General Discussion Thread 2020-21

[Pallatablelawyer]

have u guys heard about this kickstarter program? could be interesting if law firms take it up? Essentially they will be paid to have interns for 6 months and that could be crucial for helping find TCs .. although i doubt this will be available for international students! if youre a home student, enjoy if law firms take it up!

 

[dosblancos7]

have u guys heard about this kickstarter program? could be interesting if law firms take it up? Essentially they will be paid to have interns for 6 months and that could be crucial for helping find TCs .. although i doubt this will be available for international students! if youre a home student, enjoy if law firms take it up!

Havent yet, could you provide links which discusses this?

 

[AH9891]

Thank you, this is also really helpful! Will definitely have a think about these elements tonight and see if there’s anything I can do to prep

 

[Camilla]

have u guys heard about this kickstarter program? could be interesting if law firms take it up? Essentially they will be paid to have interns for 6 months and that could be crucial for helping find TCs .. although i doubt this will be available for international students! if youre a home student, enjoy if law firms take it up!

It was announced by Rishi in his statement right? Sounds very interesting but its for people on universal credit which would mean you need to prove you cant get a job elsewhere I assume. I don't know if this will help many TC hunters.

 

[Pallatablelawyer]

Havent yet, could you provide links which discusses this?

i dont think there are any official links yet but i reckon news outlets have a few statements on it

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

have u guys heard about this kickstarter program? could be interesting if law firms take it up? Essentially they will be paid to have interns for 6 months and that could be crucial for helping find TCs .. although i doubt this will be available for international students! if youre a home student, enjoy if law firms take it up!

It’s not quite as simple as that unfortunately.

It is only available for people ages 16-24 on universal credit (eg benefits). Anyone who has just come of a degree or who isn’t eligible for such benefits wouldn’t be eligible for the firm to get funding.

 

[Deleted member 5185]

Hello all

Has anyone heard back from BCLP yet regarding their direct TC?

Perhaps this sounds a bit trivial, but I made a mistake in spelling organisation 'organization', in my application due to the american settings on grammarly. I am wondering how much this would have affected my chances of making it through to the online assessment stage, has anyone had experience of doing something similar?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hello all

Has anyone heard back from BCLP yet regarding their direct TC?

Perhaps this sounds a bit trivial, but I made a mistake in spelling organisation 'organization', in my application due to the american settings on grammarly. I am wondering how much this would have affected my chances of making it through to the online assessment stage, has anyone had experience of doing something similar?

very minor “error” that could easily not be noticed or if it is might even not care about. Depends on how many other errors there are, how well written your application is, and the relative strength of all the evidence though

 

[deckoking123]

Hello all

Has anyone heard back from BCLP yet regarding their direct TC?

Perhaps this sounds a bit trivial, but I made a mistake in spelling organisation 'organization', in my application due to the american settings on grammarly. I am wondering how much this would have affected my chances of making it through to the online assessment stage, has anyone had experience of doing something similar?

heard back for the brand ambassador role but not the actual application if that helps

 

[dosblancos7]

heard back for the brand ambassador role but not the actual application if that helps

When did you apply? I think they're rolling, which may impact response rate?

 

[LegalNim]

@Nad246 I applied to a Magic Circle firm and was reviewing my application after submitting it. I noticed that I'd written "lead" instead of "led" - I still got through to the next round. Some firms won't mind, some recruiters won't notice - try not to worry about it. Also, the Americanised spelling isn't "wrong" per se so I really wouldn't get hung up on it.

 

[Deleted member 5185]

@Nad246 I applied to a Magic Circle firm and was reviewing my application after submitting it. I noticed that I'd written "lead" instead of "led" - I still got through to the next round. Some firms won't mind, some recruiters won't notice - try not to worry about it. Also, the Americanised spelling isn't "wrong" per se so I really wouldn't get hung up on it.

Thank you so much. I think that COVID-19 has definitely amplified a lot of anxieties surrounding this application cycle. But that is very reassuring, also congratulations !

 

[Deleted member 5185]

very minor “error” that could easily not be noticed or if it is might even not care about. Depends on how many other errors there are, how well written your application is, and the relative strength of all the evidence though

Thank you so much. It is quite possible that there were other errors, (due to mitigating circumstances) I did email graduate recruitment to let them know about an acronym error after I had submitted my application.

 

[Helena]

Have just read this in The Lawyer. Doesn't look good

https://www.thelawyer.com/further-c...6755&adg=D3C1F298-4CB7-46B6-8B71-2AFCF91B4BF3

 

[Lr1]

Have just read this in The Lawyer. Doesn't look good

https://www.thelawyer.com/further-c...6755&adg=D3C1F298-4CB7-46B6-8B71-2AFCF91B4BF3

DWF has been woefully poorly managed for many years. Their old CEO was recently axed. This is all part of the firm’s realignment with new management. And it’s a listed company so it has to think of shareholders- another reason why firms shouldn’t list.

The redundancy's aren’t a strictly Covid response. This has been a long time coming for them. It’s too big and too unprofitable right now. Offices have shut, more will. The old CEO grew DWF for his own vanity, he’s gone now.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Thank you so much. It is quite possible that there were other errors, (due to mitigating circumstances) I did email graduate recruitment to let them know about an acronym error after I had submitted my application.

don’t email grad rec people about errors unless it is an error about your own experience (eg incorrect grades or wrong dates).

What were the ext circs for applying? I have never heard of ext circs about submitting applications so it would be good to understand this. Feel free to PM me if it’s easier.

 

[deckoking123]

When did you apply? I think they're rolling, which may impact response rate?

Mid march!

 

[M1999]

I know this is a silly thing to be worried about, but as a lot of grades have been inflated at some unis (more people getting 1sts), would it put you at a disadvantage if you got a 2:1? I feel like in comparison to the people at my uni I didn’t do bad at all but Compared to everyone else..

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

I know this is a silly thing to be worried about, but as a lot of grades have been inflated at some unis (more people getting 1sts), would it put you at a disadvantage if you got a 2:1? I feel like in comparison to the people at my uni I didn’t do bad at all but Compared to everyone else..

no - if anything it just reduces the value of a 1st. From the conversations I have had, it seems that many firms will be taking results this year with a pinch of salt. If they are good, great but if they aren’t as strong and still a 2.1, they won’t lose too much sleep over it because of all the disruption.

 

[M&ALawyer]

DWF has been woefully poorly managed for many years. Their old CEO was recently axed. This is all part of the firm’s realignment with new management. And it’s a listed company so it has to think of shareholders- another reason why firms shouldn’t list.

The redundancy's aren’t a strictly Covid response. This has been a long time coming for them. It’s too big and too unprofitable right now. Offices have shut, more will. The old CEO grew DWF for his own vanity, he’s gone now.

I've heard very similar points made from an ex-partner there. The IPO was predominantly used as a vehicle to line the pockets of equity partners/leadership and has not worked out at all.

Management wise there has been some real blunders; such as not keeping up with innovation, trying to outsource as much work as possible (although the quality of this work has been poor), and too frequent changes in strategy.

From what I gather the firm's attrition rate is much higher than its competitors for those entering seniority at the firm. One would hope their business model changes as in the long term as it is not sustainable (as the redundancies have shown).