TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Abbie Whitlock]

I am applying for an open day at HSF and the question is: Please explain how you think you would benefit from attending this Open Day (300 words). Any tips on how to answer this?

Hey!

Just to add to the great advice already given, the key is to show that you've thought about what you personally want to get out of the open day, and how it will genuinely support your journey into law. A few points that I would always consider could be:

• Curiosity about the firm: mention specific aspects of HSF that you'd like to learn more about (e.g. their training programme, innovation in ESG / tech, international or client secondments). They may have talks from various departments or practice areas on the day, so discuss why learning more about those areas in the firm interest you.
• Link to your career development: explain how attending the open day will help you clarify whether a career at HSF is the right fit for you, and how it will guide your applications for vacation schemes and training contracts
• Highlight the networking exposure: point out that you'd like to meet trainees, associates, and partners to gain first-hand insights into various parts of the firm, such as the culture and support available
• Skills / Personal Growth: show that you want to improve your skills, such as commercial awareness and confidence in networking
• Make it personal: if there is a particular practice area or element of HSF that resonates with you, tie this into your motivation for attending.

Try to balance enthusiasm with specific aspects - I'd avoid generic lines such as "I want to learn more about the firm", and instead explain what exactly you want to learn and why it matters to you.

I hope that assists, and best of luck with your application

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Just wanted some thoughts on Paul, Weiss' application questions this year.

1) Tell us why you want to join Paul, Weiss.
2) How do your extra-curricular activities align with a career at Paul, Weiss?

I am unsure how to structure my answer to the first question. I have quite a good extra-curricular experience, which would align well with the client-contact focused nature of P,W's TC, which I am not sure if I can include in the first question, as the second question explicitly asks about extra-curriculars. Should the first question purely be about aspects of P,W's work and culture which I am attracted to, which I then support using my experiences in the second question? But again, I would not be answering the 'you' part of the first question if I don't include my extra-curriculars.

Hello!

That's a good question - I had a similar thought process when I was putting together my Paul, Weiss application last cycle!

For Q1 ("Why PW"), I focused mainly on the firm itself - its strengths in practice areas I was interested in, the smaller London intake (and how this brings early client contact), and the international nature of the work. In this question, I did also mention some of my extra-curricular activities as well, and used this to tie in my motivations. For example, I discussed my participation in BIUCAC and explained how it sparked my interest in private equity, linking it to why I'm drawn to the type of work PW does.

For Q2, I then expanded on BIUCAC (and other extra-curricular activities), highlighting the skills I developed - teamwork, leadership, and commercial awareness. I linked these to why I would be best suited for a career at Paul, Weiss.

It's really important to tailor each answer to the specific question, but some overlap is completely fine as long as you frame it differently and emphasise the aspect that's most relevant to that question.

In summary:

• Q1 - "Why Paul, Weiss is right for you", including a brief link to your experiences (and extra-curriculars if applicable) to explain your interest.
• Q2 - "Why you're right for Paul, Weiss", expanding on the experiences and skills themselves.

I hope that all makes sense! I made it to the interview stage at the firm, so I think it's perfectly fine to mention your extra-curricular activities in Q1 as long as you're still answering the question itself

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi! I'm hoping to apply to HL Lift Off, and one of their questions is "Tell us about any experiences outside of your work and study that have allowed you to develop skills that are relevant to this role."
I'm assuming they want to see how I've developed my commercial awareness. Does anyone have examples of what I could use? I'm so confused on what examples would even be appropriate? I'm particularly confused about the "outside your work" part since I do have work experience to back up my commercial awareness but idk what to say without mentioning those?

Hey!

I can totally understand your confusion! I would focus on experiences outside of work and study that have helped you develop skills relevant to commercial awareness AND skills that would be relevant for a trainee, as from what I understand, the HL Lift Off scheme is designed to fast track you to vacation scheme / assessment centre.

Therefore, I would be reflecting on your extra-curricular activities (such as volunteering, society roles, and personal projects) and linking these to skills that are crucial for a trainee, including commercial awareness. Some examples that you might include could be:

• Organising a charity fundraiser or event: showcasing project management, teamwork, leadership, communication etc.
• Running a personal blog or social media account: initiative, commercial awareness, time management, creativity etc.
• Competitions outside formal work or study: presentation, persuasion, teamwork, analytical thinking etc.

I would absolutely make sure to find ways to demonstrate how you have developed commercial awareness - such as through your own research, or competitions / societies - but I would say there is scope to discuss other experiences as well!

 

[londonlawyer]

Hello!

That's a good question - I had a similar thought process when I was putting together my Paul, Weiss application last cycle!

For Q1 ("Why PW"), I focused mainly on the firm itself - its strengths in practice areas I was interested in, the smaller London intake (and how this brings early client contact), and the international nature of the work. In this question, I did also mention some of my extra-curricular activities as well, and used this to tie in my motivations. For example, I discussed my participation in BIUCAC and explained how it sparked my interest in private equity, linking it to why I'm drawn to the type of work PW does.

For Q2, I then expanded on BIUCAC (and other extra-curricular activities), highlighting the skills I developed - teamwork, leadership, and commercial awareness. I linked these to why I would be best suited for a career at Paul, Weiss.

It's really important to tailor each answer to the specific question, but some overlap is completely fine as long as you frame it differently and emphasise the aspect that's most relevant to that question.

In summary:

• Q1 - "Why Paul, Weiss is right for you", including a brief link to your experiences (and extra-curriculars if applicable) to explain your interest.
• Q2 - "Why you're right for Paul, Weiss", expanding on the experiences and skills themselves.

I hope that all makes sense! I made it to the interview stage at the firm, so I think it's perfectly fine to mention your extra-curricular activities in Q1 as long as you're still answering the question itself

Thank you so much!

 

[nonlawstudent98]

I've just received an email invite to Macfarlanes second stage assessment. I've not done an assessment like this before. Would anyone please be able to provide any insights/tips?

 

[lawyersum]

Did anybody attend the Clifford Chance Virtual Application event on 24 Sept? If you did, could you please send me your notes/any key points? I was meant to attend, but work got in the way. Thank you

 

[berocca567]

Is the Freshfields personal statement a cover letter? e.g. do I introduce myself my my academics at the start, adn 'I am applying for X', or not?

 

[fbtrainee]

Hi!

As there is a limited word count, I don't think you need to include any addresses in the cover letter

Hi, what is the word limit? I think I might have missed this in the application form

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi, what is the word limit? I think I might have missed this in the application form

Hi - apologies, I've deleted my original post as I realised they have removed the word limit this year. Ignore me!

 

[e_turbo2]

Are there application questions for Clyde & Co? I am not able to see any on their application. Also, is this a rolling basis firm?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Are there application questions for Clyde & Co? I am not able to see any on their application. Also, is this a rolling basis firm?

According to their website here the application form does not include any "lengthy written tasks" and is only meant to gather basic information for eligibility assessment purposes. As for whether the applications are rolling or not, I could not find any information on their website, but other sources (such as The Commercial Law Academy) suggest that they are rolling.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Is the Freshfields personal statement a cover letter? e.g. do I introduce myself my my academics at the start, adn 'I am applying for X', or not?

I think you can treat the personal statement very similarly to a cover letter (in that you should seek to address the why commercial law, why firm, why you questions) but that you should drop the additional formality that comes with letter-style writing (such as the introductions you mentioned).

 

[Andrei Radu]

I am applying for an open day at HSF and the question is: Please explain how you think you would benefit from attending this Open Day (300 words). Any tips on how to answer this?

Just to add to @Abbie Whitlock's great answer here, a structure for open day applications that I have seen worked really well for me and others was the following:

1. State which aspect of the firm that is of interest to me (ideally, one of the firm's unique selling points) I would like to learn more about at the open day, and state that gaining this deeper understanding will assist you in a subsequent VS/TC application - e.g. "Firstly, I would like to attend the Open Day as this would enable me to learn more about HSFK's market-leading disputes practices. Gaining deeper insight into the firm's prior contentious work, its client base, and its strategic positioning will support me in a future VS application to HSFK"
2. Explain the substantive reason why the aforementioned aspect of the firm attracts me - e.g. "I want to find out more about how top-of-the-market disputes practices operate because of my general interest in contentious proceedings, which originate in my passion for advocacy and argumentation."
3. Link this with an experience which illustrates the substantive reason - e.g. "I developed my interest and skill in written and oral advocacy by participating in X Mooting competition, where I conducted legal research, prepared case bundles and skeleton arguments, and advocated before judges. I ended up qualifying to Y round out of Z number of participants, showcasing my ability to craft and defend compelling arguments"

As for content, this will be highly depended on the firm and on your personal motivations. However, I think you are essentially looking for two things:

• The firm's unique selling points (USPs): these will be important features of a firm that differentiate it from rival firms. USPs can include: practice area and sector strengths, to international expansion strategy, seat rotations, training style, legal technology, secondments, client base and past deals and cases.
• Your motivations: you should explain not only how a USP differentiates a firm from its competitors, but also why you particularly care about the USP - how will it affect your life and work as a potential future trainee?

 

[AS24]

Hi @AS24 that's a great question I used to also wonder about, and it also gives the opportunity to clear a common misconception. While you may very roughly think of band 1 to band 4 Chambers rankings as going from the "best" to the "worst" in reputation, this best-to-worst ranking is only a ranking of a select handful of firms which are already considered to be the best in the jurisdiction for that type if work.

To take high-end Corporate M&A as an example: there are around 20 firms in total Chambers ranks here from band 1 to band 2. Nonetheless, there are more than 100 firms in the City that will provide corporate M&A advice and that would love to make it to the ratings. While a band 1 corporate M&A firm (say, Freshfields) can normally be assumed to have a stronger reputation in M&A than a band 4 firm (say, White & Case), White & Case can still be assumed to have a much stronger reputation in M&A than the significant majority of firms who do not even make it to the rankings - which in this case includes many big names, such as Gibson Dunn, Travers Smith, BCLP, Milbank, etc. Generally speaking, if a firm's practice gets a Chambers ranking, it is good enough to be mentioned as a reason to want to join the firm (although, to differentiate it from similarly/better ranked rivals, you may not want to have it as the only reason you list).

A second point that should be made is that Chambers rankings are not an indicator of absolute quality, in that they are influenced by two factors:

1. The size of the firm's practice: Chambers rankings do not only assess for the quality of a firm's work - ie are their usual mandates consistently high-end and complex ones, does it have blue-chip clients etc - but also the quantity, as this is also a factor for establishing reputation. As such, larger and older firms, such as the Magic Circle, will generally have an advantage over newer firms. Thus, if you are principally interested in quality of work rather than general renown, you can motivate choosing a lower band-ranked firm because of factors such as: (i) a high average deal/case value; (ii) having a high proportion of highly-ranked practitioners; (iii) punching above their weight by getting a Chambers ranking despite lower headcount; etc. All of these are examples of factors that could be indicative of a high-quality practice, despite not being as renowned as the practice of the largest players in the market.
2. A high level of generality: Importantly, the Chambers rankings operate at a high level of generality, while you could tie your interests to more specific subareas. Thus, while a firm may be ranked "just" band 4, there are likely particular subareas (say life sciences M&A, or tech M&A) where they have stronger expertise than in other areas, and potentially even market leading expertise. For instance, White & Case, a band-4 ranked firm for corporate M&A, is generally thought to be among the best firms for infrastructure/energy-liked M&A work.

Thank you so much!

 

[SamiyaJ]

Bird & Bird WG!

 

[AS24]

@Andrei Radu, apologies, but I have another question. I am currently applying to Dechert, and I am struggling to understand how many words I should write to cover each part of the question. This is the question: Please outline the skills you possess that make you well suited to a career as a commercial solicitor and explain why you believe this makes Dechert the right Firm for you to develop your career. 300 words max. Could you offer your opinion?

 

[Vakil]

Bird & Bird WG!

Same!

 

[c.t.tc]

Bird & Bird WG!

Me too!

 

[SamiyaJ]

Same!

Me too!

Will report back once I get rejected post test 😂

 

[Vakil]

Will report back once I get rejected post test 😂

Nah! You’ve got this.