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  1. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    When asked to speak about a commercial story that interests you, is it a mistake to talk about a generic/widely covered story? For instance, if I planned to talk about the EU AI Act that is set to come into force and how that’ll impact firms/their clients, would that be fine as long as my...
  2. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    When you're asked how a firm stands out from its competitors, should you generally take the angle of your personal perspective or from a client's perspective?
  3. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    I think they're likely to complete all the ACs before handing out offers. Mine is the start of March and think they finish on the 12th. Imagine you'll hear after then :)
  4. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    Summer - I applied a day or two before the deadline :)
  5. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    I feel stupid asking this but my email says you have three days to prepare for the VI but the deadline is 00:00 on the 22nd. I would read that as needing to complete it before Wednesday evening but the three days would mean it should be Thursday evening, right? It seems like I'm missing...
  6. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    Thank you! Do you recall how long you had to answer each question?
  7. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    W&C VI! Nice surprise to get this late on a Monday! Anyone know what kind of questions to expect? Bit thrown by only having 3 days to complete it 😬 Also, this might be an obvious question, but if the deadline is “22 February 2024 (GMT+00:00)”, I presume that means 23:59pm on Thursday night...
  8. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    From what I can tell, it seems to just be received from the date you submitted it. I think it’s automated and not something to read into at all.
  9. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    Thought I would chip in as honestly the months post-graduation where I couldn’t get a legal position when all my friends were getting them was really challenging. The hardest part is most places seemed to be completely unresponsive, which sucks when you put a good amount of effort into a...
  10. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    Seen a bit of a discussion about SJTs and the reports today and having done Baker’s yesterday and plenty of others this cycle, I’ve learned not to read into them too much as we’ve no idea how they’re really assessed. I’m sure you have to hit a certain benchmark, but some firms will view them...
  11. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    No problem :) I’ve seen your point about NQ salaries and I would try not to focus on that *too* much. We’d all be lying if we said that didn’t factor into our thinking when picking a firm but the money you’d make at AG (£95k is it as an NQ?) is still very, very good money. It may not compare...
  12. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    Just did Baker's SJT and these reports really, really confuse me. I responded in exactly the same manner in my Reed Smith SJT and my Baker's one. In my RS report, I got 4/9 for grit, 4/9 for applied intellect, 7/9 for creative force, and 4/9 digital mindset. In my Baker report, I got 6/9 for...
  13. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    First off, congratulations on your VS offer! You should be very proud of yourself as it’s a great achievement :) In no way should you feel bad; I think the way you feel right now is understandable if you had your heart set on a particular firm and the “consolation prize” part makes sense. If...
  14. L

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2023-4

    Sorry, this was meant to be in the VS thread, too many to balance! I know one or two who have heard back too, so may just be a PFO and a lack of communication!
  15. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    I 100% understand your logic - I've done hospitality jobs before and hated it, so the thought of having to do that for the sake of it instead of solely applications doesn't sound appealing. I believe it's important to have something than just applications/legal events. That could be...
  16. L

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2023-4

    Update from Dentons if anyone is interested: Thank you for your email. We are in the process of reviewing a high volume of applications. I can confirm that you have not missed any communications from us and that we will be in touch soon to provide an update on your application.
  17. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    I wouldn’t say at all. You only graduated in January and have been actively looking for jobs/volunteering. I think it’s more the treating applications as a job that would set alarm bells off without doing anything else alongside it.
  18. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    I think that’s exactly it — some firms will care and others will care less. If you do have a gap, I would just be prepared with a reasonable explanation to say why that’s the case (which is more than just you were focused on applications).
  19. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    I don’t necessarily think so. Even if so, you could phrase it as you were looking for jobs. Firms will be aware how competitive the job market is for graduates so if you say you weren’t able to find anything for that three month period but were actively looking/while applying for open days etc...
  20. L

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    I think it’s very much firm dependent. I did have a friend who applied earlier this cycle who took time off to work on apps after not getting a paralegal job and they got queried about this in an interview. Of course you can attend open days/do virtual experiences etc and those proactive...

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