Hearing Back from Law Firms, Assessment Centres & Interview Tips - 2019 - 2020

[Pallatablelawyer]

Just received a Vacation Scheme offer from Skadden!

Last year I was rejected from all 60 of my applications. This year I began to give up hope once I received 15 more rejections I had spent an excessively long time preparing, including 3 post interview. Aside from my commercial law applications I applied to dozens of at high street firms and charities to gain some legal experience, but to no avail. .

I am so grateful to those on this website and @Jaysen for assisting me in the whole process, as I know I would have not been able to make it this far without the guidance provided. It feels like I am on the start of a journey, which I will try my best to hopefully end up in a TC!

I wish the best of luck to everyone in their applications!

Man I am so happy for you wow

 

[J32]

Just received a Vacation Scheme offer from Skadden!

Last year I was rejected from all 60 of my applications. This year I began to give up hope once I received 15 more rejections I had spent an excessively long time preparing, including 3 post interview. Aside from my commercial law applications I applied to dozens of at high street firms and charities to gain some legal experience, but to no avail. .

I am so grateful to those on this website and @Jaysen for assisting me in the whole process, as I know I would have not been able to make it this far without the guidance provided. It feels like I am on the start of a journey, which I will try my best to hopefully end up in a TC!

I wish the best of luck to everyone in their applications!

Got White & Case and Skadden Vac Schemes! So thankful

Congratulations to both of you, terrific achievements! Make sure you celebrate this weekend

 

[R203]

Well done!! Anyone still waiting on Skadden post AC?

 

[NourJ]

Well done!! Anyone still waiting on Skadden post AC?

I am Are they going to send rejection emails too?

 

[NourJ]

Just received a Vacation Scheme offer from Skadden!

Last year I was rejected from all 60 of my applications. This year I began to give up hope once I received 15 more rejections I had spent an excessively long time preparing, including 3 post interview. Aside from my commercial law applications I applied to dozens of at high street firms and charities to gain some legal experience, but to no avail. .

I am so grateful to those on this website and @Jaysen for assisting me in the whole process, as I know I would have not been able to make it this far without the guidance provided. It feels like I am on the start of a journey, which I will try my best to hopefully end up in a TC!

I wish the best of luck to everyone in their applications!

Got White & Case and Skadden Vac Schemes! So thankful

Congrats guys! You earned it

 

[manchunited]

Well done!! Anyone still waiting on Skadden post AC?

I am...

 

[003]

Just received an email from Reed Smith apologising for the wait and saying they have had an extremely high number of applications which they are working through as quickly as possible.

Is this likely a holding email or just an update? I submitted my research questions before Christmas but I haven't contacted them. Has anyone had a summer AC/ invite from them?

 

[Holly]

I am...

I am Are they going to send rejection emails too?

I think if some people they offer, don’t accept the vac scheme offer, then they will perhaps contact a few more people who were close to getting accepted

 

[Roland]

Mayer Brown AC! Thanks for the advice not to email!

Congrats!! Is this for a direct TC or a VS? Thanks!

 

[SG]

Just received an email from Reed Smith apologising for the wait and saying they have had an extremely high number of applications which they are working through as quickly as possible.

Is this likely a holding email or just an update? I submitted my research questions before Christmas but I haven't contacted them. Has anyone had a summer AC/ invite from them?

I’ve received the same and I submitted my research questions before Christmas too.

 

[nisadee]

Hey guys, I'm in a really sticky situation right now...
I know this might sound ungrateful to some but I'm thinking of not attending an interview at Macfarlanes which I have been offered. I'm going through a lot of stress right now and suffer from anxiety. I have already secured a vac scheme with DLA Piper and have been rejected from Freshfields. I prepared a lot for the Freshfields AC and I still did not get it and so I really don't want to think about preparing for the Macfarlanes one to that extent since I just cannot 'wing' it. The thought of going through this again is actually making me very stressed right now. I honestly am happy with having one vac scheme this year. I know Macfarlanes have a small intake and given the type of interview is about thinking on your feet (something I am not good at), I doubt I would get it anyway.
I don't know, I feel like my mind is kind of made up but I just wanted to share to know what some of you think about this... any thoughts would be really appreciated. Thank you!

 

[jan28]

Hey guys, I'm in a really sticky situation right now...
I know this might sound ungrateful to some but I'm thinking of not attending an interview at Macfarlanes which I have been offered. I'm going through a lot of stress right now and suffer from anxiety. I have already secured a vac scheme with DLA Piper and have been rejected from Freshfields. I prepared a lot for the Freshfields AC and I still did not get it and so I really don't want to think about preparing for the Macfarlanes one to that extent since I just cannot 'wing' it. The thought of going through this again is actually making me very stressed right now. I honestly am happy with having one vac scheme this year. I know Macfarlanes have a small intake and given the type of interview is about thinking on your feet (something I am not good at), I doubt I would get it anyway.
I don't know, I feel like my mind is kind of made up but I just wanted to share to know what some of you think about this... any thoughts would be really appreciated. Thank you!

I completely understand where you’re coming from but I think you should still attend. Although you’re gutted about the rejection now, you will be far more gutted after you’ve accepted it and will wish you gave Macs a shot in the future. Worst case, you get rejected from Macfarlanes but still have a VS offer plus more AC experiences in the bag. Think of it as short term pain for a long term gain take the weekend off and start again Monday x

 

[Jade]

Hey guys, I'm in a really sticky situation right now...
I know this might sound ungrateful to some but I'm thinking of not attending an interview at Macfarlanes which I have been offered. I'm going through a lot of stress right now and suffer from anxiety. I have already secured a vac scheme with DLA Piper and have been rejected from Freshfields. I prepared a lot for the Freshfields AC and I still did not get it and so I really don't want to think about preparing for the Macfarlanes one to that extent since I just cannot 'wing' it. The thought of going through this again is actually making me very stressed right now. I honestly am happy with having one vac scheme this year. I know Macfarlanes have a small intake and given the type of interview is about thinking on your feet (something I am not good at), I doubt I would get it anyway.
I don't know, I feel like my mind is kind of made up but I just wanted to share to know what some of you think about this... any thoughts would be really appreciated. Thank you!

Oh bless you, completely understand where you are coming from. Your mental health should be your priority certainly. Just make sure your certain you won’t regret it, as your DLA VS may not result in a TC. Macfarlanes is also such a strong firm it would be a shame to let it go.

 

[AH9891]

Hey guys, I'm in a really sticky situation right now...
I know this might sound ungrateful to some but I'm thinking of not attending an interview at Macfarlanes which I have been offered. I'm going through a lot of stress right now and suffer from anxiety. I have already secured a vac scheme with DLA Piper and have been rejected from Freshfields. I prepared a lot for the Freshfields AC and I still did not get it and so I really don't want to think about preparing for the Macfarlanes one to that extent since I just cannot 'wing' it. The thought of going through this again is actually making me very stressed right now. I honestly am happy with having one vac scheme this year. I know Macfarlanes have a small intake and given the type of interview is about thinking on your feet (something I am not good at), I doubt I would get it anyway.
I don't know, I feel like my mind is kind of made up but I just wanted to share to know what some of you think about this... any thoughts would be really appreciated. Thank you!

• Hey, I completely understand how you feel, it’s such a difficult decision to make. Only you know how you feel about it and how prepared you feel for the interview. I’d say that Macfarlanes is one of the firms where you can’t reapply until a significant change in your circumstances after a failed AC (someone please correct me if this is incorrect), so if you genuinely like the firm and think that you are not in the headspace, I’d maybe not do it. I’m always a huge believer in going for it, but you have to do what sits best with where your head’s at and as they are one of the hardest to re-apply to, it may be best to not do it. Again, only you will really know what the best thing to do is

 

[J88]

Hey guys, I'm in a really sticky situation right now...
I know this might sound ungrateful to some but I'm thinking of not attending an interview at Macfarlanes which I have been offered. I'm going through a lot of stress right now and suffer from anxiety. I have already secured a vac scheme with DLA Piper and have been rejected from Freshfields. I prepared a lot for the Freshfields AC and I still did not get it and so I really don't want to think about preparing for the Macfarlanes one to that extent since I just cannot 'wing' it. The thought of going through this again is actually making me very stressed right now. I honestly am happy with having one vac scheme this year. I know Macfarlanes have a small intake and given the type of interview is about thinking on your feet (something I am not good at), I doubt I would get it anyway.
I don't know, I feel like my mind is kind of made up but I just wanted to share to know what some of you think about this... any thoughts would be really appreciated. Thank you!

Hey! Sorry to hear about this - this sounds really tough.

I'm not sure if this is at all helpful - but I think maybe it could be quite productive getting away from a outcome-oriented way of thinking i.e. wondering whether you'll be successful at the AC; or wondering about the conversion rates of your vac scheme, and letting that decide whether you should do the AC. Obviously the purpose of applying is to ultimately get a TC, but I think it could be helpful for your situation to *not* think about the interviews in an outcome-oriented way.

I'd instead think about the interview as part of a process - and a really great experience. I've done the Macfarlanes AC: it's pretty difficult, and you do need to think quite hard. But I think the experience does help you get better at these skills. If you're really stuck with the exercises, you can ask the partner for prompts. If you still can't get the answer, then the partner will probably just tell you in the end - there's no shame in it! This is really invaluable. You can then go away from the interview, replay it in your head and evaluate: what was my thinking process like? How could I have improved it? Are there gaps in my knowledge which I need to address? What did I miss? How could I have arrived at the solution the partner hinted towards? What can I do going forward?

I think treating the AC as a process makes it a much more enjoyable experience, and you can get a lot of value out of it for your future interviews - regardless of the outcome!

Although of course your mental health is extremely important, and you should prioritise that! My answer is just reflecting my own personal experience, and something that's helped me a lot

 

[Jen E C]

Hey guys, I'm in a really sticky situation right now...
I know this might sound ungrateful to some but I'm thinking of not attending an interview at Macfarlanes which I have been offered. I'm going through a lot of stress right now and suffer from anxiety. I have already secured a vac scheme with DLA Piper and have been rejected from Freshfields. I prepared a lot for the Freshfields AC and I still did not get it and so I really don't want to think about preparing for the Macfarlanes one to that extent since I just cannot 'wing' it. The thought of going through this again is actually making me very stressed right now. I honestly am happy with having one vac scheme this year. I know Macfarlanes have a small intake and given the type of interview is about thinking on your feet (something I am not good at), I doubt I would get it anyway.
I don't know, I feel like my mind is kind of made up but I just wanted to share to know what some of you think about this... any thoughts would be really appreciated. Thank you!

Perhaps instead of focusing on the outcome of the AC, you could view it as an opportunity to improve the 'thinking on your feet' aspect that you don't feel as confident with, particularly as you are content with having DLA. I have done the AC and feel it was quite nice, in that everyone is incredibly friendly and they don't try to trip you up or grill you at any stage. Before each task, grad rec even go through which skills they are evaluating. You did incredibly well getting through to all those ACs, they clearly see potential in you.

On the other hand, only you know your mind and what's best for you. If you really don't feel up to it, there's no need to push it; mental health should take priority.

 

[DavidJC]

I'd gone the entire week hearing nothing only for it to end on a Friday 5pm rejection email from Ropes & Gray post-application. Meanwhile still waiting on Linklaters, Debevoise, CMS, Freshfields, Sidley, HL, Akin Gump, Dechert, Mayer Brown, Milbank.

 

[Law]

I'd gone the entire week hearing nothing only for it to end on a Friday 5pm rejection email from Ropes & Gray post-application. Meanwhile still waiting on Linklaters, Debevoise, CMS, Freshfields, Sidley, HL, Akin Gump, Dechert, Mayer Brown, Milbank.

Sorry to hear that! If it helps, I had gone almost a month since 4 of my ACs/Interviews and today I got 4/4 rejections within 45 minutes of each other.

One of the firms rejected me TWICE just to really let me know that I was rejected incase I missed their previous email, a whole 5 seconds before

 

[Jaysen]

Just received a Vacation Scheme offer from Skadden!

Last year I was rejected from all 60 of my applications. This year I began to give up hope once I received 15 more rejections I had spent an excessively long time preparing, including 3 post interview. Aside from my commercial law applications I applied to dozens of at high street firms and charities to gain some legal experience, but to no avail. .

I am so grateful to those on this website and @Jaysen for assisting me in the whole process, as I know I would have not been able to make it this far without the guidance provided. It feels like I am on the start of a journey, which I will try my best to hopefully end up in a TC!

I wish the best of luck to everyone in their applications!

Amazing news, well done!

 

[CalibreX1]

Just need to get this out there - I received a rejection from NRF for their Summer VS which was my last hope this cycle. I don't want to dump my sadness into the thread with the amount of positive news people got today, but I feel that I am left with an empty tank and a bit unsure where to go after this. I am sure I will be fine eventually but just feeling really down that I haven't managed to see any real progress with my applications or success in the process for 3 years. I genuinely feel like I can't take many more of these setbacks so I am just gonna have to go over my options this weekend. I really didn't expect this cycle to end for me so abruptly but I appreciate the continued support in this amazing forum. I just hope maybe one day I can also share some good news as I have been working at this for a long time now. Of course, I never expected to grasp it instantly but as life goes on, it is hard to not to doubt my ability or motivation for the career I had set my sights on. I am really glad that so many of you have achieved great things this cycle and to those of you still waiting or in a similar situation I will say this - whatever stage you have achieved up to, you didn't get this far to only go this far! So I am sure it is only a matter of when rather than if! If anyone has any advice or can help me weigh up my options over this weekend or whoever you have any spare time I would be forever grateful.

So sorry about this! I know it hurts now but please don’t give up! This is also my third cycle and I’m yet to receive a vac scheme offer. I know someone who did 6 cycles of applications before securing a training contract.

If you really want it, I promise that you WILL get there! Keep going. You’re one ‘no’ closer to a yes!