.g. their key practice areas, recent deals, commercial awareness of their specific sectors, etc.)
• If you know your seat, doing a bit of background reading so that you are familiar with key terms and concepts
• Thinking of a few questions that you'd like to ask / learn about during the scheme

You are not expected to come in with lots of technical legal knowledge, particularly as the scheme has to be accessible for non-law students. The scheme itself is designed for you to learn, so your approach matters far more! In terms of tasks, I would say that you are bang on and they are often things like:

• Research tasks (e.g. looking into a legal issue or recent updates and summarising it)
• Drafting (emails, short notes, sometimes basic clauses in a contract)
• Proofreading or document review
• Sometimes more commercial-style / business development tasks (e.g. preparing an article that discusses a recent legal case)

The most important thing is often how you approach them, rather than whether you get everything right first time. A few things that helped me with tasks during my vacation schemes:

• Make sure that you fully understand the task, and if anything is unclear, it is completely fine (and often encouraged) to ask clarifying questions. Your supervisor would rather you ask a clarifying question, rather than not fully address what they were asking for.
• Do focused research - don't try to include everything, just what is most relevant. At the start, I was including things that weren't directly relevant as I worried that it might be useful for my supervisor to have that information anyway. However, I would ensure that you only include things relevant to the question being asked, and you can always (+ probably should) include a list of sources that you used, so your supervisor can find this information if needed.
• Structure your answer clearly (e.g. intro -> main point -> conclusion) and keep it concise and easy to read. At the end of the day, they are delegating the task to save themselves some time, so you want to ensure that they have easy access to the information they need.

On timing, I personally found vacation scheme tasks had less time pressure than AC written exercises. ACs are designed to test you under pressure, so they often give you lots of information in a short amount of time. However, on a vacation scheme, you'll usually have more time and supervisors are generally more flexible (i.e. depending on the nature of the task, you might have a few hours or a couple days to complete it). The most important part is that you confirm the deadline when you receive the task, and always communicate if anything comes up that means you might not be able to complete it in time. They are usually happy for you to check in if you are unsure about timing or expectations!

A vacation scheme is a learning experience so, whilst you are being assessed and should produce the best work you can, it is much more about your thought process, effort, and how you take on feedback, rather than whether your work was "perfect". You aren't expected to know everything, and asking questions is a good thing and actively encouraged - try to learn as much as you can throughout the scheme to make the most of it!

You have already done incredibly well to receive the vacation scheme offer, and they definitely would not have picked you if they didn't think you were capable. It might feel overwhelming now, but once you get started, it becomes much more manageable. It is often the unknown that makes you nervous!

Wishing you the best of luck - I'm sure you'll do great!!

Hey!

That sounds like a lot to manage - as someone who also juggled final year exams and vacation schemes last cycle, I admire your resilience!

For TC interview preparation, I would focus less on trying to predict every possible question and more on getting comfortable with a few core areas - that is:

• Your motivations
• Your experiences
• Your overall commercial awareness
• How you think through problems

If you are solid on these elements, you can usually handle curveball questions much more confidently, and I found it made me panic less in the moment.

In terms of unexpected questions, I'd say that they usually throw these sorts of questions in to see how you think on the spot rather than to catch you out. For example, I have previously been asked "What kind of person are you under pressure?" in a final TC interview, which definitely threw me off at the time - however, they were ultimately looking to see how self-aware I was, how I reflected on my own working style, and whether I could give a clear and honest answer that was supported by a practical example.

For example, something like the "sell me this pen" question is looking to see how you approach that situation. A simple structure could be to briefly identify the "client's" needs, highlight relevant features, and then explain the value. It is all about showing commercial awareness and analysis, as ultimately, law firms do very similar things when they pitch to clients.

More generally, a few last-minute tips on preparing for interviews:

• Have a clear structure for your answers (especially for the motivational and competency ones)
• Create a mini bank of your competency experiences, rather than trying to prepare for every type of competency question. It's more important to know your experiences inside out and know what skills you developed through them.
• Don't panic if you get something unexpected - it is absolutely fine (+ often encouraged) to take a second, structure your thoughts, and talk the interviewer through your thought process or reasoning
• Practise speaking out loud, particularly for the questions that are very likely to come up (e.g. "Why Law" and "Why this Firm")
• Draw on your experiences on the VS as much as you can - these will be really valuable examples, and you want to show that you have made the most of the scheme to learn more about the firm

I hope that helps a bit, and best of luck - I'm sure you'll smash it!!

Hello!

I have done a few final interviews at the end of a VS, and in my experience they tend to sit somewhere in between a reflective conversation and a more traditional interview, rather than being one or the other.

There is a definitely a strong reflective element, and I would always encourage you to discuss insights from the VS as much as you can. The interviewers will want to hear how you have engaged with the scheme, what you have taken from it, and whether it has genuinely reinforced your interest in them. You could potentially be asked about what you enjoyed on the scheme, what you found challenging, which tasks or sessions stood out, or how your understanding of the firm has developed over the course of the scheme. I have found it is less about giving a "perfect" answer and more about showing that you have been curious, engaged, and proactive in making the most out of the experience.

However, it also isn't just an informal chat and firms will still incorporate the usual competency-style questions. These might be framed more generally, or around the vacation scheme specifically - for example, you might be asked to reflect on a time during the VS when you worked in a team, responded to feedback, or managed competing deadlines. Therefore, you are still being assessed and I'd try to ensure that you are showing what you individually did and how you contributed to the overall outcome.

I have also always encountered at least one commercial awareness question in a post-VS interview which is usually along the lines of "Tell us about a recent news story that interested you", but I've also had some more firm-specific questions (i.e. "If we were to open an office in a new country, where would you recommend?"). I'd therefore make sure you have one or two well-thought through examples in mind, and that you are comfortable explaining not just the context, but why it matters from a commercial and client perspective. It is also helpful to link your answer back to the firm where possible, as that shows a deeper level of insight rather than just general awareness.

I would approach it as a structured but conversational discussion about the scheme (+ your motivations for the firm/law). The best preparation is to spend some time properly reflecting on your week (i.e. what you did, what you learned, what surprised you, who you spoke to, and how it has shaped your motivations) while also having a few clear examples in mind that demonstrate competencies and some general + firm-specified commercial awareness.

Best of luck with your VS!!