TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

[Chris Brown]

Does anyone know how many TC’s Baker McKenzie offers thru direct TC route. Legal cheek says 40 total but they run two vac schemes. Anyone have any insight?

I imagine most TCs would go to VS candidates. In terms of %, I think they have 30 slots for both Spring and Summer VS (60 total). I think c50% of VS’ers (30/60) get a TC offer. 🙂

That is around 75-80% of TCs (30/40). Based on this, I think there are around 10/40 TCs available on the Direct TC route (c25%). There is a post that discusses VS:TC ratios:
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Hi folks!

To help you develop a well-rounded application strategy, we’ve put together the following thread highlighting where firms typically recruit from—whether it's through vacation schemes or direct training contract routes. We've organised firms into four categories:

1. Firms which recruit a significant portion of their trainees through the direct training contract route
2. Firms that recruit primarily through vacation schemes, but have a healthy direct trainee intake
3. Firms that recruit from vacation schemes in the first instance
4. Firms that recruit only through their vacation schemes

50%-100% from direct TC applications

Brown Rudnick
Charles Russell Speechlys
Clifford Chance
CMS
Cripps
Curtis
Farrer & Co
Fieldfisher
Freshfields
Fried Frank
Greenberg Traurig
Harbottle & Lewis
Hill Dickinson
King & Spalding
Kingsley Napley
Macfarlanes
McDermott, Will & Emery
Paul Hastings
Slaughter and May
Stephenson Harwood
Winckworth Sherwood

Mostly from Vacation Scheme but with a consistently healthy direct TC intake

These firms recruit predominantly from their vacation schemes, but they have frequently made more than one direct TC offer every year in recent years – a direct TC app to these firms will almost certainly be read and considered seriously for a TC.

Ashurst
Baker McKenzie
Bird & Bird
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Burges Salmon
Goodwin
HFW
Hogan Lovells
Irwin Mitchell
K&L Gates
Linklaters
Mayer Brown
Morgan Lewis
Trowers & Hamlins
Watson Farley & Williams
White & Case

From Vacation Scheme in the first instance

These firms recruit primarily through vacation schemes. Although direct TC routes exist at these firms, they are typically only used by firms when they don't find enough future trainees on their vacation schemes.

Arnold & Porter
Eversheds Sutherland
Gibson Dunn
Orrick
Osborne Clarke
Sullivan & Cromwell
Travers Smith
*Womble Bond Dickinson

*There is only one option which is to apply for their placement scheme - after the AC they offer candidates who cannot complete the placement scheme a chance to complete a direct TC interview day instead.

Only from Vacation Scheme

Akin
Cleary Gottlieb
Clyde & Co
Cooley
Covington & Burling
Davis Polk
Debevoise & Plimpton
Dechert
DLA Piper
Herbert Smith Freehills
Jones Day
Katten
*Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Milbank
Mills & Reeve
Mishcon de Reya
Morrison Foerster
Paul, Weiss
Reed Smith
Ropes & Gray
Sidley Austin
Simmons & Simmons
Skadden
Squire Patton Boggs
Taylor Wessing
Vinson & Elkins
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Winston & Strawn

*They have historically advertised a direct TC route, but in previous years they have cancelled their vacation schemes and awarded direct training contracts solely from their vacation scheme interviews.

This list is based mainly on information from Chambers UK and firm websites. However, please note that it’s a dynamic list, and we’ll keep updating it as we get more reliable information. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve this thread, we’d love to hear from you!

We hope this list helpful to you! Best of luck with your applications, and keep us posted on your progress!

 

[NLegal]

Just got an email from PMC saying that they’ll get back with an update by the end of July.

Hello! Is that for the Direct TC Application because I didn't get that email! Thanks

 

[sammy01]

anyone know if Fried Frank gives out watson glasers automatically or after reviewing your app?

 

[TortillaTC]

anyone know if Fried Frank gives out watson glasers automatically or after reviewing your app?

Pretty sure it’s after they reviewed your app.

 

[Wannabe_Lawyer]

I imagine most TCs would go to VS candidates. In terms of %, I think they have 30 slots for both Spring and Summer VS (60 total). I think c50% of VS’ers (30/60) get a TC offer. 🙂

That is around 75-80% of TCs (30/40). Based on this, I think there are around 10/40 TCs available on the Direct TC route (c25%). There is a post that discusses VS:TC ratios:
​

I could have sworn I saw 15 places per vac scheme on their website earlier in the app cycle and hence didn't bother applying to the vac scheme...Now when I've gone to check, it says 30 places. I think I might be losing my mind lol. Could any Baker McKenzie vac schemers confirm how many people were invited to the schemes?

 

[AlegalA]

This needs to be employment only. It needs to be all employment in the last five years.

thank you!

 

[F12M34L]

Anyone applied to Al Tamimi TC? Any response?

 

[Tintin06]

FYI - Fried Frank application rough timeline

1. Submit application (deadline was 23 May)
2. Critical reasoning test
3. First round interview (mid-end June)
4. Second round interview (early July)

Source: Fried Frank on LinkedIn

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hi @Amma Usman , could you pls explain how to go about answering the questions: "Why London?", "Why an international law firm?", "Why do you want to work in London?", "Why do you want to do international work?", "Why international law?". Asking this since I am based outside of the UK and will have an in-person AC soon. All these questions sound too similar to me honestly. But I feel that I will def get one of the above since I have no ties to the UK. Confused about which one of these questions wants me to talk about London as a city, the popularity of english law in commercial contracts etc. Thanks a ton.

 

[nooraaaa]

does anybody know if you are allowed to re-apply to Slaughter and May next year if you get rejected post AC for the direct TC?

It's generally discouraged on their website, unless they told you to reapply themselves.

 

[Legallywhatever]

Does anyone know if Burges Salmon are strict with their A-Level grade requirements?

 

[yk123489]

Hi @Amma Usman , could you pls explain how to go about answering the questions: "Why London?", "Why an international law firm?", "Why do you want to work in London?", "Why do you want to do international work?", "Why international law?". Asking this since I am based outside of the UK and will have an in-person AC soon. All these questions sound too similar to me honestly. But I feel that I will def get one of the above since I have no ties to the UK. Confused about which one of these questions wants me to talk about London as a city, the popularity of english law in commercial contracts etc. Thanks a ton.

Hi! If you do not mind me asking, where did you finish law school? Or rather, have you studied in the UK at all? I assume no, but still had to ask. I am an international student based outside of UK and never studied here, so I wanted to understand what are my chances of getting through to an AC with this background.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hi! If you do not mind me asking, where did you finish law school? Or rather, have you studied in the UK at all? I assume no, but still had to ask. I am an international student based outside of UK and never studied here, so I wanted to understand what are my chances of getting through to an AC with this background.

I have the same background as yours. No ties to the UK. I got my first AC ever quite recently so it’s definitely possible.

 

[yk123489]

I have the same background as yours. No ties to the UK. I got my first AC ever quite recently so it’s definitely possible.

Thank you! I wish you good luck. Would you mind sharing some advise on you success in securing an AC?

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Thank you! I wish you good luck. Would you mind sharing some advise on you success in securing an AC?

if u have specific questions regarding anything, please dm.

 

[AnAnonymousDuck]

hi @Jessica Booker

i am currently prepping my cv for slaughter and may's TC. I am a post grad so my education section takes up the whole full pages since they ask for every module grade. for my secondary i was educated outside of the uk so the grades for those are written in xxx/xxx format and i have about 11 subjects for A-level (my country's equivalent of them at least) as well as 6 for GSCE. This takes up quite a bit of space and imo is a bit hard to read. ive neatened it as much as possible but the amount of info is still sort of hard to read, is this likely to affect my chances?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

hi @Jessica Booker

i am currently prepping my cv for slaughter and may's TC. I am a post grad so my education section takes up the whole full pages since they ask for every module grade. for my secondary i was educated outside of the uk so the grades for those are written in xxx/xxx format and i have about 11 subjects for A-level (my country's equivalent of them at least) as well as 6 for GSCE. This takes up quite a bit of space and imo is a bit hard to read. ive neatened it as much as possible but the amount of info is still sort of hard to read, is this likely to affect my chances?

I think with Slaughter and May you put all your module grades into a seperate application form. If this is the case, you don’t have to list all the modules on your CV.

I don’t know if anyone who has applied to the firm can confirm this.

 

[AnAnonymousDuck]

I think with Slaughter and May you put all your module grades into a seperate application form. If this is the case, you don’t have to list all the modules on your CV.

I don’t know if anyone who has applied to the firm can confirm this.

The firms website says this in the FAQ bit: "
Yes - please include all your academic results on your CV, as well as on your application form.

On your CV, you should list these in chronological order, starting with the most recent. This doesn’t need to take up too much space- you can list them horizontally.

You will also need to include all these results on the online application form that you’ll complete to submit your CV and cover letter. Please make sure that you include all completed module results for undergraduate and postgraduate study – even if they don’t count towards your degree."

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

The firms website says this in the FAQ bit: "
Yes - please include all your academic results on your CV, as well as on your application form.

On your CV, you should list these in chronological order, starting with the most recent. This doesn’t need to take up too much space- you can list them horizontally.

You will also need to include all these results on the online application form that you’ll complete to submit your CV and cover letter. Please make sure that you include all completed module results for undergraduate and postgraduate study – even if they don’t count towards your degree."

Thank you for clarifying.

I read this as that you need to put all your overall results on your CV but not a breakdown of the modules, as these will be on the online application form. I could be wrong though.

Normally with changes in formatting, even extensive academic results can usually be presented in no more than half a page of a CV, so I would look at the formatting/line spacing and see if this helps to condense it down if you want to keep it all in.

 

[AnAnonymousDuck]

Oui

Thank you for clarifying.

I read this as that you need to put all your overall results on your CV but not a breakdown of the modules, as these will be on the online application form. I could be wrong though.

Normally with changes in formatting, even extensive academic results can usually be presented in no more than half a page of a CV, so I would look at the formatting/line spacing and see if this helps to condense it down if you want to keep it all in.

i have condensed as much as possible but i have a total of 5 academic entries (two post grads cos it was a dual program, one undergrad, a level equivalent and gcse equivalent). My line spacing is 1 and paragraph spacing is 0. My whole cv is 2 pages exactly so within the limit but the whole first page is basically module results.

My work experience and other fits on the second oage but i had to condense a fair bit.

Since they are such a grade-focused firm, is this normal? Is there anyone who got thru to interview who did the same thing?