General Discussion Thread 2020-21

[Tcapplicant]

Thanks you! Its a compliance role encompassing work on anti-money laundering documentation and conflict checks - do you think I should expect technical questions on that area?

Hey every single paralegal role I have had the main criteria they are looking for is: can I work with this person? Will they fit well into the team?

They know you are a good candidate or they wouldn’t have invited you for an interview. It’s all about the fit. Be yourself and you will be fine.

Other criteria for a role like this focus on attention to detail, the ability to handle multiple projects and deadlines, how you cope with lots of requests. If you know something basic about KYC and why conflicts are important that’s great but if not they will teach you. Be confident and you will do well.

 

[SouffléSouffléSoufflé]

I applied for their direct TC and haven’t heard back at all.

@Jessica Booker can I assume they are waiting to make a decision on their vac schemers first before they start on the direct TC applications? I haven’t heard yet of somebody who has got a response from them following a direct TC app.

With regards to Boodle Hatfield I am not completely sure what is happening with direct to TC applications as I applied to do the vacation scheme. All I know is that last week it was not only vac schemers that were interviewed. They added an extra round of virtual interviews (a HR and then a partner interview) before being shortlisted to come into the office for a verbal reasoning test and a final partner interview. It was confirmed that not all those that were on the vacation scheme were guaranteed to get through to the final round. I know for sure that one other vac schemer (there were 5 on the vacation scheme) got through to the partner interview, but I don't know about the others.

Hopefully you'll hear back soon. To be honest I've been so nervous and on edge waiting to hear back.

 

[LegalNim]

[QUOTE="anulciak7]And not everyone can afford time and money forVS unfortunately! [/QUOTE]

Most firms pay pretty well for their vacation schemes - some pay £500 per week!
I'm in a similar position because I'm a teacher so I don't get to choose my holiday. Luckily, a number of vacation schemes fall into school holidays but most of them don't.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

I think the issue for some is that many can’t afford to move to London and find accommodation that isn’t super expensive, especially if it is short term. £500 a week is a great salary for an internship - it’s just so expensive to get short term accommodation in London.

 

[Adam Gilchrist]

I think the issue for some is that many can’t afford to move to London and find accommodation that isn’t super expensive, especially if it is short term. £500 a week is a great salary for an internship - it’s just so expensive to get short term accommodation in London.

I think for some people it's also that the salary is paid in arrears - generally, 1-2 weeks behind you're actually doing each week of the VS, speaking from experience. Problem is that you need to pay up front for short term accommodation, so need a lump of cash to start with. I think there was an article in the Guardian or the Independent about this exact problem a while back. Yes, I know some firms do also do bursaries/hardship funds, but not all.

 

[NCLaw]

With regards to Boodle Hatfield I am not completely sure what is happening with direct to TC applications as I applied to do the vacation scheme. All I know is that last week it was not only vac schemers that were interviewed. They added an extra round of virtual interviews (a HR and then a partner interview) before being shortlisted to come into the office for a verbal reasoning test and a final partner interview. It was confirmed that not all those that were on the vacation scheme were guaranteed to get through to the final round. I know for sure that one other vac schemer (there were 5 on the vacation scheme) got through to the partner interview, but I don't know about the others.

Hopefully you'll hear back soon. To be honest I've been so nervous and on edge waiting to hear back.

Thank you for the info, that's strange that people haven't heard back yet when non-vac schemers are being invited to final interviews! I wish you the best of luck

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

I think for some people it's also that the salary is paid in arrears - generally, 1-2 weeks behind you're actually doing each week of the VS, speaking from experience. Problem is that you need to pay up front for short term accommodation, so need a lump of cash to start with. I think there was an article in the Guardian or the Independent about this exact problem a while back. Yes, I know some firms do also do bursaries/hardship funds, but not all.

Another part of my business hopes to solve these issues - also happens with people not being able to afford to travel to open days/assessment centres. It’s just a shame covid has delayed it! Hopefully soon though!

 

[tractor12]

Hey every single paralegal role I have had the main criteria they are looking for is: can I work with this person? Will they fit well into the team?

They know you are a good candidate or they wouldn’t have invited you for an interview. It’s all about the fit. Be yourself and you will be fine.

Other criteria for a role like this focus on attention to detail, the ability to handle multiple projects and deadlines, how you cope with lots of requests. If you know something basic about KYC and why conflicts are important that’s great but if not they will teach you. Be confident and you will do well.

That's really helpful and reassuring - thanks very much!

I used to work in the conflicts/AML department of the firm I'm at now and I'd say the most important competencies to expect questions on are attention to detail and communication skills. I personally didn't get any technical questions. As you'll have to communicate with all types of fee-earners, I remember being asked a question about how I demonstrated my ability to adapt communication styles as you'll have to interact with fee-earners of all levels i.e. being prepared to deal with partners who are very busy. I also remember a question about how I dealt with monotonous tasks (as conflict checking involved a lot of inputting data and the system does all the work for you). You might have to do further research into a company to find its shareholders/group structure etc so research skills could also be something to consider.

Thank you for this insight! Did you enjoy the role?

And not everyone can afford time and money forVS unfortunately! But I completely understand


Hi! Congratulations! May I ask how did you go about this? I've been trying for so so long now to find a paralegal role without any luck, not even an interview. I have legal work experience and other experience, I'm hopeless

Hey thank you - sorry to hear you haven't had much luck yet. I was lucky in the sense that I maintained a good relationship with someone who interviewed me for a VS and she was kind enough to refer me for a paralegal role. Definitely try to reach out to people in your network and check every day if there are any roles available, hopefully things will pick up soon, there aren't many open positions right now. Best of luck and let me know if I can help in any way

 

[cgs97]

I've been offered a TC interview following my vac scheme earlier this summer!

 

[LegalNim]

I've been offered a TC interview following my vac scheme earlier this summer!

Congratulations! That's awesome! Which firm was this for?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

I've been offered a TC interview following my vac scheme earlier this summer!

Congratulations! this is fantastic news.

 

[acceleratedlaw]

has anyone heard from farrers?

 

[Saksham Malik]

Are there still a few people who haven't heard yet from Linklaters and White n Case? I'm still waiting!

 

[Camilla]

has anyone heard from farrers?

I am also waiting

 

[LegalNim]

has anyone heard from farrers?

People from the VS still haven't heard back from their TC interviews.

 

[champ591]

Are there still a few people who haven't heard yet from Linklaters and White n Case? I'm still waiting!

Don't think anyone has heard from White & Case

 

[Cer96]

has anyone heard

I am also waiting

Good luck both!

On a side note, was really struck by how warm and genuinely keen to get the most out of you in an interview the interviewers I had were. I'd seen this sort of thing mentioned before I applied but didn't know if it was just standard marketing comms.

 

[LegalNim]

Had my 2nd round interview from a direct TC app last week, haven't heard anything back since. Think they said likely beginning of September before any decisions are communicated, as they choose their entire trainee cohort at the same time rather than on a rolling basis. Good luck both!

On a side note, was really struck by how warm and genuinely keen to get the most out of you in an interview the interviewers I had were. I'd seen this sort of thing mentioned before I applied but didn't know if it was just standard marketing comms, so I guess regardless of the outcome for me, shoutout to Farrer's for anyone who's thinking of applying there in the future!

Someone on LinkedIn has announced they've received a TC offer from Farrer... So, who knows...

 

[Camilla]

Had my 2nd round interview from a direct TC app last week, haven't heard anything back since. Think they said likely beginning of September before any decisions are communicated, as they choose their entire trainee cohort at the same time rather than on a rolling basis. Good luck both!

On a side note, was really struck by how warm and genuinely keen to get the most out of you in an interview the interviewers I had were. I'd seen this sort of thing mentioned before I applied but didn't know if it was just standard marketing comms, so I guess regardless of the outcome for me, shoutout to Farrer's for anyone who's thinking of applying there in the future!

Ah amazing! Fingers crossed for a positive outcome from your second round interview! When did you apply out of interest?

They seem like an amazing firm. I have heard of people being rejected and invited to interview so not sure what this means for those who have not heard yet...whatever happens I will apply for a VS in this new cycle

 

[lawgirl101]

For people that applied to Harbottle, did you get a confirmation email from the firm themselves - I only have the CVMail standard confirmation email and am at that stage in the cycle of overthinking everything lol

I only received an email from the firm themselves to be invited for the interview, not a confirmation email from them though.