General Discussion Thread 2020-21

[Jaysen]

You should absolutely not leave out your VS experiences from an application - it is an impressive form of work experience that will only strengthen your apps. Like Jaysen said, it is common amongst applicants to have not moved on from a VS to a TC (not all law firms have the intake to do so + it remains highly competitive) firms are aware of this.

Agreed. The other important part of securing a vacation scheme is that it's pretty clear proof of your commitment to commercial law. Securing a vacation scheme means you have dedicated significant time to apply, interview and intern at a commercial law firm.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

With respect to the first point (already having done schemes at other firms), how would you suggest we present/portray the experiences to mitigate the perception that our direct TC applications are to 'second choice' firms?

Thanks!

Jennifer's reply is spot on about this!

 

[STWO]

Rejection from K&L Gates, just TLT left now and then onto vac scheme apps

 

[NMD]

Hey everyone, just sending a friendly reminder that you’ll all get there!!!!! I recently got a TC following a VS. Last year I didn’t even manage to get past the application stages. But with absorbing all of the resources on here and getting support from all of the amazing people on this forum, I managed to get four vacation scheme offers and eventually a TC. You can definitely, definitely do it! There were so many times when I didn’t feel good enough and lost hope. But, just keep going because you will get there eventually!

If any of you need any help, please don’t hesitate to reach out whether it’s for motivation or tips !!!! I’d love to pay all the kindness I’ve received forward

 

[Velikilawyer123]

Jennifer's reply is spot on about this!

Would you mention this at the application stage or once / if invited to an interview?

Because I imagine it might come across as a bit artificial if in a question on "why our firm" you mention that you didn't like X at this other firm and you're really attracted by the fact that THIS firm has Y and Z. Or am I completely wrong on this?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Would you mention this at the application stage or once / if invited to an interview?

Because I imagine it might come across as a bit artificial if in a question on "why our firm" you mention that you didn't like X at this other firm and you're really attracted by the fact that THIS firm has Y and Z. Or am I completely wrong on this?

it’s not that it’s artificial - but saying what you don’t like is negative and that’s something to avoid in an application.

What you need to do is focus on the positives of what the firm can offer you that the more “prestigious” firm cannot.

A “why your firm“ question doesn’t need to be comparative though, but many applications ask why it’s different to other firms you have considered or applied to, and in those instances a comparative answer is required.

 

[HotSauce123]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I applied to Linklaters' India Internship programme. Our AC took place over a month ago and no one who attended the AC seems to have heard back yet. What could be a possible reason for this? Thanks!

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I applied to Linklaters' India Internship programme. Our AC took place over a month ago and no one who attended the AC seems to have heard back yet. What could be a possible reason for this? Thanks!

They maybe waiting to work out how many people they will hire/what the next stages are etc.

Someone who is making the decisions could be off sick/on leave

Someone who is making the decisions could be busy with other more important work

They might have a freeze on budget and therefore have to work out whether the programme will go ahead

There are changes in visas about the happen in the UK, that might impact the wording of any employment contracts and they may be waiting for clarity on that from the UK government

Covid-19 is making them wonder whether the programme will go ahead

Literally a 101 different possible reasons really

 

[OB]

Would you mention this at the application stage or once / if invited to an interview?

Because I imagine it might come across as a bit artificial if in a question on "why our firm" you mention that you didn't like X at this other firm and you're really attracted by the fact that THIS firm has Y and Z. Or am I completely wrong on this?

In your justifications in why you like the firm you're applying to, you could affirm parts you liked from the vac scheme firm like intake size or practice area etc. Or reaffirm another aspect and say how you did a vac scheme at X and that was an aspect you realised you didn't want from your TC. There's probably good ways to put it in your question which makes you look like you know what you want and are well informed about the career without being artificial at all.

 

[Lawbour]

Does anyone know how to improve on the verbal reasoning tests - I have practiced so many and still getting around 50-60% I feel like an idiot

 

[jan28]

Does anyone know how to improve on the verbal reasoning tests - I have practiced so many and still getting around 50-60% I feel like an idiot

Hey, they’re definitely very testing so don’t feel that way! What really helped me was trying to understand what each section is really asking for so I did more research on the individual parts of the Watson Glaser. I find inferences and deductions particularly difficult so I watched videos or read other explanations that explained these in more detail in different words than the generic information you read during the test and I was able to see the slight nuances in each part of the test that helped me consider different answers than I would’ve previously.

 

[Lawbour]

Hey, they’re definitely very testing so don’t feel that way! What really helped me was trying to understand what each section is really asking for so I did more research on the individual parts of the Watson Glaser. I find inferences and deductions particularly difficult so I watched videos or read other explanations that explained these in more detail in different words than the generic information you read during the test and I was able to see the slight nuances in each part of the test that helped me consider different answers than I would’ve previously.

Thank you for this! very useful for the WG tests, especially the inferences section which is my worst area.
But, all in all I'm reasonably ok at the Watson Glaser (i usually score 80%ish for them, with inferences usually letting me down lol), its more the verbal reasoning tests that I struggle with - the ones where they have some passage and ask you to whether a statement, related to the passage, is 'true', 'false', or 'cannot say'

 

[TChopeful2021]

When putting the ‘city’ or ‘location’ for work experience entries, do we put the location as where the organisation/firm is based, or the location we were primarily based whilst operating in this role? (E.g: our home city if we were WFH).

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

When putting the ‘city’ or ‘location’ for work experience entries, do we put the location as where the organisation/firm is based, or the location we were primarily based whilst operating in this role? (E.g: our home city if we were WFH).

I would put Remote Working in as a location if you weren't based in their office. You don't actually have to list the geographical location you worked from, as this wouldnt have any relevance really. But putting Remote Working would make it clear

 

[jan28]

Thank you for this! very useful for the WG tests, especially the inferences section which is my worst area.
But, all in all I'm reasonably ok at the Watson Glaser (i usually score 80%ish for them, with inferences usually letting me down lol), its more the verbal reasoning tests that I struggle with - the ones where they have some passage and ask you to whether a statement, related to the passage, is 'true', 'false', or 'cannot say'

Apologies - I completely forgot about those types of verbal reasoning and just thought you meant WG. 80% average is still fantastic though!

 

[Staples]

Thank you for this! very useful for the WG tests, especially the inferences section which is my worst area.
But, all in all I'm reasonably ok at the Watson Glaser (i usually score 80%ish for them, with inferences usually letting me down lol), its more the verbal reasoning tests that I struggle with - the ones where they have some passage and ask you to whether a statement, related to the passage, is 'true', 'false', or 'cannot say'

I used to struggle a lot with this so here’s my tip – don’t make any inferences yourself. Read the passage and the statement carefully and ask yourself if the statement is in any way “contained” in the passage (but expressed with different words). If it is, it’s true; if the statement directly contradicts or misrepresents the passage, it’s false; in all other cases it’s cannot say.

For example, if a passage says that a city has been using more and more renewable energy and the statement says something like “the city has become much more environmentally friendly in recent years” then I’d personally pick “cannot say” unless there is something in the passage that explicitly links renewable energy with positive effects on the environment – I know in the real world this link exists, but one should remain focused on the passage. I know this may sound obvious but reminding myself that I must make no inferences of my own helped me get much better! Hope this helps!

 

[George Rowe]

Is anyone still waiting to hear back from Paul Hastings first round interview?

 

[orange32]

Thank you for this! very useful for the WG tests, especially the inferences section which is my worst area.
But, all in all I'm reasonably ok at the Watson Glaser (i usually score 80%ish for them, with inferences usually letting me down lol), its more the verbal reasoning tests that I struggle with - the ones where they have some passage and ask you to whether a statement, related to the passage, is 'true', 'false', or 'cannot say'

Adding onto what @Stefano said, for T/F/CS questions, you should look for something that directly affirms or directly contradicts the statement. Otherwise, the answer is 'cannot say'. You do not rely on any 'general knowledge'.

From my understanding this is what distinguishes T/F/CS from T/Probably True/CS/Probably False/F questions (i.e. 'inference' questions in Watson Glaser), in which you are allowed to use 'general knowledge' to determine whether something is probably true or probably false.

Eg

'Most people who have salmonella experience symptoms of stomach ache and runny stool.'

Statement: 'It is common for people with salmonella to use the bathroom.'

In T/F/CS - cannot say. Nothing in the statement directly confirms or denies the link between salmonella & bathroom use
In T/PT/CS/PF/F - PT, because most people who have stomach ache/runny stool will use the bathroom (general knowledge)

Hope this helps

 

[efitzgerald]

Is anyone still waiting to hear back from Paul Hastings first round interview?

I would chase them up! I thought they had finished second rounds and were making offers, so I would get in touch with them to see what's happened with your application, even if its just to get feedback.

 

[J123]

Hi, has anyone heard back from Latham post-VI? According to the previous email, they'll start Direct TC AC in the week commencing on 5 Oct which is only one week from now on.

I was invited to an AC today! Hope you hear back soon as well