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17 Nov 2025
10:00 am – 12:00 pm (UK)
Hosted on TCLA Forum
Chat with Withers' graduate recruitment team and ask about life at the firm, secondment opportunities, and what it's like to be a trainee. Simply return to this page on the day to post your questions.
Join us for a live student panel with BPP University Law School. We'll be joined by Jonny Hurst, Senior Lecturer in Law at BPP, and current BPP students who will share their advice on passing the SQE.
Could someone please explain the difference between debt finance and equity finance and what the relative advantages and disadvantages are of each type of financing (in the context of PE), but in a way that would be digestible to a lay person. Why would one be chosen over the other? I’m trying...
In addition to what @VMS said, I think you can also try see if the firm has any forage internships that you could complete. This could help you understand the kind of work a trainee would do and the kinds of matters that the firm typically advises on. 🙂
Perhaps if the firm hosts virtual events...
I’ve probably asked this question at least 10x by now but has anyone heard from Travers Smith or Ropes & Gray at all? Low-key starting to crash out from waiting this long lmao. 😂🥲
Is this why they asked on their application form for one of their 500 word questions “how do business generate and maintain a profit.” These guys were trying to get some ideas from us lmao. Icl it’s clever on their part. I hope they took some detailed notes. 😂
I remember at their open day, someone asked why their trainee retention rates were so low and why BCLP seems like a sinking ship, and the partner basically dodged the question and waffled about how the firm is recognised for its training quality. Having said that, I may or may not re-apply for...
Most of us who got invited to interview scored between 20-24 on the SJT. I think scoring anything above 20 will be fine. However, since Paul, Weiss assess test scores alongside written application, I think it would also depend on the quality of the application as well. I’m sure you’ll hear back...
By video interview (VI), do you mean like a pre-recorded style VI, or any kind of VI? I think Travers Smith have a similar process to Slaughter and May, except the partner interviews are conducted virtually. People who pass that interview get the VS offer, and do the AC during the VS. I think I...
There is some crossover between both IP Law and Competition Law, especially in the area of patents, but they are quite different areas at the same time. 🥲
I want to explore both during a training contract (I did both as final year optional modules and really liked them). It would definitely...
This is really useful @Amma Usman! 🐐
Competition law is acc proper interesting. I’m a fiend for it at this point. I really liked it as a undergrad module. In almost all of my applications I have yapped about each firm’s competition practice for at least one of my ‘why this firm’ reasons. Even...
I have a controversial question. Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? It appears it’s technically both at the same time (botanically and culinarily). It therefore seems tomatoes are very versatile and adaptable. I would also like to be a tomato. 🥲🥲
“If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be?” is a crazy question what the hell. 😂😂
I didn’t realise these kinds of questions would be asked in interviews. It looks like I need to spend some time on figuring out which fruit I want to be. I’m thinking maybe an apple. 🍏
You may have seen my posts on the forum in the middle of last week where I was on the verge of crashing out because I hadn’t heard anything from Paul, Weiss and I had convinced myself it was a PFO (seeing others had also been PFO’d). 🥲🥲
To my surprise (literally I was shocked and I still am)...
I don’t think there are many city law firms that offer TC’s to majority of the candidates on the VS. In most cases, I think that the VS to TC conversion rate is between 25-50%. Some firms, such as the Magic Circle, only recruit 1/2 of their trainees from the VS. The rest of its trainees are...
I might be wrong here, but wouldn’t the offer of a TC to those that did the VS, be based on the fact they did the VS and not based on their AC performance? I don’t think city law firms (who invest at least £100k in training) would be able to make a decision solely off of an AC. In the instance...
I think I saw someone say on the forum recently that they had either been invited to the HSF AC, or completed the HSF AC, but were told that HSF’s Spring VS was full and that HSF was recruiting for Summer VS’ only from now on. Best of luck for HSF! 🙂
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