TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Lawlawland]

Hello!

Great question - if they've set a 1000-word limit, it usually means they're open to something fairly substantial, not just a short cover letter. I'd aim for around 800-900 words, but the key thing is to make sure you've covered all the essential points and that it's written in a concise and clear way. It's always better to be slightly shorter and well-structured than to hit the word count just for the sake of it.

In terms of structure, I would follow something along the lines of:

1. Introduction (100-150 words): Briefly introduce yourself, what you're applying for, and a summary of your motivation or background.
2. Why this firm (250-300 words): This is where you should show off your research of the firm - mention specific aspects of the firm's culture, clients, or practice areas that genuinely interest you. Make sure to tie this back to your skills and past experiences to demonstrate why these unique aspects motivate you to train there - for example, if you are discussing their room sharing policy, it would be great to discuss previous instances where you have worked closely in teams and enjoyed it, etc.
3. Why commercial law (200-250 words): Explain your motivation for pursuing commercial law, ideally linking it to your experiences or academic background. It's really important to link this to your previous experiences - it's fine to say that you are interested in commercial law as it is intellectually stimulating, but you need to expand on that and say why you enjoy that and how you have discovered this.
4. Why you (200-250 words): Linking to the above, highlight the skills and experiences that make you a strong fit - both for the firm and the career itself. Think about the skills required of a trainee, and the skills valued at Travers Smith, and discuss how you have developed these in past experiences. It might be useful to link these to how they will make you a good trainee (i.e. if you have good organisational skills, discuss how you are well-equipped to handle competing deadlines from multiple supervisors).
5. Conclusion (50-100 words): End by reaffirming your enthusiasm for the firm and the vacation scheme, and what you hope to gain from it.

In conclusion, yes, I would aim to be close to the word count - but it's more important to ensure that your writing is coherent, purposeful, and tailored. Quality over quantity always reads better!

This is really helpful, thanks Abbie!
If I may ask, is it ideal to follow the same template for Slaughter and May?

 

[Lawlawland]

Joining the White and Case PFO gang🙌🏾!

 

[Prudentia]

Is it just me, or does the whole application process this year feel way more stressful than previous years- more tests, higher benchmarks/grade boundaries, more convoluted questions in some cases...

This is my first year applying, so I can't speak to what it was like in previous years. However, I would imagine it has become a lot more competitive.

 

[TortillaTC]

Hello!

You're totally right - for an open day, the key thing is showing that you've done your research and genuinely understand why you want to learn more about that particular firm. They will be looking for curiosity and a clear connection between your interests and what the firm does, rather than a full "why commercial law" discussion.

I would make sure to cover the following in your cover letter:

1. Why this firm: briefly discuss what initially drew you to the firm - e.g. what stands out to you about its work, culture, or approach.
2. Why you: briefly discuss what you hope to contribute or gain from attending, with reference to your past experiences.
3. Your motivation for the open day: this is the most important part. Make sure you clearly discuss what draws you to the open day itself - e.g. wanting to learn more about their practice areas, approach to clients, or training style. All of your motivations for attending should be backed up by your research on the firm AND your past experiences and skills, so it's important to tie it all together here.

This combination ensures that you are showing why you are interested in the firm and what you hope to gain from attending the open day, which is what the graduate recruitment team will be looking for. You can briefly discuss 'why you', but more in the context of why your past experiences have drawn you to this specific firm, rather than why you would be a good fit already.

The process for an open day application is distinctly different from a vacation scheme application, so make sure that your answer focuses on what you hope to gain from the open day, rather than what you already have.

I hope that assists!

Thank you very much!

 

[mg42guy32]

You’re a legend. Thanks so much for this.

I don’t think I’m going to get an offer because of the SJT

Do you have any advice for this?

No problem I'm glad I could help! And yes of course, pm me, I can tell you how I navigated it if you'd like!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

This is really helpful, thanks Abbie!
If I may ask, is it ideal to follow the same template for Slaughter and May?

No problem at all!

Whilst I haven't previously applied for Slaughter and May, if they do not specify what to include in the cover letter, I would always follow the structure of "Why the Firm", "Why Commercial Law", and "Why Me". So yes, I would follow the same sort of template!

 

[Suii]

Weil test invite.

 

[johnsmith]

Anybody heard anything from Mischon since submitting for summer VS?

I spoke with grad rec last week, the next steps, the chatbot, were going to go out this week after they reviewed the initial results from a smaller group who received them already - it's totally new as part of their process so think they wanted to check it was working properly.

 

[1stCycleApplicant]

Weil test invite. Is it automatic/ anyone have any insight ?

 

[johnsmith]

Weil test invite. Is it automatic/ anyone have any insight ?

It reads like it's automatic, assuming you met their application criteria.

 

[Hopefully2025]

In the Gowling WLG application, while entering our undergraduate results, the form has "start date", "end date", "qualification year", and "projected completion date" sections.
Which of these refer to our overall degree and which refer to individual modules? Additionally, when they ask for "classification/result", are they looking for an individual module result rather or our overall degree classification?

I would appreciate any insights, thanks!

 

[shadowboxer909]

It reads like it's automatic, assuming you met their application criteria.

Almost certainly automatic - it implies that the invitation is automatic on their website.

 

[CharlesT47]

Any insight as to what the Milbank first stage test is? What should I expect? How might I prepare?

 

[pfoapplicant]

Hi guys,

On the Pinsent Masons application portal, there doesn't appear to be separate sections for employment and extra-curricular activities; instead, there's a catch-all section titled Relevant Experience, with the following message on the top of the screen:

"Please use this section to include up to 5 of your most relevant experiences only. This can be anything you’ve done, such as employment, work experience, placement(s), volunteering, sports activities, positions of responsibility etc."

I've got a couple of queries:

1. I'm currently undecided as to what experiences I should put down. So far, I'm thinking of putting down (1) my current work volunteering for a local charity; (2) a previous vacation scheme; (3) my time at my university's student legal journal, and (4) some work I did carrying out research for the authors of an academic article on health law.

For my fifth "relevant experience", I'm thinking of including my role as president of my university college's law society - it seems more impressive than, say, writing about my time playing for my university college's tennis team. What worries me, however, is the thought that if I were to write down my time at the college law society as my fifth relevant experience, then this would risk making my application sound quite one-dimensional (because 4 out of the 5 relevant experiences would be law-related, and none of the relevant experiences would be to do with hobbies, sports, etc). Does anyone think there is a risk that this could be the case?

2. Ordinarily, on work experience sections, I keep my entries to a maximum of 150 words per experience. Does that sound like an appropriate amount for the "Relevant Experience" section of the current application, or would it be advisable to write in slightly more detail (say, 250 or 300 words), given that there appears to be no stand-alone sections for either Work Experience or Extra-Curricular Activities (or any other questions along the lines of "tell us about a time when you did XYZ, etc")?



I would be immensely grateful for any feedback, no matter how big or small!

 

[BobThebIlly]

I’m currently applying for the Freshfields Direct Training Contract and I’m a bit unsure about what counts as “voluntary work” in the work experience section of their Forage system. Would something like being an Events Manager for a university society qualify as voluntary experience?

If so, how would you suggest I fill in the fields for “organisation,” “role,” and “how you got the role”?

Sorry if it’s a silly question 😅

 

[InterestInPublicLaw]

I did mine a few weeks ago so I don't fully remember but I believe there was one written question and two video interview questions. There unlimited prep time for everything. I believe there's one motivational question and the second one is possibly a competency question.

Thank you!

 

[emily3827]

does anyone know how long white and case usually takes post ac

 

[Unknowncabbage]

I’m going to ask at their next virtual event

I’m losing my patience with Latham.

Does anyone know how strict they are with grades ( my uni grades are majority firsts)

I think the 2nd test invite is selective (not 100% but from what I've seen/heard, it looks to be).

 

[adrianchkong]

does anyone know how long white and case usually takes post ac

When did you do your AC? Was this for the Winter Scheme?

 

[Andrei Radu]

I’m currently applying for the Freshfields Direct Training Contract and I’m a bit unsure about what counts as “voluntary work” in the work experience section of their Forage system. Would something like being an Events Manager for a university society qualify as voluntary experience?

If so, how would you suggest I fill in the fields for “organisation,” “role,” and “how you got the role”?

Sorry if it’s a silly question 😅

Hi @BobThebIlly this is definitely not a silly question, as law firms often use this kind of somewhat ambiguous terminology on their application forms (particularly in relation to work experience). Unhelpfully, there is no general consensus as to their interpretation, as different recruiters have different views of what terms like "work" and "extracurriculars" refer to and the extent to which they can overlap. For this reason, people often encounter such grey area roles which are not easy to classify.

As for your question, I would personally interpret "voluntary work" as meaning work you were not paid for. To qualify for "work: (rather than extracurriculars or hobbies, which are activities that are also not paid), I think there would be a general expectation for the role to involve substantial recurring tasks and responsibilities other people rely on you for. Applying this to an events manager role in a university society, I believe it would likely be included in a volunteer work category.

Finally, for filling in the fields:

• In the organisation category I would write the name of the university and the society;
• In the role category I would write "Events Manager";
• In the "How did you get the role" category I would provide a brief explanation of the selection process - i.e. were you elected following a campaign, were you selected by another society member after an application process, etc.