TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[TortillaTC]

Does Milbank prefer prose or bullet points in their WE section? Also, is highlighting skills developed in each experience a good idea? Some firms expressly ask for it while others seem quite against.

 

[jaccobbhx]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock,

I've been invited to A&O Assessment Centre for TC next week. As this is my first ever Assessment Centre, frankly I'm quite scared and don't know what to expect, the email mentions a case study discussion with a partner, scenario based interview, and office tour. I have less than a week to prepare and don't know where to start and what area to focus on, thus any advice would be appreciated.

Also, I have ADHD and was asked if I require any reasonable adjustments for the AC. I would benefit from additional time to prepare for the case study and the interview but not sure if that would be reasonable from the firm's perspective. Any advice on this or what other adjustments I could request for the AC?

Many thanks!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi @Andrei Radu @Abbie Whitlock and anyone else who may have insight,

What are some commercial topics likely to come up in an interview/AC?
Thanks x

In terms of current affairs topics, a few that come to mind are:

• The aftermath of the US' trade policy changes on global markets and the present stabilisation of tariff policy
• The possibility of an AI bubble and the general worry of inflated valuations of public companies (with historical highs for P/E ratios)
• Generally easing inflation and predicted lowering of interest rates in the UK and US
• Booming M&A and capital markets activity
• Budget deficits and increased government borrowing in a number of major economies
• Slower current and projected economic growth in developed economies
• Weakening consumer confidence, historically high household debt, and increasing reliance on high-income households for most of the consumer spending
• Geopolitical developments: ceasefire agreement in Gaza and peace talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine
• Increased spending on defence and energy infrastructure in Europe

 

[yk1906]

Does Milbank prefer prose or bullet points in their WE section? Also, is highlighting skills developed in each experience a good idea? Some firms expressly ask for it while others seem quite against.

Hi, i used prose and progressed to Stage 1 and 2 assessments. I also highlighted the skills

 

[wooliewoo]

Hi! Does anyone know whether HL and Eversheds assessments are automatic, or do they look at your application first? Thanks!

 

[TortillaTC]

Hi, i used prose and progressed to Stage 1 and 2 assessments. I also highlighted the skills

Thank you very much!!

 

[yk1906]

Hi! Does anyone know whether HL and Eversheds assessments are automatic, or do they look at your application first? Thanks!

Eversheds: “This test is compulsory for all applicants and we are unable to progress your application without completion of the test. “

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock,

I've been invited to A&O Assessment Centre for TC next week. As this is my first ever Assessment Centre, frankly I'm quite scared and don't know what to expect, the email mentions a case study discussion with a partner, scenario based interview, and office tour. I have less than a week to prepare and don't know where to start and what area to focus on, thus any advice would be appreciated.

Also, I have ADHD and was asked if I require any reasonable adjustments for the AC. I would benefit from additional time to prepare for the case study and the interview but not sure if that would be reasonable from the firm's perspective. Any advice on this or what other adjustments I could request for the AC?

Many thanks!

Hi @jaccobbhx I do not have a lot of specific information on this topic (so I'll tag @Abbie Whitlock again here in case she knows more), but what I can say is that you should be able to ask about additional preparation time without this being held against you. Ideally, I would advise you to firstly explain how ADHD affects you during assessments, and why extra time is a reasonable adjustment in the sense that it helps mitigate a disadvantage you have when compared to other candidates and also enables the firm to better ascertain your true abilities and potential.

It would also be helpful to cite any university/school policy to this effect, in that if you explain that your university considers it a reasonable adjustment to given you some extra time in assessments because of your ADHD, it is less likely that the firm would see this as an unreasonable demand. Worst case scenario, the firm may tell you they cannot offer you this adjustment because they see time-management under pressure an essential skill to test for the role of a trainee solicitor. Even if that is the case, I believe it is extremely unlikely the firm would take a negative view of you simply because you raised this enquiry.

 

[CuriousTrainee]

anyone heard from DLA for AC

I think there's still a fair amount still doing their WG, wouldn't be surprised if they start offering ACs in late Dec-Jan time🤷‍♀️

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Did anyone who completed the Reed Smith test by end of October receive an AC invite? Will they be sending more AC invites?

Hey!

Whilst I can't say definitively whether more AC invites will be sent out, there were multiple batches sent out when I applied last cycle, so I wouldn't assume a rejection if you haven't heard yet (as I'm sure more will be sent in due course)!

 

[TortillaTC]

Hi, i used prose and progressed to Stage 1 and 2 assessments. I also highlighted the skills

Did you also include extracurriculars or just actual WE?

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Off of the back of this, what are some of the best ways to find out more about a firm’s clients?

Hi!

There are a few good ways to learn more about a firm's clients, and the best approach usually depends on how public the information is. A few reliable methods that worked for me:

• Company Website: most firms will highlight their key clients or at least the sectors they work in through case studies, press releases, newsletters, or portfolio pages
• Industry Publications / News Coverage: media articles and press releases in legal news often mention major projects or client wins that individual law firms carry out
• Online Resources: websites such as Chambers, Legal Cheek, and the Legal 500 will often discuss some of the key clients that firms typically act for.

It can sometimes be tricky to find public information on specific clients (as many law firms will have to keep this confidential), but you can usually find a few for each firm by using the resources above.

I hope that helps!

 

[yk1906]

Did you also include extracurriculars or just actual WE?

Yes I included extracurriculars and also separately all legal events (one entry for each EC and one for events)

 

[TortillaTC]

Yes I included extracurriculars and also separately all legal events (one entry for each EC and one for events)

Amazing thank you vm!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hello, as HL and Reed Smith are rolling, should I still apply for their summer vacation schemes?

Hello!

I would encourage you to apply for whichever scheme suits you best! Even though they have rolling deadlines, the most important factor is whether you submit a strong application, rather than when you submit it. If the Winter / Spring vacation schemes work better for you, I would encourage you to apply for those. However, if you feel you would benefit from some additional time to write a strong and tailored application, I would apply for the later schemes.

I'd just note that Reed Smith don't offer a summer vacation - they have the Winter / Spring schemes only (which are still open for applications for a little while)

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi, is Arnold & Porter's Spring VS open to graduates? It seems a bit unclear from their website

Hey!

After having a look at their website, it states that they are hiring for a training contract to start in September 2028. I would therefore assume this is open to graduates, as you are able to start a training contract at that date (however, it might be worth emailing the graduate recruitment team to clarify if you wanted to be sure!)

 

[iwatchsuits]

Just received the test link for Eversheds Sutherland, nervous!!

 

[lawyersum]

anyone who applied to birketts last year and was passed to next stage, did you have this question: Why Birketts? (150 words), and if you did, how many practice areas or points did you mention? please free to pm me

 

[Andrei Radu]

@Andrei Radu Hi Andrei, this is a silly question and also entirely my mistake but in my Davis Polk cover letter, I accidentally wrote 'I am writing to apply for the 2025 Spring Vacation Scheme' instead of 2026. Should I email grad rec to point this out or just leave it? Do you think it would affect my application?

I would not write to grad rec about it. The general rule is that you should email recruiters about a mistake only if it is necessary to correct that mistake so that they are able to consider your application on its true merits (e.g. correcting a wrong grade entry) or to explain an error that may otherwise be misleading (e.g. correcting a statement that you are applying for a TC instead of a VS). Nonetheless, in your case it is clear what you actually intended to write, so there would be no point to emailing about it. As for your question about how much this could impact your progression chances: in my experience, if your application is a high-quality one otherwise, you can be progressed despite one or two attention to detail errors of this nature.

 

[M123]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock,

I've been invited to A&O Assessment Centre for TC next week. As this is my first ever Assessment Centre, frankly I'm quite scared and don't know what to expect, the email mentions a case study discussion with a partner, scenario based interview, and office tour. I have less than a week to prepare and don't know where to start and what area to focus on, thus any advice would be appreciated.

Also, I have ADHD and was asked if I require any reasonable adjustments for the AC. I would benefit from additional time to prepare for the case study and the interview but not sure if that would be reasonable from the firm's perspective. Any advice on this or what other adjustments I could request for the AC?

Many thanks!

Congrats!! When did you receive the invite may I ask?