TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[bh.sa]

Hi @vera.mekhonoshina and @ZNadeem, could you please help me with structuring the following question? - What makes you a good candidate for a training contract at Jones Day? Your answer should be reflective of your skills and personal experience

Do I need to link back to the firm's deals/practice areas/trainee programme when talking about my experiences & extracurricular activities? If so, then how do I link them together?

Thank you

Hi, I got a Jones Day interview, so I thought I'd share my approach.

I listed 3 qualities that I thought would be necessary as a Jones Day trainee - some things were generic, like analytical skills, as every trainee at any firm will need that, but some were more tailored. For instance, Jones Day has a non-rotational TC, so you need to take initiative more. I then discussed 1 experience per quality, explaining briefly what I did and how I demonstrated that particular quality. I then linked back to Jones Day at the end, and why I would need those particular qualities at that firm - eg. Jones Day's non-rotational TC means I need to take initiative, and my resourcefulness will help me add value to the firm.

Hope that makes sense, feel free to DM with any questions you may have!

 

[LegallyBrunette_]

Hi, I got a Jones Day interview, so I thought I'd share my approach.

I listed 3 qualities that I thought would be necessary as a Jones Day trainee - some things were generic, like analytical skills, as every trainee at any firm will need that, but some were more tailored. For instance, Jones Day has a non-rotational TC, so you need to take initiative more. I then discussed 1 experience per quality, explaining briefly what I did and how I demonstrated that particular quality. I then linked back to Jones Day at the end, and why I would need those particular qualities at that firm - eg. Jones Day's non-rotational TC means I need to take initiative, and my resourcefulness will help me add value to the firm.

Hope that makes sense, feel free to DM with any questions you may have!

This is exactly what I did and I've also been invited to interview so it's seem to be an approach that works quite well! In terms of the three qualities I chose, I linked them back to the ones Jones Day says it is looking for in trainees in its FAQs.

 

[Samdeacon1902]

Has anyone got any insight into the Ashurst test?

 

[ZNadeem]

Hi @vera.mekhonoshina and @ZNadeem, could you please help me with structuring the following question? - What makes you a good candidate for a training contract at Jones Day? Your answer should be reflective of your skills and personal experience

Do I need to link back to the firm's deals/practice areas/trainee programme when talking about my experiences & extracurricular activities? If so, then how do I link them together?

Thank you

Hi! I would suggest starting by identifying 2–3 unique selling points (USPs) of the firm that genuinely resonate with you—for example, their global reach, collaborative culture, or specific practice areas that interest you. Once you have these, link each one to your own background, experiences, or academic achievements. A good way to structure this is using a PEA format: Point (what USP you want to highlight), Evidence (specific example from your experience), and Analysis (how this makes you a good fit for Jones Day). Essentially, you’re “reverse answering” the classic ‘why Jones Day’ question by showing how your personal skills and experiences align with what the firm values.

 

[ZNadeem]

Hi @vera.mekhonoshina and @ZNadeem, in my app, can I mention a case that the firm handled in April 2024?

Hi! If you intend to use it as evidence of the unique work the firm has done to evidence your interest in a relevant practice area, then it should be fine! However, if the question is asking you to “speak about a recent deal we have done”, then maybe try to pick something more recent (previous 12 months).

 

[iklawapps]

First of all congratulations to everyone making it to the interviews for Jones Day and good luck for them! I’m sure they’re gonna be amazing!

If you don’t mind me asking, what did you put for the ‘did you use AI’ question. I feel like they’re tripping me out haha. Thank you!!

 

[noahsmiit01]

First of all, congratulations to everyone making it to the interviews for Jones Day, and good luck to them! I’m sure they’re gonna be amazing!

If you don’t mind me asking, what did you put for the ‘did you use AI’ question. I feel like they’re tripping me out haha. Thank you!!

That question is a bit weird because when firms have this question, it’s usually a Yes/No option, but here you need to tailor down a 100-word answer. I also wonder whether Grammarly counts towards AI.

 

[MattSmith]

Can I refer to Latham & Watkins as just 'Latham' in Application forms for their open day and vac schemes...?

 

[vera.mekhonoshina]

Can I refer to Latham & Watkins as just 'Latham' in Application forms for their open day and vac schemes...?

Hi @MusaIqbal,

Yes, you can! The rule of thumb is to check the firm's website and see whether it uses a specific shortened version of the name itself.

You'd want to first write out the firm's name in full and put the abbreviation in brackets - after that, you can just use the shortened version. For example:

'I am applying to Latham & Watkins ('Latham')...'

Hope this helps!

 

[vera.mekhonoshina]

Hi! I would suggest starting by identifying 2–3 unique selling points (USPs) of the firm that genuinely resonate with you—for example, their global reach, collaborative culture, or specific practice areas that interest you. Once you have these, link each one to your own background, experiences, or academic achievements. A good way to structure this is using a PEA format: Point (what USP you want to highlight), Evidence (specific example from your experience), and Analysis (how this makes you a good fit for Jones Day). Essentially, you’re “reverse answering” the classic ‘why Jones Day’ question by showing how your personal skills and experiences align with what the firm values.

Completely agree! I think that the most important part of this answer is to make sure you provide specific evidence from your research on the firm so that you really nail the 'trainee at Jones Day' part of the answer. While skills can be more generic and expected of trainees in general, like collaboration, a candidate can tailor them to the firm by explaining why the skill is especially relevant for Jones Day in particular.

 

[vera.mekhonoshina]

Hi @vera.mekhonoshina and @ZNadeem, in my app, can I mention a case that the firm handled in April 2024?

HI @AS24,

Interesting question! I'd say it depends on why you want to mention the deal.

Is it a landmark deal that changed the trajectory of the firm or put the firm's name on the map for a specific type of transaction, for example? In this case, it's definitely possible to use the deal as part of your motivations.

You may also use a deal this old in a 'tell us about any opportunities for the firm's sector' as evidence that the firm has sought to capitalise on specific opportunities in the past.

However, if the deal is not of the highest degree of importance, I'd suggest picking something more recent.

Hope this helps!

 

[floral.tcla]

[nvm]

 

[Maddy]

Does Ashurst test have numerical questions or is it just SJT+ critical reasoning?

 

[lawschool123]

I did Mayer Brown's practice assessment and it said this before practising the VI: “Before you continue, please be aware that there’s no time limit on how long you spend thinking about your response before starting your recording; but, once you do start your recording, you’ll have up to 2 minutes to give your response.” Does that mean the actual VI itself has unlimited prep time? There's no information available on doing the entire immersive assessment under a time limit. At the same time, their email says: "Please note, the only section of the assessment that extra time can be applied to is the preparation time for two of our video interview questions (which are the only part of the assessment where there is a set preparation time)."

 

[lawyersum]

Any tips for the Latham test? Am happy to share my insights for other firms

 

[ZNadeem]

I did Mayer Brown's practice assessment and it said this before practising the VI: “Before you continue, please be aware that there’s no time limit on how long you spend thinking about your response before starting your recording; but, once you do start your recording, you’ll have up to 2 minutes to give your response.” Does that mean the actual VI itself has unlimited prep time? There's no information available on doing the entire immersive assessment under a time limit. At the same time, their email says: "Please note, the only section of the assessment that extra time can be applied to is the preparation time for two of our video interview questions (which are the only part of the assessment where there is a set preparation time)."

Hi! It does seem like the prep time is unlimited, but I can see why the wording is confusing. To be safe, I’d recommend dropping the graduate recruitment team a quick email to clarify.

 

[M_m]

I’m having technical issues progressing with the NRF form. Does anyone know what the application questions are if it’s a cover letter?

 

[SamiyaJ]

I’m having technical issues progressing with the NRF form. Does anyone know what the application questions are if it’s a cover letter?

Yes it’s a cover letter

 

[svb risk management intern]

Can I safely assume that if I use the same thing from my work experience ('WE') in my application, I dont need to put the same amount of experience or explanation on what i did.

For example, I am writing about how i worked on a report for my supervisor which was vague. Now, I am realising that I have repeated some of the things heavily when explaining the thing in both my WE and app, which makes ≈100 words a bit of a loss.

 

[vera.mekhonoshina]

Can I safely assume that if I use the same thing from my work experience ('WE') in my application, I dont need to put the same amount of experience or explanation on what i did.

For example, I am writing about how i worked on a report for my supervisor which was vague. Now, I am realising that I have repeated some of the things heavily when explaining the thing in both my WE and app, which makes ≈100 words a bit of a loss.

Hi @svb risk management intern,

Great question. I would not necessarily treat it as a loss of words, since you should be emphasising different things when talking about an action in the work experience section and in an application answer.

In the work experience section, you are mainly describing the things you did in a lot of detail. To take the supervisor report you mentioned in your post, you would discuss what the report was about, what steps you took to complete it successfully, and the skills you gained as a result.

As for the written answer part of an application, you'd use the same report in the context of explaining why you are interested in a specific aspect of the firm or commercial law.

So, don't worry about repeating things too much in this particular context - as long as the purpose for which you invoked the experience was different and you described it from different angles, it should not be an issue.