TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Afraz Akhtar]

'Describe an unusual situation you have found yourself in, challenging, humorous or otherwise. (150 words)

Could anyone help me! How would you go about answering this?

@CupOfTea17 I think this is very much a personality style question. They want to learn something about you. Although you may want to approach this in a way that plugs your skill set, I would treat this as a way to keep me memorable as Grad Rec go through all their applications. So delve deeper into you as a person. You’re not just a future lawyer, you’ve had unusual experiences, funny experiences, challenges just like every body else. Be honest, and round it off with what you learned from that experience or what your takeaway was. For me, I tend to focus on the challenges I faced so that I can round off on how it’s shaped my perception to problem solving and resilience. That way, I made it memorable and still sold myself (a little).

 

[Afraz Akhtar]

Dear @Andrei Radu and @Abbie Whitlock, the Debevoise application contains both of these questions:

• Please explain why you have decided to pursue a career as a solicitor and what has attracted you to Debevoise? (Max 250 words)
• Please indicate if there are any preferred practice areas that interest you. (Max 250 words)

For the first question, I would like to use a specific practice area in which the firm excels in to show why I am attracted to the firm. I have another practice area that also interests me and I can write a paragraph on for one point in the second question, but how should I go about structuring the second question considering my main practice area of interest will be mentioned and explained for the first question?

Hi @Ronaldo04 I think your approach to the first question is very good, it shows a distinct understanding of the reality of working at Debevoise and allows you to highlight why that firm in particular above others. That being said, I would encourage you to think about whether other firms offer similar practice areas. If so, I would angle your answer more on how Debevoise approach that particular practice area. For example, do they focus on particular clients from certain industries, do they focus more on a particular legal service which they’ve built a reputation for. The first question is looking for specifics, so delve deeper. For example, I was interested in TS’s PE offering. Although many other firms also focused on PE - I had to think about what made them unique here, and I angled it around they ability to leverage funds in the bio clinical space, which at the time wasn’t something that many investors were open to due to the risks surrounding exit.

As for your second question, I would say that this should be approached more generally, aligning your interests in practice areas with the practice areas themselves. For me, it doesn’t specifically need to be unique to Debevoise as it did in the first question, but I would treat it more to show your overall legal interests. It’s fine if you you’re not entirely fixated at this stage either, because the truth is there’s some beauty in not pigeonholing yourself to set practice areas before you’ve even had a chance to delve deeper in the industry. So, if that’s the case, make that known in any conclusion.

Hope this helps

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

i am applying to a firm which asks for a CV - i have been so used to j filling out the work exp section my CV isn't even up to date atm!!! I was just wondering as for insight/open days i usually group it in one section in my work exp section. But for my CV should I structure it in this way too eg put Firm X, frim Y, firm Z - Insight/Open Days or should i have a seperate heading for each one?

any guidance would be really appreciated! @Afraz Akhtar @Andrei Radu @Abbie Whitlock

Hey!

Totally normal to panic - it's definitely unusual for firms to ask for a CV these days, and I definitely didn't update mine as much as I should've!

Whilst there isn't necessarily one right answer, for insight / open days, I would usually group them under a separate heading (e.g. Open Days / Legal Insight) rather than listing each one as full work experience. You can then list Firm X, Firm Y, Firm Z with dates, and a brief line on the main insight / skills that you gained overall.

I would only give an individual insight day its own entry if it was longer or particularly substantive. The main aim is clarity - the graduate recruitment team should be able to quickly distinguish any insight days from actual work experience.

I hope that helps!

 

[applicant457]

Hey, I’ve just received the VI for NRF, does anyone know what questions were asked in the Winter Vacation Scheme video interview?

 

[Afraz Akhtar]

Anyone know if White & Case or Milbank offer reasonable adjustments for their tests?
*I know W&C is untimed but do they take into account e.g. neurodivergence

@tball I’d be surprised if there was a firm out there that did not offer reasonable adjustments, so I would encourage you to reach out to them to request these. It’s important to highlight what you need in particular and more specifically why you need these.

 

[Afraz Akhtar]

Hey, I’ve seen a few posts asking about the cover letter for Perkins Coie. I found a LinkedIn post by Nathalie, which I believe may be helpful in drafting your applications: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nata...s&rcm=ACoAACSyHgQBLkobnNyfze5zs3eYbUYLYu-u1O4

Hope this helps!

 

[futuretraineeihope]

Does anyone know when we hear back from ES? I’m sure at the end of the VI it said before the new year, but not sure if I’m imagining that 🤣

It definitely said that, you're not imagining it! But I'm not sure if they will stick to it.

 

[whyisthissohard]

Guys what do we think the NRF artic shores benchmark is 🥲. They could be sending the VI out in batches but istg this application process has made me crazily paranoid.

 

[legallybrunnette]

Has anyone heard from Dechert post WE?

Could you share what was expected or how you prepared please? It is my first WE and I have no idea what to expect.

 

[Saul_specter]

If applied end of November for slaughters vs and haven’t heard back, shld I assume pfo?

 

[llblawstudent]

If applied end of November for slaughters vs and haven’t heard back, shld I assume pfo?

Did you get the holding email last week?

 

[Saul_specter]

Did you get the holding email last week?

yeah i did, on xmas eve
i remember opening it up in the car and seeing the word 'apologise' and my heart skipped a beat lmao

 

[AMullin]

I know it’s a bit of a long shot but does anyone know if NRF will have reviewed applications yet or just sent VI invites based on the Arctic Shores scores?

 

[abc124]

I'm confused, Addleshaw Goddard say they 'welcome applications from candidates from all locations' but then they say 'this Placement Scheme/Training Contract role may not meet the Home Office requirements for a Skilled Worker visa'. How can they not know if it meets the requirements 😭 Idk what do to as someone who'd need a visa for the tc

 

[cf26]

I'm confused, Addleshaw Goddard say they 'welcome applications from candidates from all locations' but then they say 'this Placement Scheme/Training Contract role may not meet the Home Office requirements for a Skilled Worker visa'. How can they not know if it meets the requirements 😭 Idk what do to as someone who'd need a visa for the tc

I think this is regarding their regional offices which don't meet the salary threshold for the skilled worker visa. However, I think their London office meets the requirements so I would apply there. But I think it's best to email them to confirm this!

 

[elle woods]

Smh my inbox is quiet asf. I’ve had no updates from firms at all lmfao. I’m just sat here like:

I second this haha, as someone who *cough cough* likes fast-paced environments...this is the worst torture to put me through 😂😭(half joking)

 

[Donna Paulsen]

Does anyone know when we hear back from ES? I’m sure at the end of the VI it said before the new year, but not sure if I’m imagining that 🤣

Could be tomorrow...... EEK

 

[futuretraineeihope]

Does anyone have an DLA TI insights?

 

[jamsparkle]

From Clifford Chance's application receipt email (applied for SPARK):


"Whilst you wait to hear from us, we have a number of open access resources which we encourage you to complete:

• Our Global Virtual Internships. Applicants are 9.1x more likely to progress to interview and 15.6x more likely to secure a Training Contract having completed at least one Global Virtual Internship."

doesn't that seem insanely high? why might this be the case? esp since they seem to say that they don't take this into account

 

[johnsmith]

Should I lose hope with Reed Smith? Have they got back to anyone else who applied on the deadline? Or is it just an automatic rejection now.

I’m still waiting, they will have had high volume just before finishing for Christmas so maintain hope