• 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 →
  • Office Hours with BCLP (Live Q&A)
    29 Oct 2025 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm (UK) Hosted on TCLA TV
    Join Isabel Elsey, Legal Recruitment Manager at BCLP, for a live Q&A session. Get details on secondments, innovation, growth areas, and everything else you’ve wanted to ask about life at BCLP!

    📺 Join Event

Search results

  1. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I did my W&C VI on Monday and haven’t heard back yet but it’s only been 2 days. I have seen a fair amount of people on the forum who have done AC’s but they sent their application much earlier. I applied 5th of Jan. Ropes & Gray deadline was on the 31st so just under a week ago. I imagine we...
  2. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I agree whoever invented the amberjack SJT test needs to go outside and touch some grass because what was that it was so hard. 🥲 If Paul from Paul, Weiss is seeing this though I promise I am a nice, friendly and collaborative person in real life!
  3. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I think they do this on purpose to test how you react to it. Not sure what they are assessing by doing this. 🥲 I have heard of this being done at other firms and whilst it is odd it makes some sense. I do wonder though whether they do this in an interview with a neurodivergent person who might...
  4. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    If it is true it reeks of nepotism and everything that goes against meritocracy in my opinion! Can’t forget to include the word *allegedly* though just to be on the safe side.
  5. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Thank you for doing this @Jessica Booker! It means a lot to us all on this forum. 🙂
  6. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Imagine if it’s not anyone on graduate recruitment and instead it’s some dodgy automated AI system… 😱 Filter out all the disabled and state school applicants in a flash. 💥
  7. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Next thing it will be targeting anyone who went to state school or who was a first gen student. I think it’s a poor reflection on them tbh. Doing all of this to cut down numbers is crazy work but it’s their loss not ours at the end of the day. 🙂
  8. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I think the test has been confirmed to be untimed. I took 90 minutes to do mine so I’m hoping timing won’t be an issue. 🥲
  9. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    If you can’t access the Freshfields specific practice test you could use other practice tests instead before doing the actual WGT. I have quoted a post by @Andrei Radu that has some listed examples below which I hope could be useful.
  10. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Second this I have also been aired by a couple of firms after asking for reasonable adjustments and it is really unfair. I just abandoned the whole application altogether because it was quite indicative of what working for that firm would have looked like. 🥲🥲
  11. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I think it’s useful to include all work experience tbh but where they are similar just amalgamate them into one entry. While one VS was 2020, the other one was recently in 2024. It wouldn’t make sense to not include the older work placements. They’re equally valuable imo. 🤷🏾‍♂️
  12. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    These same firms will bombard you with emails about their disability and neurodiversity affinity networks and commitment to diversity… I feel like it’s all just very performative ngl. Some firms are genuine and supportive about adjustments though like Willkie and Macfarlanes.
  13. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Icel that’s actually disgusting. Did they accept that you had emailed for adjustments and that they had failed to respond? Surely they should have been able to give at least a one day extension with the adjustments in place? I’m sorry you had to go through all of that. It’s a joke in my...
  14. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Has anyone heard back from Travers Smith at all about the SVS? I feel like it’s been a while from the application deadline. 🥲🥲 Based on last year’s forum for WVS and SVS it seemed they were getting back to people a few weeks after the final deadline.
  15. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I have very similar scores and tbh I think most of us also haven’t gotten rly high scores on the test so I hope the benchmark for the test isn’t high. They will look at our applications and online test scores together so if the application is very strong I think they will factor that in. 🙂
  16. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Bakers Direct TC is until April and SH Direct TC route is till June or July I believe. 🙂 King and Spalding Direct TC and SH SVS deadlines are in February. 🙂 I think there is a deadlines list on TCLA for both VS and Direct TC.
  17. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Literally how it was for me. My neurodivergent brain did not want to cooperate with me for the test at all. 🥲🥲
  18. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I think you passed the SJT and they have now read your application and invited you to take the WGT. By test score, I think they are referring to the WGT test result and not the SJT. Best of luck for Freshfields TC!

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.