TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

[Andrei Radu]

Does anyone know the format of Ashurst’s final stage interview? I haven’t been invited, I’m travelling soon and want to prep beforehand just incase.

I have found these posts describing Ashurst's interview format in 2021 - I have linked them here. While I am not certain the format remains exactly the same today, this should still give you some indication as to what to expect.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Also regarding BCLP, is filling out the max 250 words per WE description necessary? Some of mine are 150-200 words only and adding more would feel redundant.

And is it a good idea to divide some WE descriptions into two paragraphs but not others? - certain roles I did had multiple dimensions to them but others were more homogenous. I wonder if it might be an issue that not all WE descriptions are identical.

Thank you in advance for any advice!

I completely agree with @Jessica Booker on the point about not needing to fill out the word count for every single work experience. I certainly did not do so for many shorter experiences I had (Forage Virtual Internships, volunteering, etc), and this was never an issue. The same applies to division into paragraphs: as you mentioned, sometimes it made sense to have multiple paragraphs (when I was discussing a longer and more substantial experience with multiple responsibilities), and sometimes it did not. Graduate recruiters will definitely not mind you writing an application so as to be easy to read; this is one of the core skills they are looking for. One thing you should keep in mind, however, is that certain application platforms seemingly allow for separate paragraphs when viewed by the applicant, but bundle all the text together in one block when it reaches the recruiter. As such, you should ensure you signpost and organize your text enough so that it is easy to navigate even in the absence of the different paragraphs.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi @Andrei Radu! Do you have any advice re doing an attendance note/what to look out for? The interview consists of a 30 min written assessment + 60 min interview.

Thank you!

Hi @SamiyaJ I have never written an attendance note, but it seems like an attendance note-based interview is a part of the SQE assessment. Thus, a couple of useful resources with tips and formats should be available on the web. I have linked one here.

 

[saj2002]

I do not know a lot about the Farrer & Co interview but as resources I would recommend: (i) the Complete Competency Interview Guide - a step by step guide about how to prepare for competency/generalist interviews; and (ii) once you have prepared as well as you could on your own, consider the TCLA mock interview service I have linked here. While it is available only on a fee basis, you can get up to a 50% discount as a premium member.

Thank you, Andrei!

Echoing what someone else asked about this interview, would you, or anyone else in this thread, have any advice on how to prepare for an attendance note/email exercise?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Thank you, Andrei!

Echoing what someone else asked about this interview, would you, or anyone else in this thread, have any advice on how to prepare for an attendance note/email exercise?

Glad to help @saj2002 ! For resources for an attendance note exercise, please see the post I made just above when responding to @SamiyaJ . I have never completed this type of exercise so my input here is limited. That said, I have sat and taken minutes together with a trainee during a VS and I can say one of the most difficult aspects of it was deciding what is relevant and what was not when taking your notes. As you will likely be feeling anxious about it, you will likely want to err on the side of caution, so the natural tendency will be to include too much information. This is problematic in that it can make your attendance note look less organized and your core points less clear than they should have been. At the same time, if you try to constantly note everything down this will limit your capacity to pay attention to the meeting itself, which will make it even more difficult to differentiate what is relevant from what is not. Thus, my advice would be to prepare by doing mock attendance notes (you can probably find videos to base this on online) and constantly try to find the right balance between including too much or too little information. At the same time, this should help with identifying the kinds of formats you can use to organize the notes.

 

[johnnn821]

Hey guys, to those who have an insight day and a final interview with Hill Dickinson could you please tell me whether your interview is taking place during the insight day or whether it is on the 18th? I am very confused so would appreciate any insight.

 

[B101]

I have found these posts describing Ashurst's interview format in 2021 - I have linked them here. While I am not certain the format remains exactly the same today, this should still give you some indication as to what to expect.

Thank you!!

 

[Andrei Radu]

I have a group task at an AC which revolves around M&A/company integration and I'd love if someone could explain how to prepare and what are some things I should be aware of because I find it genuinely so hard to wrap my head around that side of law. Would appreciate any help from @Andrei Radu / @Amma Usman !!!

I do not have much to add to the points made by @Ram Sabaratnam but I thought I would list a couple of useful resources:

• A thorough article on what to consider for a successful company integration by Bain - I think this should be particularly useful to read as company integration is something candidates generally know less about than M&A.
• A general introduction to M&A on Investopedia - this should be a nice starting point to help you decide what aspects of M&A you should further research.
• @Amma Usman's list of essential jargon terms in an M&A deal.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Thank you so much for this Ram!! The AC also consists of a strengths based interview, what kind of questions would this usually consist of?

Just before @Ram Sabaratnam gets back to you, I found this article on strengths-based interviews I thought I would link here. I have not completed this type of interview personally, but based on a variety of sources it seems to involve more of a focus on personal questions such as:

• How do you spend your free time?
• What subjects did you most enjoy in school/university and why?
• What are kinds of work you like/dislike?
• What are the things that motivate you the most?

People describe it as being less formal than competency interviews, and also say they are harder to prepare for because how wide the scope of the questions can be. I suspect that for this reason, it is difficult to prepare a lot for the substantive part of the interview. However, you should invest time in improving your ability to express your substantive points about past experiences and personality traits. Thus, I think you should concentrate on mock interviews and/or on recording yourself answering randomly selected strengths-based questions. Then, you should critically assess your answer to determine how you could have expressed yourself in a more articulate and structured manner.

 

[Bread]

Does anyone else think that the AllAboutLaw WG practice test is really really bad?

 

[Detachedhades]

Has anyone heard anything from Wedlake Bell or Maurice Turnor Gardner? Thanks

 

[Tintin06]

Expecting Ashurst and Fried Frank PFOs. More so from Ashurst than FF. But FF has a compressed timeframe.

ACs on 10th June - my birthday. Maybe another set of WG invites tomorrow.

 

[aa1]

Hi all, I'm excited to share that we have opened a Direct TC route at Reed Smith! We are accepting applications from gradates (including those due to graduate this summer). The deadline is 20th June and we are recruiting on a rolling basis. If you have any questions, feel free to visit our AMA thread here.

Apply here.

Hi Becca! Thanks for sharing. Apologies if this has been asked previously, I was wondering whether the SQE Programme involves working alongside studying? Would it be rotational or focused on one seat. Thank you!

 

[Joey green]

Any news from Mayer brown?

 

[pb15]

Expecting Ashurst and Fried Frank PFOs. More so from Ashurst than FF. But FF has a compressed timeframe.

ACs on 10th June - my birthday. Maybe another set of WG invites tomorrow.

Hey, im in the same boat as you re FF. How do you know that interviews will be on 10 june? Do they tend to send batches of WG?

 

[yk123489]

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.

Hi! Can anyone confirm the Slaughter CV module requirement please? I am an international LLM student with all education obtained outside of UK and I have lots of entries. E.g., I have completed 97 modules in 4 years of my LLB. Right now my CV is around 2,5 pages long...

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi! Can anyone confirm the Slaughter CV module requirement please? I am an international LLM student with all education obtained outside of UK and I have lots of entries. E.g., I have completed 97 modules in 4 years of my LLB. Right now my CV is around 2,5 pages long...

These are reasons why I am pretty sure you don't have to list all modules in your CV.

Reading their website they say you have to include all of this information in the online application form. There is no reference to including this information in the "preparing your CV" section of their website: https://www.slaughterandmay.com/careers/early-careers/apply/

They do reference your CV needing to be no more than two pages though.

 

[Raspberry44]

Hello @ReedSmithBecca,
I was wondering whether the DTC application process will be the same as for the VS and if not, could you outline what the process will be? Many thanks!

 

[yk123489]

These are reasons why I am pretty sure you don't have to list all modules in your CV.

Reading their website they say you have to include all of this information in the online application form. There is no reference to including this information in the "preparing your CV" section of their website: https://www.slaughterandmay.com/careers/early-careers/apply/

They do reference your CV needing to be no more than two pages though.

I agree but there is this info in their FAQs which makes me confused:

"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." (https://www.slaughterandmay.com/careers/early-careers/apply/application-faqs/#applications )

It seems like they want us to include our results in both CV and application... Anyway, I have managed to make 2 pages out of 2,5!

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

I agree but there is this info in their FAQs which makes me confused:

"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." (https://www.slaughterandmay.com/careers/early-careers/apply/application-faqs/#applications )

It seems like they want us to include our results in both CV and application... Anyway, I have managed to make 2 pages out of 2,5!

Academic results are different to module grades though. I think they expect you to include all your qualifications on your CV but not necessarily your individual modules related to those qualifications. There is no reference to modules in the details about what you have to include in the CV, but there is on the online application section.

It is not to say you couldn't add some details to the CV, particularly to highlight information like relevant modules, high grades, or year averages. But I don't think any partner at Slaughters is going to want to read 97 modules for one degree alongside however many more for other qualifications' modules too.

I think it would actually be more risky to prioritise this information over other evidence in your CV or cramming too much information into a two page CV to meet the page limit.

If you are concerned and feel it is important to include all module results, I would consider not writing out all the module titles and just listing the grades or find ways to cut down the titles - e.g. "Principles of Contract Law - 65%" could just be "Contract - 65%"