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📅 Vacation Scheme & Open Day Applications 2025–26
Planning to apply for vacation schemes, open days or insight schemes? Join our dedicated threads for support, deadlines, and discussion:
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2025–26 Vacation Scheme Deadlines
Includes winter, spring and summer deadlines + a handy rolling/non-rolling checklist. -
2025–26 Open Day & Insight Scheme Deadlines
Comprehensive list of open day and insight scheme application deadlines across top law firms. -
TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread
Ask questions, share tips, and support each other through the application cycle.
Let’s make this your strongest application season yet 💼
Looking for personal help to secure a training contract this year? Check out the new TCLA Premium →
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2025–26 Vacation Scheme Deadlines
Search results
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Share your interview nightmares, sticky situations and stories!
Hi @TheChipmunk, It is great to hear that you have found our advice helpful. From what it sounds like, you are asking the right sorts of questions for you if you are asking about topics you care about or have prior involvement in. Personally, the questions I asked generally centred around the...- George Maxwell
- Post #24
- Forum: General Discussion
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Share your interview nightmares, sticky situations and stories!
Hi @TheChipmunk, You are absolutely welcome! So the first thing I would say is that @James Carrabino's post is gold dust. It has some tips in it that I wish I had known about when I was applying honestly 😅. For example, I love his point about turning up early. This is obviously advisable for...- George Maxwell
- Post #21
- Forum: General Discussion
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Gowling WLG Behavioural Assessment
Hi @DT89, That's an interesting reflection which I think a lot of people agree with. I personally found these sorts of tests frustrating. They only give a very limited idea of how a candidate might act in a given scenario (on very limited evidence). This is why firms will not be replacing full...- George Maxwell
- Post #2
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask TCLA's New Community Managers Anything!
Hi @futuretraineesolicitor, I do not think that you give that impression at all. Saying you can get one thing that another does not offer just clarifies that London firms offer something different to Indian firms. 👊- George Maxwell
- Post #57
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask TCLA's New Community Managers Anything!
Hi @futuretraineesolicitor, I hope that you are well! 🙋♂️ These are great questions. From my perspective, I think the question "Why London?" is primarily seeking for the candidate to justify their decision from a professional perspective. These reasons should be linked back though (for...- George Maxwell
- Post #55
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Share your interview nightmares, sticky situations and stories!
Hey @TheChipmunk 🐿️, So first of all, the example that you gave doesn't sound like you failed to build rapport (at all honestly). It definitely does not prove that you are incapable of doing it either(!). Although it is difficult to say without having been there, the interviewer may have just...- George Maxwell
- Post #16
- Forum: General Discussion
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Let's hear about TCLA members' hobbies!
Actually intending on starting to watch F1 actually! You may have to guide me @F1_Legal 🏎️🏎️🏎️ @James Carrabino was it big in the States when you were studying there?- George Maxwell
- Post #26
- Forum: General Discussion
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Share your interview nightmares, sticky situations and stories!
Hi @shannontongg, I LOVE your tips for building rapport. Thank you for sharing! 🚀 I think your reflection about drawing on unique experiences is spot on. Unique stories and narratives, I think, are the things that interviewers remember in retrospect, so this is great advice. These are the...- George Maxwell
- Post #15
- Forum: General Discussion
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Introduction, penultimate year student applying for Vacation Schemes
Hi @24aa2001, Welcome to the forum! It is great to have you as part of the community. :cool: Congratulations too on getting through to the online/situational judgement tests that you mentioned. Just to add to what @Jessica Booker said, try not to count yourself out of the running before it...- George Maxwell
- Post #3
- Forum: Introduce Yourself Here!
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TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)
Hi @Nad2468-, I absolutely whole-heartedly agree. They are a fantastic firm with genuinely interesting and interested people. I had a great time on my vacation scheme. If you, or anyone else, would ever like further thoughts on the firm I am very happy to help! Out of interest @Nad2468- what...- George Maxwell
- Post #743
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)
Hi @Sandrr_O! Apologies if this has already been answered, but yes only that firm can see your score. From my understanding the results you produce are only accessible to the firm asking you to take that specific test! Very happy to answer any follow-ups! How have you been finding WG tests so...- George Maxwell
- Post #4,874
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Share your interview nightmares, sticky situations and stories!
@futuretraineesolicitor this is a great reminder! I have definitely been there too. Often I only noticed these sorts of errors after leaving my application for a few days. Getting someone else to scan through your application is also really helpful. For anyone wanting other tips for catching...- George Maxwell
- Post #9
- Forum: General Discussion
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Share your interview nightmares, sticky situations and stories!
Thanks for sharing these @bethbristol and @Ruby96 😅- George Maxwell
- Post #8
- Forum: General Discussion
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Share your interview nightmares, sticky situations and stories!
I will kick this off by sharing my (nightmare) interview story. The story To summarise: I brought up a topic that I really shouldn’t have. So, this was one of my earliest interviews(!). For context, at the time I had been really enjoying studying International Political Economy at...- George Maxwell
- Post #2
- Forum: General Discussion
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Share your interview nightmares, sticky situations and stories!
Hey everyone, I thought it would be fun to start a thread about interview fears! It would be interesting (even therapeutic) to hear about the community’s biggest interview fears and/or interview nightmares (both law and non-law!). This is a place to share: · situations that, in theory...- George Maxwell
- Thread
- development fear interview interview prep stress
- Replies: 32
- Forum: General Discussion
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Assessment Centres - How To Prepare?
Fantastic post @AvniD thanks for sharing this!- George Maxwell
- Post #7
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Mayer Brown trainee simulation
Hi @ek125712, Just to add to the fantastic advice given by @LEL and @AvniD, be aware/careful of fixating too much on what you think the firm wants you to hear (according to their values etc.). I personally found that this was distracting. Being distracted in this way could lead to one giving a...- George Maxwell
- Post #7
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)
Hi @LSELawsolicitor, These questions are absolutely valid. I had to re-read the first question a couple of times before I understood properly! I will caveat this by saying this really is my opinion so I could easily be wrong! 1. I think that this is trying to test your commercial awareness. I...- George Maxwell
- Post #4,666
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Assessment Centres - How To Prepare?
Hi @SLKEJRWOI97, This is fantastic. Thank you for starting this thread. My biggest piece of advice is to work with the people on the AC, rather than viewing them as your competition. This is a personal choice (others might disagree). I think that GR (at least at the types of firm I wanted to...- George Maxwell
- Post #4
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Preferred practice area - first or last seat?
@Breeg345 let us know what you end up doing!- George Maxwell
- Post #8
- Forum: General Discussion