Manifesting a TC: An international non-law's TC journey

[Izzy1026]

Ahhhh my gut feelings turned out to be right again. Rejected from Dechert post-AC but received Travers AC for direct TC after the first-round interview!

I'm counting my blessings and staying hopeful

 

[Izzy1026]

Hello friends I'm back again with my weekly spill:

Mini pupillage has been going really well. I ended my first court shadowing early today because we didn't end up going to trial - the other side settled. But still got to witness some top notch negotiation between my mentor and the opposing counsel. Overall a wonderful experience. The work is so intellectually stimulating.

In other news, got the Clifford Chance VI this morning. Also got the invitation to Meet Cooley December last week. Idk why I forgot to include it in my last week's update. So much is happening. It definitely looks like it will be a busy 3 weeks before Christmas - interviews, open days, minis, sending more apps, writing my dissertation (sometimes I forget that I still have a degree to do!).

 

[Deleted member 37508]

Hi there! Would you mind sharing what kinds of questions you got asked during the Willkie VI/how you found it? I would very greatly appreciate it.

That wouldn’t be fair to give you the questions. prepare as if it were any other firm. It’s a competitive process.

 

[Izzy1026]

Hi there! Would you mind sharing what kinds of questions you got asked during the Willkie VI/how you found it? I would very greatly appreciate it.

While I understand your nervousness doing VI prep, like the user above said, I don’t feel comfortable releasing the questions! But I can share that I found it quite straightforward and there was nothing unexpected

 

[Izzy1026]

Hey friends, I have been getting lots of messages asking me for tips regarding interviews at various law firms. I endeavoured to reply to most of them - provided they were thoughtful questions about my personal experiences, timelines, and interview format. However, after some reflections on application ethics, I decided that I cannot and will not reply to messages asking me for the specific VI/interview questions going forward. This is for three reasons:

1. Fairness: This applies to VI mostly. It is meant to be unseen, therefore testing your communication skills when put on the spot. It is not fair if one candidate does the VI with zero knowledge of what to expect, and another candidate has a fully-rehearsed response.

2. Usefulness: Practically speaking, most firms have a bank of VI questions and interview questions they draw from randomly for each candidate, so it is very unlikely we have the exact same questions!

3. What you need to know is often in the invitation: Firms will usually tell you what category of questions you can expect (motivation, behavioural, commercial), which should be enough to guide your preparation. It is very unlikely that a firm will deliberately make their VI questions very unconventional, given that they cannot prob you further on your response unlike in a face-to-face interview. So the questions are usually very straightforward and not aimed to catch you off guard.

Hope this helps. I am rooting for everyone and I am really grateful for your support!

 

[Izzy1026]

Hello friends, I’m here for my last update of 2024 before taking a break from this forum:

Received Clifford Chance AC for direct TC! What a pleasant surprise. I literally have never passed a single VI.

Got Mishcon VI invite earlier this week and completed it yesterday. Oh boy it did not go very well because I’m currently on vacation so I was very distracted throughout the process. I just want to get out and walk around the city!!!

Also got offered two more mini pupillages from 2 commercial chambers. I worked SO HARD on these two apps so I’m very pleased it paid off.

Overall a great end to 2024 and so many things to look forward to in 2025! Very grateful for the support I received from this community. But for now, I’ll take a break from posting and updating the thread.

 

[Izzy1026]

Hello and happy new year!

I received a Training Contract offer from Clifford Chance yesterday! There it is, my cycle has ended (somewhat) and it really feels so surreal. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for this community and all the support I have received here.

I will leave my CC application timeline in this post for anyone who needs the info in future cycles:

Applied: 10 November 2024
Watson Glasers: I passed it last year so I didn't have to retake
VI Invitation: 5 December 2024
VI Completed: 8 December 2024
AC Invite: 19 December 2024
AC (On-site): 21 January 2025
Offer: 28 January 2025

CC was the very first law firm I interacted with when I started thinking about a corporate law career. I did their Forage virtual internship in 2021, and till today it remains the only Forage internship I completed LOL. It feels like I have really come full circle If anyone's thinking of applying to CC, I definitely recommend doing the Forage internships first. It is a great way to show interest and it gives you so much to talk about during the interview, especially on questions that test your understanding of a trainee's day to day work.

 

[Izzy1026]

Just putting it here so I don't forget!! I will come back with a fuller update on how the interview went and my own two cents on how to strategise TC applications (I changed my approach so much compared to last year and it really seemed to work out!). This will take place after my dissertation draft submission which has become the new bane of my existence

 

[DunphyPritchett]

Hello and happy new year!

I received a Training Contract offer from Clifford Chance yesterday! There it is, my cycle has ended (somewhat) and it really feels so surreal. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for this community and all the support I have received here.

I will leave my CC application timeline in this post for anyone who needs the info in future cycles:

Applied: 10 November 2024
Watson Glasers: I passed it last year so I didn't have to retake
VI Invitation: 5 December 2024
VI Completed: 8 December 2024
AC Invite: 19 December 2024
AC (On-site): 21 January 2025
Offer: 28 January 2025

CC was the very first law firm I interacted with when I started thinking about a corporate law career. I did their Forage virtual internship in 2021, and till today it remains the only Forage internship I completed LOL. It feels like I have really come full circle If anyone's thinking of applying to CC, I definitely recommend doing the Forage internships first. It is a great way to show interest and it gives you so much to talk about during the interview, especially on questions that test your understanding of a trainee's day to day work.

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Izzy1026]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you

 

[lawyersum]

Hello and happy new year!

I received a Training Contract offer from Clifford Chance yesterday! There it is, my cycle has ended (somewhat) and it really feels so surreal. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for this community and all the support I have received here.

I will leave my CC application timeline in this post for anyone who needs the info in future cycles:

Applied: 10 November 2024
Watson Glasers: I passed it last year so I didn't have to retake
VI Invitation: 5 December 2024
VI Completed: 8 December 2024
AC Invite: 19 December 2024
AC (On-site): 21 January 2025
Offer: 28 January 2025

CC was the very first law firm I interacted with when I started thinking about a corporate law career. I did their Forage virtual internship in 2021, and till today it remains the only Forage internship I completed LOL. It feels like I have really come full circle If anyone's thinking of applying to CC, I definitely recommend doing the Forage internships first. It is a great way to show interest and it gives you so much to talk about during the interview, especially on questions that test your understanding of a trainee's day to day work.

Huge congratulations, go and treat yourself!!

 

[yk1906]

Just putting it here so I don't forget!! I will come back with a fuller update on how the interview went and my own two cents on how to strategise TC applications (I changed my approach so much compared to last year and it really seemed to work out!). This will take place after my dissertation draft submission which has become the new bane of my existence

Congrats with your offer! I am a fellow international candidate and this is my first cycle. I would love to hear your successful strategies!!

 

[Izzy1026]

Huge congratulations, go and treat yourself!!

woohoo I just logged back in to see this! Thank you so muchhhh xx

 

[Izzy1026]

Congrats with your offer! I am a fellow international candidate and this is my first cycle. I would love to hear your successful strategies!!

Thank you!!! Yes I will share my experiences soon xx
Rooting for all my fellow international applicants