TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2026-27

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

When discussing my work experience a) how should I structure? I normally just say what I’ve done but firms seem to be placing more emphasis on this section. Should I structure with a line of what I did, what skills it taught me and link back to the firm and why I would be a good trainee? Also this may seem silly but for a paralegal role how could I say this has prepared me to be a good trainee? I feel it’s too obvious so not sure what skills to hone in on.

Hi, Nova gave some great advice, using a structure which I think is pretty good, quite similar to what I did. Nevertheless, I'll give my take to your questions now.


1) I personally did (250 Words)

• Paragraph 1:
  • Brief overview of the company (if it isn't an obvious company, like a known law firm for instance)
  • Brief overview of my broader general tasks that I did (good to quantify: how many of any such thing did you do for instance
• Paragraph 2:
  • A STAR/CAR-Styled paragraph that goes over a crucial competency.
  • It's best to make it quite visual and detailed in regards to what you did so the recruiter can feel immersed in the story.

That was the structure I did for most of my experiences, however there were 1-2 that I wrote differently because it didn't fully fit for it.

I tried focusing on a different core skill for each, however from memory, there were multiple that were about proactivity/taking initiative. But that's because that was strategically my main selling point of myself.



2) I think most of the detail should be in that hypothetical second paragraph, because it can showcase your thought process and also make your story sound much more believable and engaging. However when it comes to things that could, for any reason be private/confidential make sure to talk more broadly (I mean this more so for the part you say you mitigated risks).

3) I included around 9-10 experiences, all of which were 250 words and Graduate Recruitment did not get too bored (I hope haha).

I know it wasn't specifically asked for but here is a sample of one of my entries. Hope it helps people !

[XYZ} is one of [XYZ] largest investment fund managers, with over £3.5bn in assets across over 100 funds. Following a two-stage interview process, I was selected as the sole intern in the legal team. There, I amended over X fund agreements, annexes, prospectuses and status documents, which developed my legal writing and analytical skills. As the sole native English speaker, I also handled the final proofreading of X+ English documents for international clients.

As a result of intersecting with English law, I assisted on a project that involved striking off a [XYZ] company from Companies House. My task was to prepare a researched memo on how this can be achieved. Firstly, I conducted extensive research using the Companies Act 2006, along with guidance from UK government and third-party websites. Subsequently, I compiled the information into a document, structuring it from the perspective of what would be most helpful to the client. For example, outlining the step-by-step process and potential risks. Additionally, I went beyond my original task by creating two versions of the memo. One included technical legal aspects to be sent to the team and the second was more compact and commercially focused for non-legal professionals. As a result, I was commended for my clarity and initiative, with my memos being circulated and used as a guide. This experience, besides improving my research and drafting skills, taught me the importance of proactively seeking opportunities to help.

Hi! I've attached some of my previous posts with advice on this topic, hopefully that helps! You do not need to directly link it back to the role of a trainee, but can emphasise skills that do clearly track over to the role.

 

[Lissa06]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anybody here knows any good preparation sites for sjt and/or watson glaser? Essentially I need to take the freshfields online test soon, and I found it rather tough last year. Used their own prep and jobtestprep and found both of those easier than the real thing, especially when it came to wgt, – any advice?

 

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

When discussing my work experience a) how should I structure? I normally just say what I’ve done but firms seem to be placing more emphasis on this section. Should I structure with a line of what I did, what skills it taught me and link back to the firm and why I would be a good trainee? Also this may seem silly but for a paralegal role how could I say this has prepared me to be a good trainee? I feel it’s too obvious so not sure what skills to hone in on.

Furthermore, in regards to your second question, it is not silly! Sometimes the 'obvious' things are tougher by nature.

You could talk about any times you were under pressure, working to meet tough deadlines. There is clear commercial awareness / legal technical ability involved, alongside being able to communicate effectively and adapt that communication depending on your target audience.

Granted, I have not been a paralegal and am now coming to realise my knowledge of what the role exactly consists of is smaller than it probably should. Nevertheless, I hope some of my pointers have been helpful !

 

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

Hi Everyone!

When putting open/insight days into work experience section, is it better to put them separately, or put them in one section all together? Prehaps for the organisation I thought of saying 'Various commercial law firms'.

Anyone that got any tips let me know please!

Hi, that's exactly what I did (putting them all into one) !

 

[flower1]

Hello @Antoni Trochimowicz

I'm currently writing my Skadden application, and have a few questions:

What qualities or skills do you possess that would enable you to thrive on the Skadden training contract? (300 words) - for this, is it better to include 2 or 3 qualities, and therefore paragraphs? I only have the capacity to write 2 due to words.

If you could choose a career other than Corporate law, what would you choose? - for this question, what's the best structure to follow to make sure the distinction between chosen career and corporate law is clear like to make it intertwined?

Thank you

 

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

Hi @Antoni Trochimowicz! Please can I have your advice on preparing an answer to this question for Paul, Weiss?

"What specifically attracts you to Paul, Weiss’s London office, and how does this differ from your interest in other leading commercial law firms? In your answer, please refer to:
• At least one matter, practice area, or development involving the London office; and
• How this aligns with the type of lawyer you are aiming to become"

My key struggle is finding a point that will set me aside from other applicants. I find it quite hard from a firm's website to identify a deal or development that I can explore differently to others. How would you approach it?

thank you!

Hi, I think quite often it will be difficult to truly stand out from other applicants as realistically you will never find something that only you have written about. This is particularly difficult when researching online. As a result, I always tried to approach these questions with a different mentality.

Rather than finding a point about the firm no one else would have written about, try to find a point that allows you to showcase why that is more important for you rather than for others.

While I was never personally interested in Paul, Weiss I took this approach with other firms. For instance, for Slaughter and May, it's safe to say the vast majority of applicants will mention the multi specialist approach. However, what I tried my hardest to brainstorm is why that is so special to me? Why am I suited best for that?

I do not know much of the Paul, Weiss unique selling points but that sort of mentality certainly transfers. Have they made particular strategic hires in a field you're interested in? Do they have a unique twist in their TC? What sort of work do they usually take on, and could that, in combination with another factor, offer a unique package in comparison to other firms that may only do one of those things?

Hopefully that was a little helpful !

 

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

I normally structure a cover letter:
1. Why law
2. Why the firm
3. Why me
One firm asked:
Please write a cover letter addressing the following areas:
What attracts you to Gibson Dunn and the office to which you are applying.
Why you want to become a solicitor.
An outstanding personal achievement through which you added value to either your academic or working environment.
Details of any prizes, scholarships, interests, positions of responsibility, or other noteworthy achievements that support your application.

So I do not know whether to follow my normal structure and fit the information into that structure, or to write the cover letter in the order presented by the firm.

@Antoni Trochimowicz @Jaysen Sutton I would love your thoughts

Hi, that's an interesting question. I would say you definitely don't have to follow the order presented but of course capture each point. The way that I would do it, while following your usual structure, is:

Why Law
Why Firm -- including the London Office
Why You -- detailing a specific achievement that showcases that, alongside a separate paragraph capturing the prizes etc.

My guess would be to have four paragraphs (two of which falling into why you).

 

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

does anybody have a list of firms that recruit at least half from the direct route? thank youu in advance!!

Hi, I don't have a list personally but I do know Slaughters definitely hires a lot, if not predominantly, from its DTC, they certainly do not have a clear preference for the VS.

 

[username10341034]

Hi, I think quite often it will be difficult to truly stand out from other applicants as realistically you will never find something that only you have written about. This is particularly difficult when researching online. As a result, I always tried to approach these questions with a different mentality.

Rather than finding a point about the firm no one else would have written about, try to find a point that allows you to showcase why that is more important for you rather than for others.

While I was never personally interested in Paul, Weiss I took this approach with other firms. For instance, for Slaughter and May, it's safe to say the vast majority of applicants will mention the multi specialist approach. However, what I tried my hardest to brainstorm is why that is so special to me? Why am I suited best for that?

I do not know much of the Paul, Weiss unique selling points but that sort of mentality certainly transfers. Have they made particular strategic hires in a field you're interested in? Do they have a unique twist in their TC? What sort of work do they usually take on, and could that, in combination with another factor, offer a unique package in comparison to other firms that may only do one of those things?

Hopefully that was a little helpful !

Great, thank you

 

[Enyonam]

does anybody have a list of firms that recruit at least half from the direct route? thank youu in advance!!

Hi!

There’s this old thread though I’m not sure how accurate it is anymore

Please take this with a pinch of salt. Most of it is accurate, especially in the last section where firms are clear on their websites that they only recruit vac schemers, but things get more ambiguous in the first two sections. My main sources have been legal articles, but I've also combed through the TCLA forums to find where people have posted about speaking directly to grad rec and asking them this question. In a very few cases I've used Jessica's formula as a rough guide to work out how many places you could expect to be taken up by VS versus TC.

Be aware that in the second section, I've included a lot of American firms which technically have a direct TC route open (e.g. Akin Gump) but they only have 12 trainees, so you can expect pretty much all of those to have come from the VS. I just didn't want to say that you definitely wouldn't be hired if you applied directly, so these firms aren't in the last section.

Also, this is a work in progress. I've left out a lot of firms which hopefully will be added later. Please let me know if anything is wrong/has changed/you have extra info! Again, some of my information may be a bit outdated and stats change year by year, so this is only intended to be a rough guide. Thanks to @Adam Gilchrist for linking some useful sources.

Fair Proportion/All from Direct Training Contract

These firms recruit typically around half of their intake directly, ranging up to 100% for some firms.

• Allen & Overy
• Bristows
• Clifford Chance (*with caveats - see post below)
• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
• Fried Frank
• Howard Kennedy
• Macfarlanes
• Norton Rose Fulbright
• Paul Hastings
• Shoosmiths
• Slaughter and May

Mostly from Vacation Scheme

These firms recruit 50-100% of their trainees from vacation schemes, but direct TC routes technically exist.

• Addleshaw Goddard
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
• Ashurst
• Baker McKenzie
• Bird & Bird
• Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
• Burges Salmon
• Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
• Covington & Burling
• Debevoise & Plimpton
• Eversheds Sutherland
• Farrer & Co
• Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
• Hogan Lovells
• Kirkland & Ellis
• Latham & Watkins
• Linklaters
• Mayer Brown
• Osborne Clark
• Pinsent Masons
• Simmons & Simmons
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meager & Flom
• Sullivan & Cromwell
• Travers Smith
• Vinson & Elkins
• Weil Gotshal & Manges
• White & Case

Only from Vacation Scheme

• Clyde & Co
• CMS
• Davis Polk & Wardell
• Dechert
• DLA Piper
• Gateley
• Gowling WLG
• Herbert Smith Freehills
• Jones Day
• Milbank
• Mishcon de Reya
• Ropes & Gray
• Shearman & Sterling
• Sidley Austin
• Taylor Wessing
• Wilkie Farr & Gallagher

 

[trainingcontracttbd]

Does anyone know if Dechert is rolling?

 

[TCchaser]

Does anyone know if Dechert is rolling?

Yes it's rolling

 

[Trainingcontractinho123]

Hey bit of a niche one, but what would people do in this position? I’ve been offered a litigation paralegal role starting in late September and, since I’m mainly targeting firms that are highly ranked for litigation, it feels pretty ideal. I’d like to do the job for at least a month so I actually have something useful to write about in the work experience section and draw on in other questions, but I’m conscious that a lot of firms recruit on a rolling basis. Is it worth waiting, especially for vac schemes, or would you just apply early and mention the role? (e..g, if i applied and wrote that i've been in the role for a week or so but my responsibilities WILL include XYZ...) - I feel like even a month would give me some decent things to talk about, but not sure how much firms would really care compared with getting the application in early. Thoughts?

 

[Enyonam]

Hi!

I was in this exact position last year and while I don’t have the answer to this question, I will say be careful not to overstate the amount of experience you have gained from the role if possible. I didn’t convert a vac scheme and the early careers team told me that they had been holding me to a higher standard as a paralegal (I had been one for 3 weeks at that point)…

 

[mc123123]

hello! are all candidats.io applications up to 10 experiences maximum, or is that only for some firms? in that case what should i prioritise the most in order - law firm insight days (categorised together as one experience), forage experiences (categorised together as one experience), law society executive roles (sort of "smaller roles" like a subcommittee), part time job from 2 years ago before starting uni

 

[Trainingcontractinho123]

Hi!

I was in this exact position last year and while I don’t have the answer to this question, I will say be careful not to overstate the amount of experience you have gained from the role if possible. I didn’t convert a vac scheme and the early careers team told me that they had been holding me to a higher standard as a paralegal (I had been one for 3 weeks at that point)…

Yeah makes sense. By the time an interview wold come up, I (hopefully) would;ve been in the role for about 3-4 months, but in terms of the worke experience section , would you semi just give an overview of the role (e..g, I have been in this role for two weeks, and my responsibilities have , thus far, included XYZ, and I will continue to develop XYZ as the my role develops) or smth like that, just to sort of hint at the fact that, by the time i get ONTO the VS to which I'm applying, I'd have acquired more experience and skills etc.

 

[billyonthespeeddial]

Hey bit of a niche one, but what would people do in this position? I’ve been offered a litigation paralegal role starting in late September and, since I’m mainly targeting firms that are highly ranked for litigation, it feels pretty ideal. I’d like to do the job for at least a month so I actually have something useful to write about in the work experience section and draw on in other questions, but I’m conscious that a lot of firms recruit on a rolling basis. Is it worth waiting, especially for vac schemes, or would you just apply early and mention the role? (e..g, if i applied and wrote that i've been in the role for a week or so but my responsibilities WILL include XYZ...) - I feel like even a month would give me some decent things to talk about, but not sure how much firms would really care compared with getting the application in early. Thoughts?

I'd choose to wait until you have something to write about.

Experience as a litigation paralegal is arguably the most relevant kind of experience that you can get for the firms that you're applying to, a factor that is likely to be much more important than applying a few weeks earlier.

The only instances where I'd potentially favour sending an application early are: If it's rolling and there's less than a week left before applications close (which could actually be too late for some rolling firms), or if you're applying to Jones Day, who literally stop accepting applications once they have progressed a sufficient number of candidates for certain schemes, so earlier than the original announced deadline, or at least they did the year I applied.

In all other cases, I'd favour including the experience over sending the application early.

 

[Trainingcontractinho123]

I'd choose to wait until you have something to write about.

Experience as a litigation paralegal is arguably the most relevant kind of experience that you can get for the firms that you're applying to, a factor that is likely to be much more important than applying a few weeks earlier.

The only instances where I'd potentially favour sending an application early are: If it's rolling and there's less than a week left before applications close (which could actually be too late for some rolling firms), or if you're applying to Jones Day, who literally stop accepting applications once they have progressed a sufficient number of candidates for certain schemes, so earlier than the original announced deadline, or at least they did the year I applied.

In all other cases, I'd favour including the experience over sending the application early.

Thanks for the guidance, and tbf I've already sent an app to Hogan , Gibson Dunn and Freshfields which, in retrospect, waiting for the to hear back from the role and then doing it, talking about it would've helped, but nothing can be done now, and they're all rolling so just wanted to get them out as soon as possible

 

[FutureAntitrustLawyer]

Hi all, does anyone know if Bristows recruits on a rolling or non-rolling basis?