TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[roo4]

B&B PFO post WG

Sorry to hear that, can I ask how long it was before they got back to you? I've been waiting for three weeks wish they'd just put my out of my misery lol

 

[Andrei Radu]

@Andrei Radu @Abbie Whitlock Reed Smith">@Abbie Reed Smith Any advice on how to show a genuine interest in the firm’s work? Beyond just mentioning deals and certain practices, I’m wondering how to make a compelling case for why I’m interested in a certain firm’s work that isn’t wishy washy

I’m really struggling bc when it boils down to it they all do broadly the same stuff

Thank you!

To show a genuine interest in a particular firm's work, you need to identify the right level of generality to link your motivation to. At the broadest general level, you could attempt to discuss the firm's work as a whole, on a cross-departmental basis, but that is often unpersuasive - it becomes too general, and people end up discussing everything and nothing at the same time, using vague language and buzz words ("fast-paced complex work"). At the most specific level possible, you could express your interest in a single particular deal/matter the firm worked on; but this is again often unconvincing, as each deal and matter is in many ways unique, and there is no guarantee that you will often get to work on something very alike it.

Thus, to write a compelling answer as to why you are interested in a firm's work, you will likely have to find a middle-ground between the two ends of the spectrum. What that middle ground is can and should differ both on a firm by firm basis (as different firms will have USPs and strengths at different levels of specificity when looking at their work) and on an individual-by-individual basis (as experiences and plausible motivational links to draw can be very different for different people). Nonetheless, to give you a more concrete image of how this can play out, I'll list bellow three categories of description of a firm's work that I have seen candidates successfully express an interest in:

1. Transactional/Contentious/Advisory: some firms will just be very strong across a number of practices that can be grouped under one of these headings, others firms will choose multi-specialist approaches to organising the firm and thus will have some very broad categories such as these, while different ones will again have other distinguishing factors that can be tied to one of these broad categories of work (i.e. HSFK has for years sought to grow in many different transactional areas, Slaughters has sought to grow in many disputes practices, Davis Polk and Sullivan & Cromwell have a high-value but low-volume strategy across their transactional practices, etc). Thus, you could express an interest in general transactional/disputes/advisory work + in the aforementioned distinguishing factor of the firm at this level and have a good and specific answer as to why you are interested in the firm's work.
2. Particular practice areas/sectors (corporate M&A, finance, restructuring, litigation, arbitration, white collar crime, etc): the most common level of generality successful applicants discuss an interest in the firm's work at; it normally makes sense to focus on practices, as this is where you will qualify and will normally make the biggest impact on the "type" of tasks and matters you work on. While you may worry that this is not specific enough, in that other firms will have such a practice area as well, normally if a firm is known to be good in the area (even if not the absolute best), this will be deemed a good answer as to why the firm. In terms of ensuring your application is specific enough to dispel a recruiter's doubts that your motivations may be as good of a fit for another firm, I think this is often achieved via looking at the reasons you provide in conjunction, rather than making each reason be applicable to the firm and only the firm.
3. Particular sub-areas of a practice/sector group: finally, you may often find that different firms' practices have subspecialties in terms of the matters they are really good at; for instance, while Davis Polk is known to be good in M&A, it is particularly strong in transatlantic mandates and on TMT-related transactions; likewise for Gibson Dunn, only they are particularly good in infrastructure PE work. If you can establish an interest in this sub-speciality a firm is good in, this will almost certainly suffice for an answer that is deemed specific enough vis-a-vis interest in the firm's work.

 

[flower1]

Hello @Andrei Radu
I just read your post above - I was wondering, how can we best research particular sub-areas of a practice/sector. For example, I'm interested in Clifford Chance's M&A practice - but I'm really struggling to differentiate it from other similar law firms, particularly as the websites look very similar. Also, is there a way to determine which clients go to which firm the most - because most firm's clients are banks, large businesses?

Thank you

 

[pfoapplicant]

Hi guys,

I'm currently filling in the Mishcon de Reya application form, and I've one got one quick query to ask. If anyone has any tips, I'd be hugely grateful!

On the "Work Experience" section, candidates are asked to specify how many hours they've worked in a typical week, but only if the experience in question is "ongoing rather than one-off". Am I correct in presuming that a two-week vacation scheme counts as one-off?

 

[Amgrad]

Penningtons Manches Cooper Open Day invite!

 

[Lawlawland]

Can anyone let me know what to anticipate in the Mishcon Video interview part of the chat interview?

How many questions and is it motivational/strength based?

 

[Lawlawland]

hey just a bit confused - i sent off my slaughters with just my grade breakdowns on the education section of the app, was i meant to attach a transcript??

I added my grade breakdown, conversion details (international student) and also the full transcripts of all my degrees, as they said they would expect it to be clear and I didn't want to risk it.

The additional documents space is exactly for that purpose.

 

[TCGrad1642]

Does anyone know what the pillars are for the Macfarlanes assessment

 

[Life_of_PFOs]

Did you get first stage interview or later on?

Hi there, I passed the first-stage interview. I completed the assessment centre, but failed to get a vacation scheme offer.

 

[yk1906]

I added my grade breakdown, conversion details (international student) and also the full transcripts of all my degrees, as they said they would expect it to be clear and I didn't want to risk it.

The additional documents space is exactly for that purpose.

Hey! I was wondering, as a fellow international, whether you know (from ODs or whatsoever) if firms prefer us to convert our grades into % or just leave them as they are? My grades are easily convertible to % scale, and I’m honestly afraid to put my actual grades when they explicitly ask for %, because then it’ll read like I have a very low %

 

[yk1906]

I am soooo thrilled for December with all those deadlines coming up 😁😁 Hoping for at least one AC/interview for all of us here

 

[flower1]

Hello @Abbie Whitlock @Andrei Radu
In a video interview, what are we supposed to mention for this - Why me? Why should the firm take me as their trainee solicitor? I'm struggling to identify what points the firm expects us to make and how to differentiate answers to make them unique.

Thank you

 

[letsdothis]

Jones Day AC!! Any insights are appreciated especially for the group exercise

 

[tom-sawyer]

How long did it take for people to hear back from Akin after submitting their application?

 

[confusedbird]

Hello @Abbie Whitlock @Andrei Radu
In a video interview, what are we supposed to mention for this - Why me? Why should the firm take me as their trainee solicitor? I'm struggling to identify what points the firm expects us to make and how to differentiate answers to make them unique.

Thank you

Hi,

I'm not them but I thought I'll share my thoughts on this because this is something that I struggle with as well.

I approach these questions in a few steps -

1. Reflect on my experiences and see what I learnt from them/what skills I developed.
2. Relate these to the tasks of a trainee
3. Look at what traits the firm values

The first two steps usually give me a few options to go with and the last one helps me narrow it down and relate it back to the firm.

I hope this helps a bit!

 

[James Wakefield]

How long did people wait before getting Bird & Bird WG?

 

[WiddyJ]

Jones Day AC!! Any insights are appreciated especially for the group exercise

Congrats! Is this for spring or summer?

 

[M_m]

For the Taylor Wessing cover letter, the application form says it should include details on my skills and why I have applied for the scheme. Do we still need to outline “why commercial law” then or just stick to “why the firm” and “why me” and elaborate on that instead.

 

[TA04]

Is a simmons 6,5,7 test score good?

 

[wooliewoo]

How long did people wait before getting Bird & Bird WG?

I applied on the 15th, received WG on the 18th, sat it on the 24th and progressed to VI on the 25th.