TCLA General Discussion Thread #2 (2021)

[ofm]

Does anyone have any tips on how to prepare for a vac scheme? e.g. books to read or anything like that? Thanks!

 

[TT98]

Massive congratulations!

Ahh thank you !!!

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Does anyone have any tips on how to prepare for a vac scheme? e.g. books to read or anything like that? Thanks!

This might be of interest:

Converting your vacation scheme into a training contract - top tips in 2021

Hey all, A few people have asked about this so I thought we'd create a central thread for 2021. Anyone feel free to share your own top tips on converting a vacation scheme into a training contract. I'd recommend reading the following threads to kick us off...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

 

[E.A]

Does anyone know how "common" it is that a firm can put you in an earlier intake? Does it happen?! (provided of course you've done the LPC) @Jessica Booker this one is probably for you

 

[djqb]

Does anyone know how "common" it is that a firm can put you in an earlier intake? Does it happen?! (provided of course you've done the LPC) @Jessica Booker this one is probably for you

Likewise @Jessica Booker, would you know how common it is that a firm allows you to defer for the next intake? Would really appreciate the insight, thank you!

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Does anyone know how "common" it is that a firm can put you in an earlier intake? Does it happen?! (provided of course you've done the LPC) @Jessica Booker this one is probably for you

How common varies on too many factors unfortunately to give you an indication.

It does happen as sometimes firms up their hiring numbers fairly late on, sometimes people withdraw, sometimes people fail the LPC, sometimes people have to defer for personal reasons. But ultimately you are relying on the variables of lots of different people.

Best way to find out your chances is to speak to your firm and ask if there is any possibility to move. Some firms operate a waiting list system, so if they do and you join that, it’s probably worthwhile asking where you are on the list to understand your chances.

 

[E.A]

How common varies on too many factors unfortunately to give you an indication.

It does happen as sometimes firms up their hiring numbers fairly late on, sometimes people withdraw, sometimes people fail the LPC, sometimes people have to defer for personal reasons. But ultimately you are relying on the variables of lots of different people.

Best way to find out your chances is to speak to your firm and ask if there is any possibility to move. Some firms operate a waiting list system, so if they do and you join that, it’s probably worthwhile asking where you are on the list to understand your chances.

Ok, thank you for this. Is that something which can be asked during an AC or only if offered a TC?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Likewise @Jessica Booker, would you know how common it is that a firm allows you to defer for the next intake? Would really appreciate the insight, thank you!

Exactly the same comments as above. The only complication if you are looking to defer at around this time is whether you would move from the GDL/LPC model to the SQE.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Ok, thank you for this. Is that something which can be asked during an AC or only if offered a TC?

I’d only ask when offered a TC. The people interviewing you are unlikely to have the answer anyway and it could put into question your motivation for the firm.

 

[LawGrad2019]

Does anyone know how "common" it is that a firm can put you in an earlier intake? Does it happen?! (provided of course you've done the LPC) @Jessica Booker this one is probably for you

When I received my TC offer they offered me an earlier start (2022 as opposed to 2023) without me needing to ask, which is one reason why it was such a no-brainer to take them over other potential offers I am currently doing the LPC so I suspect that bumped me to the top of the list.

I would have asked anyway though just as a 'don't ask, don't get' kind of thing!

 

[E.A]

When I received my TC offer they offered me an earlier start (2022 as opposed to 2023) without me needing to ask, which is one reason why it was such a no-brainer to take them over other potential offers I am currently doing the LPC so I suspect that bumped me to the top of the list.

I would have asked anyway though just as a 'don't ask, don't get' kind of thing!

Good to know!!

 

[LawGrad19]

Hi everyone - Does anyone have any Bird & Bird open day notes that they would be willing to share with me? I would be very grateful!

 

[Wannabelawyer10]

How accurate are legal cheek rankings? As the firm I felt I really connected with at an assessment centre got a B for work and training and now I'm not sure.

 

[Jony]

When I received my TC offer they offered me an earlier start (2022 as opposed to 2023) without me needing to ask, which is one reason why it was such a no-brainer to take them over other potential offers I am currently doing the LPC so I suspect that bumped me to the top of the list.

I would have asked anyway though just as a 'don't ask, don't get' kind of thing!

Why do you (or anyone else) think that firms are starting to hire more in 2022 when they advertise for 2023? I was asked this as well by a firm - is this because of the current market, or just standard practice regardless of year?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

How accurate are legal cheek rankings? As the firm I felt I really connected with at an assessment centre got a B for work and training and now I'm not sure.

A B isn’t really a bad rating.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Why do you (or anyone else) think that firms are starting to hire more in 2022 when they advertise for 2023? I was asked this as well by a firm - is this because of the current market, or just standard practice regardless of year?

Because their workforce planning means they now need more graduates to start in that year than they had initially planned. It is one of the major downsides of legal recruitment. You are typically trying to plan your workforce both 3 and 5 years in advance (thinking about how many trainees and how many NQs you might need) and therefore there is always room for error as a lot can change in that time. It’s exactly the same principle as to why firms can defer graduates starting dates.

 

[FM302989]

Where is administration?
It is important.
Regards.

 

[Kablahc]

How accurate are legal cheek rankings? As the firm I felt I really connected with at an assessment centre got a B for work and training and now I'm not sure.

It's always good to look at legal cheek rankings but they're obviously subjective - as far as I know they're based off of reported trainee experiences and opinion rather than assessed by some sort of objective standard. So while you might feel like you really connected with the firm, there might be trainees there who felt a little more disillusioned or that the firm wasn't their first choice, so any assessment they make of the quality of the work/training will be based on their opinion. Plus, by the time you trained with that firm if you secured the TC, that ranking would be two years out of date and during those two years anything could've changed, from the TC structure itself to the partners/associates responsible for providing your training. So I wouldn't think a B is anything to worry about at all!

 

[HorsesForCoursesNeighNeighNeigh]

How accurate are legal cheek rankings? As the firm I felt I really connected with at an assessment centre got a B for work and training and now I'm not sure.

I think it depends a lot by department too--in the Legal Cheek description a lot of the firms report huge variance of work quality across departments, with a similar picture for training at many firms too. So if you're particularly interested in a certain area, it might be helpful to understand the quality of the work in that specific department. It might be more of an issue if general corporate work is where your heart lies?

I think there's also a bit of a distinction there that Legal Cheek doesn't break down--does quality refer to complexity of what you actually get to do, how high profile/interesting it is, or how much responsibility you actually get? For example I would be more interested in work where I get my own responsibility and a bigger role in the case, rather than perhaps a more complex case where I am only a smaller part. But I think the latter category would be classed higher for "work" in these types of rankings.

 

[jw97]

Just got my first ever AC/interview invite for a TC with a big in house company!!!! I'm very excited but would very much appreciate any tips at all. It includes a written exercise, interview and presentation.