Recent content by Matt_96

  1. M

    Preparing for a paralegal interview

    I was recently pinged by a recruiter who found me on LinkedIn and have been offered an interview for an entry-level paralegal position in a midsized firm, X, next week. They know I am a future trainee solicitor at another midsized firm, Y, and what my start date is going to be. Coincidentally, I...
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    TCLA General Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

    As a related question, how easy is it to transition as a relatively fresh (NQ-2PQE) associate from one practice area to a semi-related other one? E.g. let's say I wanted to move from construction disputes to more general litigation & arbitration or commercial real estate to projects &...
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    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

    I'm not really sure I follow. Have you been specifically asked to fill in a table with two examples per competency by a firm? Or are you just talking generally?
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    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

    Yes. If you didn't get a face to face interview I would assume you are safe to apply again. Even if you do get to a face to face interview, some firms may still let you apply again, but it depends on the firm and their individual recruitment policies. Just make sure you update your app and...
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    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

    As a friendly piece of advice from someone who took three cycles to get any offers, I strongly recommend not getting too invested into one particular law firm. It's not worth it when you get that PFO! It's sod's law that the apps you put the most effort into are the ones you'll be dumped on the...
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    Payne Hicks Beach - Assessment

    When I did an interview there last year there were no group activities, just an interview and a written exercise. Happy to answer any questions about those if you like - DM me!
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    2020-21 Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion

    Congrats! I happen to be quite familiar with this firm. PM me if you have any questions
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    How ambitious should I be with my VS applications?

    Right, so there's a lot to unpack here. Firstly, regarding securing a VS, aim for quality applications first and foremost. However, I might differ from a lot of members here in saying that you should always be aiming to apply to as many firms as you can whilst keeping the quality as high as you...
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    Terms of Training Contract

    Yikes. That sounds pretty tough. If I were in your shoes I would maybe look into seeing if you could initially get the fees covered by a postgraduate student loan? Many of the LPCs are now MScs or LLMs (not real ones) just for funding purposes.
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    2020-21 Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion

    I want to echo what Jessica said above, but I have heard anecdotally that Withers might test you on it.
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    2020-21 Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion

    It sounds to me like they'll probably ask you about competency and career-focused questions. Things like when have you managed a tight deadline, how do you like to work within a team etc etc, as well as why become a paralegal and why this firm as opposed to any other. The written exercise...
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    2020-21 Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion

    I actually know someone who got through and was offered a TC at Cleary through the direct route. I think they take 1-2 people max that way.
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    Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

    That's a relief. I was mainly inquiring about LPC fees as I am in the process of completing the LPC self-funded and the offer letter says that they can be reimbursed, but will not cover courses already completed. I was wondering whether this meant they would be willing to retrospectively fund...
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    Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

    Just looking for some reassurance here I suppose--is it normal to get some radio silence after accepting a TC offer? I signed the docusign form I was sent + received an automated confirmation email but haven't heard anything since, and I've emailed grad rec already as I had some questions. Is...
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    TCLA General Discussion Thread #2 (2021)

    Unless the brief specifies that one or more of those points will be addressed in a specific format (e.g. a presentation or group exercise, for instance) I would interpret each of those as a separate topic and come up with different examples for each. In terms of how to structure them, whether...

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