• WIN: Lunch with Willkie Trainees!
    15 Oct 2025 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm (UK) Zoom (registration required)
    Put your knowledge of Willkie Farr & Gallagher to the test in this interactive quiz session. The winner will enjoy lunch with Willkie trainees!
    Register on Zoom →
  • Get Everything You Need to Secure a Training Contract
    Now half the price. Join TCLA Premium for £30/month and get step-by-step application support, daily commercial awareness practice, and 700+ successful examples of past applications and interview experiences. Plus so much more.
    Join Premium →

Search results

  1. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    I wouldn’t say you could “bomb” something but you could underperform slightly. Ultimately when they say they will look at things holistically, they will weigh up various bits of evidence and consider that collectively. That does allow slightly lower performance in one assessment to potentially...
  2. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    You don’t have to avoid it. It can work well in interviews.
  3. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    It’s not really about whether it is a personal set of circumstances or not. I have seen it work very well on many occasions, but also seen it not work well on others. It’s more about how you present the story - if it’s more focusing on the negative circumstances rather than your skill...
  4. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    Again, there is no set answer to this. Sometimes there’s a script of interview questions, sometimes they are just told to ensure they gather certain evidence and have the freedom to ask questions that would hopefully cover those aspects.
  5. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    There is no answer to this unfortunately. It can be a good thing, it can not be a good thing. It isn’t really one of those things that can say the outcome will be a certain way.
  6. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    I’d wait for the feedback in the first instance. It may easily be the case that you were “good enough” but maybe you and the firm just weren’t the right combination. When you get the feedback you will get more context and will be able to analysis the reasons why at that point. Until then, it’s...
  7. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2023-4

    Only if you submit your qualifying work experience to the SRA and decide the go through the process of qualifying with the SRA. If you were going to do a TC anyway, I’d personally suggest waiting for that for your QWE and going through the process of joining the solicitors’ roll at the end of...
  8. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2023-4

    They will mean the geographical area you are applying to. I am assuming you can apply to different office locations, and so they are probably trying to understand what is connecting you to that location specifically.
  9. TCLA Community Assistant

    Small gaps in my CV over the summer

    A matter of a few weeks gap is not going to be an issue and is very common over the summer for many applicants. As long as you are showing you are doing something across the summer summer (part-time jobs, travelling, e-learning/virtual work experience), it will not be an issues if there are gaps...
  10. TCLA Community Assistant

    training contract internatioanl students

    Open days can be a good opportunity but the difficulty is attending them if you are outside of the UK. Travelling to attend them might be at a cost to you as firms will only reimburse a certain level of expenses for them.
  11. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2023-4

    From my experience, Freshfields have a slightly different approach to reviewing applications. Yes, they are looking for similar characteristics as other firms but they really want to get a sense of who you are and your individuality that I feel other firms don't necessarily value or assess in...
  12. TCLA Community Assistant

    training contract internatioanl students

    LinkedIn will be the best route as both firms do not include trainees in their “find a lawyer” part of their website.
  13. TCLA Community Assistant

    training contract internatioanl students

    Yes - that is clearly the case as they both have trainees who are most likely non U.K. citizens and who have studied outside of the U.K.
  14. TCLA Community Assistant

    -

    Most events don’t really kick off until people are back at university (unfortunately). You may want to see if A&OS are running events themselves though. Looks like they will be updating this page soon with all their events: https://earlycareersuk.aoshearman.com/Events
  15. TCLA Community Assistant

    communication with firm

    Call the switchboard number and explain you have tried to contact the firm in several ways via email and telephone but you are not receiving an answer and you just want to ensure you are not missing any comms. Switchboard will then typically put you through to someone.
  16. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2023-4

    The Home Counties is a pretty broad salary range in itself due to the variety of locations. You can PM me, but I won't have specific knowledge about salaries for firms.
  17. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2023-4

    Even if they are not, it is a very busy time for graduate recruitment with summer vacation schemes, preparing for the next recruitment cycle, preparing for trainee inductions, planning seat rotations, on-boarding trainees to law school etc. Its probably the busiest time of year for many of...
  18. TCLA Community Assistant

    Reaching out to earlier VS law firms to let them know I've had further VSs?

    There is no harm in sending a short and concise summary to graduate recruitment with an update in situations where your last application was a vac scheme earlier in the year and you are now being considered for a TC off the back of your vacation scheme. I’d keep the email short and concise...
  19. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2023-4

    I think they are just trying to limit responses to the email, and that as they have said your application is under review and therefore still under consideration
  20. TCLA Community Assistant

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

    Clearly my post has got back to Bradstone Allington! Their terms have now been updated to remove the reference to BA Training Ltd and they have been looking at my LinkedIn profile….

About Us

The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

Newsletter

Discover the most relevant business news, access our law firm analysis, and receive our best advice for aspiring lawyers.

    Share this page

    Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-2022 XenForo Ltd. | Style and add-ons by ThemeHouse | Community services from Audentio
    XenCarta 2 PRO © Jason Axelrod of 8WAYRUN
    Top Bottom