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Join the live thread →Reed Smith is live in the forum nowAMA Live nowGraduate Recruitment and SQE interns from Reed Smith are here to answer your questions.
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Register on Zoom →Willkie Live: How to Write a Successful Vacation Scheme Application7 Oct 2025 5:30pm (UK) Zoom (registration required)Learn exactly how to write a successful application to Willkie Farr & Gallagher, with live examples + Q&A with Gemma Baker.
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
Hey Samar, My answer is pretty much the same as my post here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/ask-jaysen-tclas-founder-anything.2364/#post-28511. If the firm says is happy for you to make a direct training contract application and you don't want to wait until a future...- Jaysen
- Post #56
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
If this is for the Shoosmiths application, the rest of the question is quite important: how Shoosmiths can remain successful and attractive in 2020 and beyond without compromising on profitability. This is an opportunity for you to show you understand Shoosmiths and the business of law firms...- Jaysen
- Post #55
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
What are your thoughts so far? As a general tip when asking questions, try to show how you've thought about the question already and what it is that you're finding difficult. That way, I can give more tailored advice.- Jaysen
- Post #54
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
Wish I could help here but I'm afraid I don't really know much about in-house legal teams!- Jaysen
- Post #53
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
1. So group/written/partner interviews all differ depending on the firm, but if I had to give some general advice: For partner interviews, sure you go into the interview really knowing what you've put on your application form. Where it's a CV, I usually suggest candidates take a red pen and...- Jaysen
- Post #52
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
Thanks guys, will get back to the latest questions tomorrow morning!- Jaysen
- Post #45
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Watson Glaser Practice Questions
Hi All, An anonymous candidate sent me over these practice questions for the Watson Glaser Test which they found publicly available online. In the spirit of sharing this information with everyone, I thought I'd post it publicly here. While there are no answers to the questions (aside from the...- Jaysen
- Thread
- Replies: 22
- Forum: Watson Glaser and Case Study Resources
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
1. During our sessions, the candidates that stand out to me come across as exceptionally prepared. Take commercial awareness for instance, I think most candidates learn what they need to know (e.g. they'll follow 2-3 stories and read up on M&A terms) and that'll be enough for some firms. The...- Jaysen
- Post #38
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
No problem! I think the 'wasting your university years' point is quite individual; it would depend on what's important to you to do at university and the number of things you're balancing your activities with. I'm not sure I have anything useful to say here, so @Alice G may have some better...- Jaysen
- Post #34
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
I'm assuming this is an interview question as I don't think I've seen an application question on this. If so, there's a fair amount of flexibility for you to take this question in the direction you want to. They could have similar approaches, or they could be different (e.g. you might interpret...- Jaysen
- Post #32
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
Thanks Eyo! I like your thinking here, I'd just take some time to think honestly about why this is something that stood out to you: What does it mean to you that a firm has a clear and committed growth strategy? Why is it important to you that they are one of the few firms that aren't cutting...- Jaysen
- Post #31
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
Great question! This is tricky as I'm not too sure how exactly law firms are structuring their virtual vacation schemes. If you have an upcoming vacation scheme and they've provided an idea of what to expect, let me know and I can better tailor my advice. In the meantime, I would say the bulk...- Jaysen
- Post #30
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
I'd first ask why you are looking to demonstrate this in your cover letter?- Jaysen
- Post #29
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
Thanks guys, will be back in a bit to respond to the latest questions!- Jaysen
- Post #26
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
I was about to pass this on to you, so thank you!- Jaysen
- Post #22
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
I'd interpret challenging competency questions like these fairly broadly; it's not easy to think of a time when you broke a specific written rule, but you might be able to think of a situation where you disobeyed what you should have done. If it helps, you might want to think of situations where...- Jaysen
- Post #21
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
No problem! 1. The way I tend to see this is as follows: Done correctly, meeting a firm is a great way to bump your 'why this firm?' answer to the top % of applicants. However, not meeting a firm isn't going to disadvantage your application. Many candidates who haven't personally met a firm...- Jaysen
- Post #17
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
That's an unusual question! So with questions like this, I'd start from scratch, rather than thinking about how you'd answer a similar question (like 'what skills do you have that will make you a good trainee?'). Otherwise your answer is likely to be less focused. As a starting point, I'd try...- Jaysen
- Post #16
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
You are right in that if a US firm states they recruit the majority of candidates through its vacation scheme, it's going to be trickier on paper because you're competing for a smaller number of places. This doesn't necessarily mean it's a waste of time though; if there's a US firm you...- Jaysen
- Post #15
- Forum: Applications Discussion
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Ask Jaysen (TCLA's Founder) Anything!
Thank you for the kind words and great questions! 1. This is one of the biggest issues I see in applications and interviews, as well as something I personally struggled with, so you're definitely not alone in feeling this. Candidates sometimes feel they are being arrogant or fake if they start...- Jaysen
- Post #14
- Forum: Applications Discussion