TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[johnsmith]

I actually just finished the Mishcon test and found it very enjoyable though long. It wasn't as bad as I was dreading. Does anyone know when we can expect to hear back?

They said after the closing date!

 

[aspringlawyer25]

Has anyone received Gibson PFO? I've seen few people progress to interview stage and offer, haven't been progressed but haven't received a PFO either, can they just put me out of my misery.

 

[a0]

Has anyone received Gibson PFO? I've seen few people progress to interview stage and offer, haven't been progressed but haven't received a PFO either, can they just put me out of my misery.

real i keep checking my email for updates 😭

 

[c.t.tc]

oh!! that’s embarrassing then why did they even have that if it wasn’t recording you ?

It is recording! They don’t access it as a firm but Bright Network have the recording and report anything weird to them according to the early Careers team. So like if someone was to switch their camera off, or the person changes who is taking the test halfway through or speaking to someone else kind of thing. But I think it’s still all very new so they haven’t fully figured it all out yet!

 

[ORB]

I still haven’t heard, have you?

Nope

 

[applicant3000]

Does anyone know how long it takes W&C to send a VI and Weil to send the first test?

 

[qaz99]

Has anyone received Gibson PFO? I've seen few people progress to interview stage and offer, haven't been progressed but haven't received a PFO either, can they just put me out of my misery.

Yeah I received a pfo about a week ago for summer

 

[user55998384]

I actually just finished the Mishcon test and found it very enjoyable though long. It wasn't as bad as I was dreading. Does anyone know when we can expect to hear back?

hey how long did you get the test after sending the app

 

[tm2025]

Hi, does anybody know what time the Clifford ChanceTC deadline is today?

 

[aspringlawyer25]

hey how long did you get the test after sending the app

Around 2 weeks I think

 

[Jaysen]

Describe how you think the innovative developments taking place in the legal industry will change the role of a commercial lawyer at Dentons. Please outline your research and reference the sources you used to inform your opinion. (250)
@Abbie Whitlock @Andrei Radu how would you recommend structuring this answer?

If it's also helpful, we've just released a new application guide for Dentons covering this question

 

[AngelBaird]

fieldfisher telephone interview!! any tips?

 

[lawyersum]

was told i passed dla wg on 3 Nov…have not received a phone interview invite yet while others have. will cross it off as a pfo most likely

 

[jojo23]

Should I be concerned that I haven't heard from Simmons yet? I took the test Nov 4

 

[Afuturetrainee]

I’ve heard that Weil VI is four questions. I only got three questions. Should I be worried 🥺

 

[enyildiz]

Does anyone know if the Clifford Chance team reviews our first or latest submitted application when we make changes to the DTC application (the portal is still open and the page allows changing inputs and saving new inputs)

 

[Ronaldo04]

Hey guys, I have a telephone interview with graduate recruitment coming up next week and I have never done one before. @Andrei Radu @Abbie Whitlock How should I go about preparing and what should I expect?

 

[RJ Ruban]

Does anyone when we hear back from CMS after WG and whether you get your results afterwards?

 

[Ronaldo04]

Does anyone know the benchmark for the Amberjack with 4 pillars - I absolutely bombed it for the first time (I usually go well) and got 4,3,6,6. Does this mean that my VI wont even be looked at?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi everyone!

When video interview/ app answers ask about recent developments that could affect clients, I want to make sure I’m focusing on the right kinds of news.

In your experience, what are the most relevant types of updates to draw on for these questions? For example, do you usually reference things like regulatory changes, shifts in interest rates, major geopolitical developments, new industry-specific regulations, or broader market/economic trends?
But more specifically: which current topics do you think are most value-adding to bring up in an interview?

I’d love to hear what you personally look out for or any go-to sources you use to stay prepared. Any insight would be much appreciated @Abbie Whitlock
@Andrei Radu

Thank you so much!

Hi @FutureTraineeMaybe in my opinion, to do well for this type of question, it matters a lot more how you go about your research and analysis rather than the intrinsic value-add of the topic itself. That is why I would advise you to choose some of the topics where a line of analysis pertaining to impact to the firm's clients makes most intuitive sense to you and about which you think you would be genuinely interested to learn more about. This should naturally lead to you being (i) better informed about the topic, (ii) better able to present your thoughts about it clearly and persuasively; and (iiI) better able to answer follow-up questions and discuss the topic at length, should the partners decide they want to test you on that.

As such, I do not think there is any category among the ones you listed that I would advise you to prioritise ahead of the others. What you should choose will depend on your own preferences, as discussed above, but also on the specific operations of the firm. Different firms will be impacted to a different extent by different developments - i.e. clients of a firm with a heavy tech focus will be significantly impacted by everything and anything going on related to AI, clients of firms with a heavy PE/capital markets focused will care a lot about changes in interest rates and broader economic sentiment, etc.

As for sources, some of the ones that were most useful for me are the following:

• FT News Briefing: as you will likely know, the best all around go-to short podcast to keep yourself updated to news
• BBC Business News and/or Bloomberg Europe: great for more in depth coverage of news, the BBC with more of a UK focus, while Bloomberg with a more financial markets-oriented focus
• Watson's Daily: great for in depth analysis of selected focus; teaches you how to go about commercial analysis
• The Global Legal Post, The Lawyer Podcast, Law, disrupted: great to learn how to connect broader commercial developments with law firms' as businesses + great to learn about how to compare firm's practices and operations
• The FT, The Guardian, BBC, Reuters, and just general Google searches: from time to time, I would use these to research a topic that I was particularly interested in.