• 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 →
  • How to Stand Out in Law Firm Interviews (Willkie)
    3 Dec 2025 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm (UK) Zoom (registration required)
    Willkie’s new graduate recruiter and two trainees will break down what the firm looks for at the interview stage, common pitfalls to avoid, and how you can demonstrate confidence, clarity, and genuine motivation throughout an assessment centre.
    Register on Zoom →
  • Live Chat with BCLP’s Graduate Recruiter
    Today · 5:30 pm (UK) Hosted by Isabel Elsey Live Q&A on applications & interviews
    Join us for a live Office Hours session with BCLP’s Graduate Recruitment team. This is your chance to ask Isabel Elsey your specific questions on how to write a standout vacation scheme application and what BCLP looks for during interviews and assessment centres. Get clear, practical advice directly from the person who reads and assesses applications.
    Join live session →

Search results

  1. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    I think normally firms are happy to extend the acceptance deadlines, but it depends on many factors. Some firms don’t offer extensions and so the original deadline remains. 🥲 In that case, you could accept the TC offer and if you convert the SVS into a TC, accept it and renege on the original...
  2. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    Their FAQ section says only one application is allowed per recruitment cycle, so if you already applied for the VS, you can’t apply for the DTC in this cycle. 🥲 https://ukearlycareers.hoganlovells.com/what-we-offer/vacation-scheme
  3. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    Reed Smith’s 5 industry groups are: (1) energy & natural resources, (2) entertainment and media, (3) financial services, (4) transportation and (5) healthcare and life sciences. See below links where they are discussed: 🙂 https://www.reedsmith.com/en/capabilities...
  4. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Thank you for everything you have done for all of us on TCLA over the past six years. You are genuinely an absolute superstar! 🥳 Thank you so much for helping so many of us achieve our dreams of pursuing a career in the legal profession and in city law! 😅 Your contributions have been...
  5. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I think only finalists and graduates can apply for the legal business analyst (LBA) role, which is a form of permanent employment. Anyone who is not a finalist or graduate is not eligible to apply for the LBA role. They can apply for the Perkins Coie Summer VS instead. 😅
  6. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating it. I hope you guys have a great day and weekend! 🥳
  7. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    Have you considered taking an alternative kind of approach to applications i.e., not playing the numbers game but making fewer, more tailored applications, targeting a select few firms you have a strong interest in (10-15 firms)?
  8. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Some firms receive close to 5,000 applications each recruitment cycle. They have to draw the line somewhere to get the numbers down and make TC offers. It’s impossible for a firm to do this without ‘discriminating’ against someone. I think firms try to mitigate this with contextual recruitment...
  9. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    Fried Frank interview invite post WG! 😅
  10. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    The FAQ section seems to suggest they assess applications holistically, so won’t automatically screen out candidates that don’t meet their A-level criteria of ABB. 🙂 https://challengers.dentons.com/uk-trainees/faqs/
  11. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    I think the 1,000 words figure is more of a guide than a specific target you must hit. In my cover letter, I think I wrote around 800 words, including a brief introduction and conclusion. I got past the application stage this cycle for Spring / Summer VS. Best of luck with your White & Case DTC...
  12. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    White & Case offer 50 TCs per year. They have 3 VS’, with 25-30 candidates per VS (75-80 candidates across the VS’). 50% of VS’ers get a TC offer (40/80). 🥲 This is c80% of TCs (40/50). This means that White & Case take c20% of trainees through the DTC route (10/50) on average. I think these...
  13. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    I think since the Fried Frank DTC deadline was on Friday (23rd May), we most likely won’t hear back until early June. 🥲 It depends on how many applications the firm has received. Best of luck to everyone that applied to the Fried Frank DTC. 🙂
  14. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    It’s odd because on Chambers Student it says the minimum A-level requirement is 136 UCAS points (AAB) and 2:1 at degree level. On Legal Cheek, it says BBB at A-level and 2:1. On their website, there is no mention of A-level grades at all, only the 2:1 requirement. It’s probably a good idea to...
  15. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    On Legal Cheek, it says that Burges Salmon have a minimum A-level requirement of BBB and a 2:1 at degree level. However, on their website FAQ it says they consider mitigating circumstances and won’t automatically screen out applications that don’t meet the minimum academic criteria. I don’t...
  16. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    I imagine most TCs would go to VS candidates. In terms of %, I think they have 30 slots for both Spring and Summer VS (60 total). I think c50% of VS’ers (30/60) get a TC offer. 🙂 That is around 75-80% of TCs (30/40). Based on this, I think there are around 10/40 TCs available on the Direct TC...
  17. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    The AC is on the VS itself. The final stage prior to the VS is the SJT + VI. 🙂
  18. Harvey Specter

    TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

    I think people can apply to either the VS or the Direct TC (one application per cycle):

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.

Get Our 2026 Vacation Scheme Guide

Nail your vacation scheme applications this year with our latest guide, with sample answers to law firm questions.