• 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 don’t agree with this tbh. They could have an interest in EU Competition Law in which case these internships would be beneficial for their applications, especially since Brussels is a major hub for EU Competition Law. Most city firms are also international by nature anyway. Having some...
  2. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Same here I haven’t heard from HL or W&C. I Applied to HL mid Dec did WGT Xmas eve. I Applied to W&C 5th Jan and no response yet. They both receive a lot of applications and are rolling recruitment. It’s a waiting game at this point. 🥲🥲
  3. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I don’t think anything is too minor; it might be that one thing that makes you stand out from others. I would try see if it can be added because it sounds like a valuable experience. 🙂
  4. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I would advise against this to be honest. 🙂 It’s better to stick to Paul, Weiss just to be on the safer side. 🙂 If you are tight on the word count try and see if you can rephrase and shorten sentences. 🙂
  5. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Hopefully I get extra brownie points for referring to the firm’s full name accurately in my application. 🤣💀 I wrote Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in full then put (Paul, Weiss) in brackets. Not sure whether I needed to but I didn’t want to risk anything. 😭 Guess we will all find...
  6. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    This is why it confuses me when a firm claims it has no minimum grade requirements but then still looks at your grades… 🤨 Almost every single future trainee I have come across at these US firms all have AAA at A-level and a 1st. This is despite having ‘no minimum grade requirements’… 🙃 At...
  7. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I also made this mistake in a few places so I’ve pretty much prepared for the immediate PFO. 🤣💀 If I get past the first stage it’ll be a miracle. 😭
  8. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    It also depends on how they approach the stages that come before the AC. 🫡 They could reject every application that has even one mistake in it. This includes spelling and grammar. 🙃 They could set a high benchmark for the SJT and filter a lot of people out that way. 🙃 From what I remember...
  9. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I remember they said they are expecting to get around 2-3,000 applications which is insane given they are only offering up to 10 TC’s. 🤯
  10. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Yeah mine has been similar. I guess it depends on each kind of experience. 🙂 If for example you have attended a dozen open days, it might be better to amalgamate them into one entry, in which case it is appropriate to use bullet points. 🙂 Similarly, if you have completed a dozen Forage virtual...
  11. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    During the open day it was mentioned that you should ideally select only one VS date so either Spring VS or Summer VS. This is only because there is no benefit in selecting both; it isn’t going to increase the chances of success. 🫡 However, if you genuinely don’t mind doing either VS, then...
  12. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Assuming the firm is a commercial law firm, I would say it’s asking for both, so I would address the city element of the question and the commercial law element. 🙂 It might be good to write 2-3 sentences on the why city law part but this depends on the word count. 🫡
  13. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    The first link mentions three traits in the first paragraph. Innovative, collaborative and client-centric. I think they might be some of their values. 🫡 It says these three traits continue to define Skadden’s culture. 🙂 https://www.skadden.com/about/overview There is also some other stuff...
  14. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I went to their in-person insight evening and they said 6-7 trainees at present but that number could fluctuate slightly. 🙂
  15. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Yeah they mentioned they take on up to 20 trainees a year but that number can fluctuate slightly depending on the calibre of candidates. 🙂 They don’t have a direct TC route so it’s solely from the VS.
  16. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I didn’t apply to Skadden but I remember at one of their events the grad rec manager said they have a limit on the number of people who make it to each stage: 250 written exercise, 120 partner interview and 70 for vacation scheme (15-20 per VS). I imagine they would wait until everyone had...
  17. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Thank you for this I really appreciate it. 🫡 The partner must have been impressed to have called the next day!! 😎 I’m surprised there has only been two AC’s so far given the deadline passed two weeks ago. 😭 There’s definitely hope left for those of us that applied closer to the deadline! 💀
  18. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I don’t think anyone should assume PFO. 🫡 We won’t know until we get the email so we just need to have some faith that we still stand a chance. 🥲 I think I have seen 1 or 2 AC invites so I think HL are just going through all applications and making decisions as they go. 🙂 Best of luck!
  19. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Congrats on your VS offer! 🥳

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.