TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Someoneinlaw]

CMS Next day rejection is crazyyyyyy. Like did you even read my application at all😂😂😂😂
To be fair , their deadline is today or tomorrow I think and I applied yesterday .

 

[user55998384]

is it worth applying to FF is ac offers r being sent out?

 

[Lizardlaw]

I had mine today so idk if maybe im one of the last interviews? I was told that we’d probably hear in the next week for ACs which are in December/jan

How soon after submitting your initial application did you get an invite to the WG? I submitted my application a couple days ago and when I go back to the application portal it says, "Thank you for your interest in DLA Piper. Please complete your assessments as soon as possible." But I haven't received an email from them yet.

Last year when I passed the phone interview round but instead of being invited to the AC, I was told they had just filled all the slots. So this year I have applied earlier and I'm concerned i'm already too late again unless they send out the WG and Phone interview rounds pretty quickly after completion?

 

[Donuttime]

is it worth applying to FF is ac offers r being sent out?

still worth it imo

 

[Andrei Radu]

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

Hi @flower1 I would recommend the following resources here:

1. Chambers practice descriptions/practitioner rankings: while the general Chambers ranking will not tell you anything about its subareas of particular expertise, if you click on the firm's practice profile, sometimes that provides you with really valuable information. Furthermore, you should look to see if the firm has ranked practitioners, as those will generally be the leaders of the firm's practice and some of the best practitioners in the field; if it does, they will have an individual profile and description, where their specialties will be described; you can then infer a firm's strengths in various subareas from the reputation of their leading partners.
2. Legal 500 rankings and description: while perhaps not quite and reputable as Chambers, one big advantage of Legal 500 is their more granular approach to dividing practices and sectors, which can give you a lot more information in regards to subareas of particular strength.
3. Firm's website and LinkedIn: Here, you should have a look at the firm's listed expertise in terms of big mandates they worked on recently, and see if there are any discernible recurring common features (such as deals in a particular sector, or of a particular geographic spread, etc). You can then infer strength in that subarea. You can also discern who the firm's biggest clients may be in this way.
4. TCLA's Law Firm Profiles: in most of our profiles, these are exactly the distinguishing features we aim to identify, so have a look of our analysis of the firm's practice (as even if a given sub-speciality is not advertised in the big USP title in the profile, it may still be explained in the main text).
5. The broader legal press (The Global Legal Post, The Lawyer, Law.com, etc): to the extent you can use these resources (the first I recommended is free, the others require individual/organisational subscriptions), look up the firm you are interested in using their search bar and skim through the articles you find. At times, you will find great articles analysing a firm's practice and contrasting it to the practices of its rivals.

To give a more concrete example, and also address your question about Clifford Chance: the firm has one of the best generalist M&A practices in the country, arguably only rivalled by the rest of the MC firms. To individualise it compared to the rest of the MC, you might mention how CC arguably has the best expertise in corporate M&A in the banking & financial services sector (owing to its banking & finance focused roots and its core clientele in this area) and how it also arguably has the leading London PE practice of a UK-based law firm, owing again partly to its banking roots (as the firm can offer market leading leveraged finance and DCM expertise for a seamless service) and its lateral hiring policy (having recently hired some of the best partners in the field, including the ex head of M&A at Freshfields).

 

[maylawwww]

Should I give up ab DLA piper? I have seen people be rejected who took the WG after me which could be a sign I'll be progressed but I passed the WG on the 30th of Oct-- they might have just forgotten ab me lol

 

[ttlaw12344]

Should I assume DLA PFO if I passed WG almost 2 weeks ago and still haven't heard about telephone call?

 

[pepsicola96]

I would say trust your own gut. For example, last year I only applied to a handful of law firms (like 5), as I was busy with uni. This year, I am on a gap year, so I have plenty of time to make as many high-quality applications as possible.

Personally I think it's very possible to do lots of written applications and have some success. The real difficulty comes after when trying to prepare for any type of interview. Trying to properly prepare for, and tailor interview answers to multiple firms is really difficult. If you've got 20 applications on the go you're simply not going to be a stand out candidate for them all. Whereas if you'd applied to 5 firms, you could really spend time knowing those firms inside and out, giving really personal and tailored answers to any question. As with anything, it really depends.

 

[CuriousTrainee]

Can someone clarify please clarify this. For the DLA Piper London SI, if you haven't received a TI invite nor a rejection email after passing the WG could it be safe to assume PFO?

 

[Flyingbutterfly97]

Hi, I am looking to apply for Mills and Reeve Vacation Scheme. Has anyone tackled their blended online assessment before and can give me practical tips to pass each component of the assessment? Thanks

 

[fleur]

You cannot. You have to choose four experiences that are most suitable out of all the available ones and add them there. At the open day, they said you can highlight other work experiences during your chat with the AI if that seems relevant to the questions it asks you.

thank you !! do you know if you can add extra for awards & achievements or is it the same case?

 

[pepsicola96]

Can someone clarify please clarify this. For the DLA Piper London SI, if you haven't received a TI invite nor a rejection email after passing the WG could it be safe to assume PFO?

I received a post WG PFO, so I'd take no news as good news for now!

 

[vweewcvew]

Should I give up ab DLA piper? I have seen people be rejected who took the WG after me which could be a sign I'll be progressed but I passed the WG on the 30th of Oct-- they might have just forgotten ab me lol

I haven't even heard back after submitting my application and I submitted it like a month ago...

 

[CuriousTrainee]

I received a post WG PFO, so I'd take no news as good news for now!

Ok, makes me feel slighter better. Thank you 😂

 

[Trophy]

The first one is SJT and second one is critical thinking test, good luck!

Aha you didn’t say there was a written part to it…

 

[BillSikes]

I haven't even heard back after submitting my application and I submitted it like a month ago...

I applied morning of the deadline and received WG the next working day.

 

[Amgrad]

Aha you didn’t say there was a written part to it…

Oh my bad! Yea I did it over a month ago, so I forgot about it. Take that as a thanksgiving surprise lol

 

[Suii]

I haven't even heard back after submitting my application and I submitted it like a month ago...

Have you completed the Rare questionnaire

 

[Trophy]

Oh my bad! Yea I did it over a month ago, so I forgot about it. Take that as a thanksgiving surprise lol

It’s a key factor in the entire assessment.
The Sjt is such a minor.

I had to do two written questions on my phone during my lunch break because I was told it was an sjt only.

A guaranteed rejection 🤝

 

[Chelsea101]

CMS Next day rejection is crazyyyyyy. Like did you even read my application at all😂😂😂😂
To be fair , their deadline is today or tomorrow I think and I applied yesterday .

I assumed the WG was auto for everyone? anyone know whether CMS review apps then send WG?