• 📅 Vacation Scheme Applications 2025–26

    Planning to apply for winter, spring or summer vacation schemes? Join our dedicated threads for support, deadlines, and discussion:

    Let’s make this your strongest application season yet 💼

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  1. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I wouldn't worry about it too much. As they do not ask directly, I really doubt this would be grounds for rejecting you. My advice to include them originates in a "all other things being equal, you should" or "too err on the side of caution" type of thinking. Although I would advise including...
  2. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Unfortunately there's nothing that will completely take away the frustration you are feeling at this moment. I empathize with what you're going through right now and I know it's a difficult spot to be in. When in the same situation, many times I have started wondering if perhaps I am simply not...
  3. Andrei Radu

    Hello everyone

    Hi Veronica! Do you know whether you want to be a solicitor or barrister and what areas of the law you might be interested in? Depending on your more specific interests, there are different routs you can take to enter the profession and there are different ways to gain work experience to see if...
  4. Andrei Radu

    Hello everyone

    Hi, it's great to have you here! Feel free to ask any and all questions on our forums :)
  5. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    To be honest this is a difficult question to answer without having to go on a bit of a stretch - as the vast majority of applicants will be in the same position as you, having only used this tech for reviewing and rephrasing purposes. However, given the time-limited circumstances, I don't think...
  6. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I have just taken a look over DLA's summer internship application form and it seems like the Resume/CV field is a required one - it is marked with an asterisk. Considering the application form asks for relatively limited information when compared to other application forms, it would make sense...
  7. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    @Jessica Booker will definitely be able to tell you more, but just to jump in, I think it would be better if you were to include them. In general, it seems to me that from a recruiter's perspective, the more information about grades you include, the better. I have heard of some stories of issues...
  8. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I agree with @Jessica Booker that these are skills more than qualities and that you need to look more at general personality traits. I think you can keep the points you were going to make about these skills and just change the wording to replace them with the relevant associated qualities. For...
  9. Andrei Radu

    Help with TC assessments

    So there's a couple of ways you could explore this point further: What specific talent is the firm acquiring from competitors? Are they targeting particular practice areas/sectors that they have identified in their growth plans? If so, assuming you have an interest in the relevant practice...
  10. Andrei Radu

    Does my non-law work experience undermine me?

    I agree with @Jessica Booker that this isn't an issue at application stage. If anything, taking part of a research project at Oxford should be quite helpful in setting you apart from the crowd as a particularly high-achieving candidate. However, once you get to the AC/final interview, I think...
  11. Andrei Radu

    Help with TC assessments

    @Amma Usman will know a lot more about this, but just to jump in, what was particularly helpful for me was the course offered by TCLA on the matter (which you can find here). It includes a number of mock PE and M&A case studies, recordings of two hour long sessions explaining how to think...
  12. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    You should address both the 'why law' and the 'why DLA' component, but I think you have some flexibility as to how you approach this. I've quoted bellow an answer I previously gave about how you can go about answering this:
  13. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Hi! Since the application form does not have any more questions where you can provide a written answer and expand more on your experiences, I think you will be given a bit more leeway regarding the level of detail you go to into the roles and responsibility section. That said, I do think you...
  14. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    @Jessica Booker will know a lot more about this, but to give you my thoughts on the matter, the question seems to be part of firms' anti-nepotism policies and checks. I do not believe this would include people you had one or two coffee chats with if the relationship did not progress further than...
  15. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    That happened to me in the past as well, it's quite a frustrating experience. What I would advise you to do is to try to speak with people at the firm and ask the same questions that elicited the response you got two year ago - perhaps someone will describe the same/very similar experiences...
  16. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Since you haven't used AI for anything substantial, it will be difficult to get to a conclusion that it improved your personal development directly. However, if you are willing to be a bit flexible with your writing, I think you can tie your use of Grammarly to some indirect resulting personal...
  17. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Hi Bella, I agree with @safari3's advice here. I would still seek to answer the three main questions in the cover letter as well (Why commercial law, Why the firm, Why me) but I would seek to employ more of a 'narrative structure' and speak more about personal experiences. Essentially, you...
  18. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    When I spoke to the graduate recruitment team they said the firm would accept applications from final year students, provided they acknowledge they will only be able to start their TC in 2027. I would assume the same policy applies for applications from graduates, in that the application will be...
  19. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    They most likely will, but K&E normally only announces openings for VS applications after the 1st of October - so I would advise you to have a look at their careers page in the coming days.
  20. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    It can also be in an .doc, .docx, or .rtf format, but I believe it is general practice to send it in pdf.

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