TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[RANDOTRON]

Okay, I was just a bit confused as I had seen it be recommended to introduce yourself via LinkedIn earlier in this forum so I thought that was common practice. Thank you for clearing that up.

That's not necessary. At the firm I'm training at, we (the trainee buddies) reach out to the vacation schemers and supervisors do the same as well. In any case, as already said, you get to know them over the course of your scheme anyways. No need to stress about it.

 

[BillSikes]

I've got a VI with Bevan Brittan for their DTC.

If anyone did their VI for the vac scheme and has any tips / insight, it'd be much appreciated!

Thanks

They asked some stupid question last year 'if you could have any superpower'.

 

[Amma Usman]

I've got a VI with Bevan Brittan for their DTC.

If anyone did their VI for the vac scheme and has any tips / insight, it'd be much appreciated!

Thanks

Well done! This will help - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....de-for-competency-interview-preparation.9380/

 

[EG3]

Well done! This will help - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....de-for-competency-interview-preparation.9380/

Thank you!

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi there, I can align with how you feel here. It's normal to feel shy and scared - it can be a daunting environment. Don't shy away from asking the questions you want to ask and don't be afraid of thinking that your question isn't insightful enough. The point of the vacation scheme is to build your knowledge and understanding of the firm, the work they do, and the people in it.

If it takes you longer to do a task, that's expected. They don't expect you to have seen a contract or any form of formal document before. If you need help, say it. You're not expected to know what to do immediately or how to do it. Even I'm in my learning phase right now and constantly absorbing new things or methods of doing things - so are those more senior to me.

IT issues are part and parcel of the job. It happens. Don't overthink it.

It's normal to ask a lot of questions to your supervisor - it's part of the learning experience. It's better to ask and clarify and get it right than to not ask, get it wrong and have to redo it. I'm a trainee buddy now for one of the vacation scheme students at the firm and he's asked me loads of questions about the task, but that is both expected and appreciated. Even in my day-to-day, if it's not told to me at the outset, I still ask questions even though I know what the answer will likely be just so I can be sure that is what/how they want me to do it. No one ever had an issue with me asking too many questions. If you feel like you need clarification, ask.

Attention to detail is developed over time, but no one catches everything and nothing is perfect.

Show an interest in the department and the work. You're not expected to know it in and out. Back when I did my vacation scheme, it was in a department I had zero prior knowledge about, and it was a very complex area of practice as well. I showed up anyways - asked questions and used what I know to try and understand what I don't.

Enthusiasm to learn and being keen in taking task and giving it your all is how you stand out.

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for this @RANDOTRON - it’s really amazing and lovely advice! On a side note, I also really love your username haha!

@Kakaboo , nobody expects you to know everything - the most important part of preliminary stages like vacation schemes is to just throw yourself out there and ask as many questions as possible. People are most of the time really happy to give up their time and this helps you swim! If you don‘t ask those questions, you may end up being perceived as disengaged, which affects your chances. Think less about the tiny details (though I appreciate this may not be the easiest thing to do), and more about making the most of being surrounded by a plethora of legal talent! Ask questions; those coffee chats you’ve scheduled are great - ask questions you won‘t see online! Ask about how a deal was from the perspective of those actually working on it. Ask more personable questions like any challenges lawyers may have faced, and how they overcame it. Socialise with people on your vacation scheme - these will become your fellow colleagues and also professional contacts down the line. And above all, just have a really amazing time, you so deserve it!

 

[BobThebIlly]

are there any good podcast recs? i'm tired of reading articles lmao

 

[Amma Usman]

are there any good podcast recs? i'm tired of reading articles lmao

TCLA actually has a podcast called 20-Minute-TC. I’ve linked it below!

When I was applying, I also enjoyed the Finimize one and the daily brief by the FT.

 

[BobThebIlly]

TCLA actually has a podcast called 20-Minute-TC. I’ve linked it below!

When I was applying, I also enjoyed the Finimize one and the daily brief by the FT.

Thank you! Is it the finimize daily brief on Spotify?

 

[Amma Usman]

Thank you! Is it the finimize daily brief on Spotify?

Hey. The Finimize one I usually access via the app. It’s the FT one that’s called something like the daily brief. I believe the accurate term it’s called is - “FT News Briefing” - https://www.ft.com/ft-news-briefing

 

[Amma Usman]

are there any good podcast recs? i'm tired of reading articles lmao

Just following up on this. I totally get how the feeling of reading many articles can be, especially when new to that. When I was new to that, I found it really challenging to digest what was going on, and most especially how it applied to law firms and their clients - something really important to be able to do. I then took the executive decision to refrain from reading long-winded articles that had contained complex details and many words I didn’t even know. I spent some time building commercial awareness more, which contrary to what some may think, isn’t just about reading articles - it‘s also about knowing certain definitions, basic economic concepts and how they link to businesses, etc. I literally brought out again my old IGCSE Business Studies and Economics textbooks. These helped greatly clarify those early stage concepts. Once I was confident in these, and also confident in practicing with more summarised articles and easy-to-digest pieces of news data, commercial awareness became by bestie (well sort of, seeing as it’s a muscle that needs constant flexing).

So my main advice when it gets tough - step back, rewire your approach, and build upwards. Before you know it, in just a couple of months, you will get to where you need to be to excel in those applications and interviews.

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi, I’m currently doing a vacation scheme and I don’t think it’s going well. For context it’s a week. Yesterday I was quite shy. I spoke to people and tried to ask insightful questions but I was scared shitless. I also had a task which had no due date and only had 2 hours to do it. I stayed late but still didn’t complete it and when I asked when it’s due they said tomorrow is fine. Today I went in early to recap on a tech talk that I missed 10 mins of due to it issues. I feel like I also ask a lot of questions about how to do things to my supervisor and ask for help quite a lot. Yesterday I had some attention to detail issues but I have started to ask less and less. At the end of today I started to get more confident and I have 3 coffee chats booked and had one today with a member of my team which they invited me on. When in meetings and getting tasks I try and show an interest of the wider topic but I’m in a dept I haven’t studied so I’m really struggling. Does anyone have any words of wisdom of what to do? Any tips please!! What should I do to stand out I feel I’ve blended into the background a bit.

Hey. I just want to add to my past advice on this. I do not think staying past your regular working hours is advisable at vacation scheme stage. I do not suspect any firm will give you work which cannot be completed within the normal working day - or at least, you can carry it over to the next day depending on priority. Completing it within the normal working day is even beneficial as it shows better efficiency, organisational management, and an understanding of the task at hand. If there’s anything you need clarification on to help speed up your efficiency, ask your supervisor/ anyone else in the team that may be able to accurately help if your supervisor is busy.

 

[thelawstudent]

just recieved an interview for linklaters' 'get ahead' progamme.

does anyone have any insights into this?

 

[BobThebIlly]

Just following up on this. I totally get how the feeling of reading many articles can be, especially when new to that. When I was new to that, I found it really challenging to digest what was going on, and most especially how it applied to law firms and their clients - something really important to be able to do. I then took the executive decision to refrain from reading long-winded articles that had contained complex details and many words I didn’t even know. I spent some time building commercial awareness more, which contrary to what some may think, isn’t just about reading articles - it‘s also about knowing certain definitions, basic economic concepts and how they link to businesses, etc. I literally brought out again my old IGCSE Business Studies and Economics textbooks. These helped greatly clarify those early stage concepts. Once I was confident in these, and also confident in practicing with more summarised articles and easy-to-digest pieces of news data, commercial awareness became by bestie (well sort of, seeing as it’s a muscle that needs constant flexing).

So my main advice when it gets tough - step back, rewire your approach, and build upwards. Before you know it, in just a couple of months, you will get to where you need to be to excel in those applications and interviews.

Thanks Amma! One last thing — am I doing commercial awareness “correctly” by focussing on just PE and M&A? I haven’t looked at anything else really and am only comfortable knowing the terms and breaking it down/ knowing the role of commercial solicitors/ wider context in these areas

 

[Amma Usman]

Thanks Amma! One last thing — am I doing commercial awareness “correctly” by focussing on just PE and M&A? I haven’t looked at anything else really and am only comfortable knowing the terms and breaking it down/ knowing the role of commercial solicitors/ wider context in these areas

You’re welcome. And this is a really good question.

To start off with, there is no “correct” way to approach commercial awareness. Many approaches work and there is no “one size fits all” blueprint. Your approach is certainly solid as these two topics tend to come up heavily in the process, especially for transactional-focused law firms, and it’s helpful knowing them anyway as they link to a lot of industries. Just to flag, law firms that are not transactional-heavy may also ask such questions to test a candidate’s ability to know this side too.

Though, definitely expand your approach - explore the full range of practices and what they do. I’ve linked a thread I made on this in the past to help - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/guide-law-firm-practice-areas.9404/

It’s worth also reaching out to people that work in any practices that stand out to you and learn more about them directly from these people. It helps to solidify and tailor your applications better. They will be able to tell you more up-to-date things such as changes currently affecting the sector, changes that could potentially impact clients and why, etc.

 

[Amma Usman]

just recieved an interview for linklaters' 'get ahead' progamme.

does anyone have any insights into this?

Has the firm told you any specific things/elements to prepare for?

 

[aphelion]

Do you need to be a real social butterfly to convert a VS? I'm on my second vac scheme in a row and already exhausted and I can feel myself not putting myself out there as much as I did on the previous one. I'm starting to worry that my relative lack of networking is going to be a deakbreaker especially compared to what I'm seeing from my fellow vac schemers, who seem to be closer with their supervisors and others in the department.

 

[jta227]

Do you need to be a real social butterfly to convert a VS? I'm on my second vac scheme in a row and already exhausted and I can feel myself not putting myself out there as much as I did on the previous one. I'm starting to worry that my relative lack of networking is going to be a deakbreaker especially compared to what I'm seeing from my fellow vac schemers, who seem to be closer with their supervisors and others in the department.

I would say you should put yourself out there - the scheme isn't only for you to do tasks for 2 weeks. That being said you shouldn't network simply for networking's sake i.e. you should have [good] questions to ask and be interested in people, also bring a notebook everywhere unless it's not appropriate. I have heard of candidates who spent their whole scheme having coffee chats and didn't convert their VS, and those who had them sparingly and did convert. There isn't really a one-size-fits-all method—just avoid pointless conversations (if you're scheduling time for a chat specifically) as lawyers' time is valuable. Obviously this also depends on the firm as they may have different assessment components they're looking for - but generally as long as people have a positive impression of you you should be fine in that regard.

Good luck with the VS and good luck with the results from the previous one as well!

 

[FM302989]

Just received a video interview invite for a PARALEGAL role 🤣 🤣 🤣 . For a firm nobody will have heard of as well💀

I started my career as a Paralegal in a small regional firm of less than 10 people. Now I'm 2 PQE at a top 100 firm. I wouldn't be here without the skills, experience and knowledge gained from that first role

 

[FM302989]

are there any good podcast recs? i'm tired of reading articles lmao

BBC Wake Up to Money every morning. Available on Spotify and Apple

 

[EG3]

They asked some stupid question last year 'if you could have any superpower'.

This year it was 'if you could invite anyone from the past/fictional to dinner' 😂