TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[jojo23]

Watch them add both - 1st from Oxbridge + 90th percentile in the Watson Glaser…​

Woah woah woah buddy, dont forget to add the trust fund into the mix

 

[elle woods]

I applied to Skadden and I’d written about being a neurosurgeon and pursuing a career in medicine lmao. No idea if they will like it but meh. Wbu?​

i love that haha - it's so cool that you have such a clear vision of what you'd be doing! I was debating on talking about a career that is similar to commercial law but decided to go with my heart 😂 i talked about being a music producer LMAO, so completely irrelevant to commercial law lol- no idea whether they will like it either haha

 

[vweewcvew]

Is it worth applying for Reed Smith rn (say I send my app a week before deadline)?

 

[JasmineM9]

i love that haha - it's so cool that you have such a clear vision of what you'd be doing! I was debating on talking about a career that is similar to commercial law but decided to go with my heart 😂 i talked about being a music producer LMAO, so completely irrelevant to commercial law lol- no idea whether they will like it either haha

To jump on the conversation - i wrote about becoming a creative designer for a fashion house (Schiaparelli or Bottega Veneta type thing) haha not sure if they will like it lol. Loving the alternative careers tho!!

 

[sooae]

I applied to Skadden and I’d written about being a neurosurgeon and pursuing a career in medicine lmao. No idea if they will like it but meh. Wbu?​

Hahaha same! I wrote about being a doctor too

 

[addy2004]

out of interest, did anyone apply to Skadden? I'm really interested in hearing what others put down as their "alternative career" haha

I wrote about becoming a financial adviser! Not sure if it was 'interesting' enough, depends what kind of angle they wanted us to take...

 

[elle woods]

To jump on the conversation - i wrote about becoming a creative designer for a fashion house (Schiaparelli or Bottega Veneta type thing) haha not sure if they will like it lol. Loving the alternative careers tho!!

ooh wait that's such an interesting alternative career! that would be cool ngl haha
fingers crossed we all get to the next stage! tho i'm not too sure what to expect lol 😭

 

[elle woods]

I wrote about becoming a financial adviser! Not sure if it was 'interesting' enough, depends what kind of angle they wanted us to take...

I was going to do something like that haha, I think it's definitely a safe option!

 

[addy2004]

I was going to do something like that haha, I think it's definitely a safe option!

Exactly! My approach was to write about a career with similar skills to law (& have knowledge in from my work experience) to show really why I have considered it

 

[elle woods]

Exactly! My approach was to write about a career with similar skills to law (& have knowledge in from my work experience) to show really why I have considered it

mhm! i think that sounds like a strong answer and approach to me! lowkey looking back on mine now idk if it's good haha but I guess we'll find out next week 😂

 

[londonlawyer]

For Kirkland, there is a work experience section in the application form but a separate section to attach our CVs. I'm not entirely sure whether they are looking for us to just copy paste what we've said in our CV. Would it be safe approach to only include legal work in CV and then non-legal and extracurriculars in the work experience section of the application form? @Abbie Whitlock @Andrei Radu Thank you!!

 

[Harvey Specter]

i love that haha - it's so cool that you have such a clear vision of what you'd be doing! I was debating on talking about a career that is similar to commercial law but decided to go with my heart 😂 i talked about being a music producer LMAO, so completely irrelevant to commercial law lol- no idea whether they will like it either haha

It took me over a week just to pick an alternative career because I was torn between writing about a career very similar to commercial law or something completely different. I studied medical law and ethics as a module and researched several novel neurosurgery negligence cases so figured that I would write about that and hope for the best!​

 

[Vakil]

I wrote about being a chef!

 

[Harvey Specter]

Hahaha same! I wrote about being a doctor too

Haha that’s so cool honestly! Seeing everyone’s alternative career ideas, I think Skadden should progress all of our applications! Some incredibly creative ideas for grad rec to read. ​

 

[Anon145]

WFW VI invite 👍

Congrats!!! May I ask when you applied?

 

[TCGrad1642]

Hi! Does anyone have any advice for Latham second stage. Happy to swap for Macfarlanes, Mishcon, Weil or Mayer Brown AC

 

[plsgivemetc]

Did HSF Kramer's test on Saturday and still haven't heard back. My report had 3 weaknesses (of course saying the complete opposite about who I actually am IRL) so I have no hope but I still want the confirmation email to fully accept it and put them aside. It's really frustrating because it's my favourite firm, I've taken every opportunity to interact with them at their open day, virtually and events at my university. I actually didn't pass their benchmark last year when applying to be their campus ambassador so I kept asking for tips on passing the test and I did what they said. I researched situational judgement scenarios, asked their lawyers how they would approach them and I memorised the firm's values but that STILL didn't help. Whenever I get a gmail notification I get a mini heart attack, I've even had a vivid dream opening their email and to add to that, someone I sat next to in a lecture opened up their email saying he passed the test AND THE NEXT DAY someone from my course also opened up an email saying he passed while we were talking. The universe really hates me haha idk what I'm doing wrong. I spend hours interacting with firms, writing applications, preparing for their tests and neglecting my uni work just to get rejected at the initial test stage. I wish they would take a glance at my application, 3 months of legal work experience that I've worked so hard to get this summer and achievements and give me a chance at interview.

 

[Kakaboo]

Anyone heard from CMS Manchester? Not even got the WG…

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Is it worth applying for Reed Smith rn (say I send my app a week before deadline)?

Hello!

Yes, definitely still worth applying! The graduate recruitment team look at all applications submitted before the deadline, and they do not allocate the spaces on the vacation scheme until they have reviewed them all. The most important factor is writing a strong and tailored application - if you feel you can submit that before the deadline, there is plenty of opportunity to be progressed to the next stages!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

For Kirkland, there is a work experience section in the application form but a separate section to attach our CVs. I'm not entirely sure whether they are looking for us to just copy paste what we've said in our CV. Would it be safe approach to only include legal work in CV and then non-legal and extracurriculars in the work experience section of the application form? @Abbie Whitlock @Andrei Radu Thank you!!

Hi!

I would say that generally it is okay for there to be overlap between your CV and the work experience section - this is to be expected! A good approach could be:

1. CV: Keep this concise and highlight the strongest / most relevant experiences (legal and non-legal)
2. Work Experience Section: Use this space to expand on roles you didn't have room to fully explain on your CV, or to include additional non-legal / extracurricular experience that shows transferable skills

You don't need to force a strict divide between just having legal on your CV and everything else in the work experience section - the key is that the overall picture is coherent and shows your candidate profile as a whole.

I hope that helps!