ml_vk2022's Training Contract Journey

futuretrainee202X

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Jan 28, 2022
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Hi everyone!

Upon @AvniD suggestion in the premium forum, I have (finally) started this thread to document my training contract journey. I was also really inspired by @j.s.cox' thread documenting a journey to securing the TC at his/her dream firm - and I'm crossing my fingers that by authentically documenting my growth and journey at TCLA, this application cycle would yield great results for me as well :)

As a disclaimer, I secured two TCs in another jurisdiction during the previous application cycle, but I made the hard decision to keep searching for a TC that best suits what I was looking for. I came to an internalised criteria through completing three legal placements and vac schemes. My main criteria now are:
  • Band 1 or 2 ranking on Legal500 in the UK for international arbitration. Alternatively, a very high Global Arbitration Review ranking (top 10-15);

  • Mandatory disputes seat;

  • International secondment with a range of options available for Asian and/or US offices;

  • Sectoral focus on projects & energy and technology disputes;

  • [This one is a recent realisation] Small trainee intake that allows meaningful client contact + progressive levels of responsibility. I specifically want to look for firms that have programmes enabling trainees to have close contact with partners (i.e., sitting in the same office or similar mentee arrangements).

  • [optional but highly desirable] Active pro-bono department offering public international work. I realise PIL is fairly hard to come by in private practice, and so any opportunity to work in this field is something I look for as well!

Here is what I have done since October 2022:
  • October: Attended a range of virtual law fairs (AS Diversity Law Fair and Legal Cheek Virtual UK Fair) + AllAbout Law's Virtual Campus where I attended a range of workshops and had the opportunity to ask questions + independently signed up for various workshops and skills sessions by other law firms.

  • November/December: Attended four open days at Herbert Smith Freehills, Freshfields, Skadden and White & Case. I was very lucky to be connected with grad rec and trainees at King & Spalding through the courtesy of TCLA (thanks @Jaysen!). Attended more law firm virtual networking/workshops/skills sessions. Submitted an app to HSF, Freshfields, A&O and Skadden. Completed psychometric tests for HSF (mandatory - passed - rejected at app review), A&O (mandatory - passed - rejected at app review) and Freshfields (selective - did not pass).
    • I had a realisation during this period that I tend to do well at SJTs but fall down on WGs. In the Jan wave of apps, I decided to focus on firms that meet bullet point 5 above AND tend to veer more towards interviews so that my chances of progressing to the next round increase.

    • Over the Christmas holidays, I also tapped into TCLA resources on how to research law firms and make more effective applications as I felt that was something I might have fallen down on in my HSF and A&O apps.
  • January: Applied for Debevoise, Gibson Dunn, Latham and White & Case. Completed psychometric test for Latham. Rejected at app stage with Skadden (we move!). In the meantime, I have completed a virtual video interview through TCLA's stimulator service. I have also completed a mock interview with Chloe last week. I have. a mock assessment centre with my University's career services to further practice interview skills in a group context.
 
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AvniD

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Oct 25, 2021
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Hi everyone!

Upon @AvniD suggestion in the premium forum, I have (finally) started this thread to document my training contract journey. I was also really inspired by @j.s.cox' thread documenting a journey to securing the TC at his/her dream firm - and I'm crossing my fingers that by authentically documenting my growth and journey at TCLA, this application cycle would yield great results for me as well :)

As a disclaimer, I secured two TCs in another jurisdiction during the previous application cycle, but I made the hard decision to keep searching for a TC that best suits what I was looking for. I came to an internalised criteria through completing three legal placements and vac schemes. My main criteria now are:
  • Band 1 or 2 ranking on Legal500 in the UK for international arbitration. Alternatively, a very high Global Arbitration Review ranking (top 10-15);

  • Mandatory disputes seat;

  • International secondment with a range of options available for Asian and/or US offices;

  • Sectoral focus on projects & energy and technology disputes;

  • [This one is a recent realisation] Small trainee intake that allows meaningful client contact + progressive levels of responsibility. I specifically want to look for firms that have programmes enabling trainees to have close contact with partners (i.e., sitting in the same office or similar mentee arrangements).

  • [optional but highly desirable] Active pro-bono department offering public international work. I realise PIL is fairly hard to come by in private practice, and so any opportunity to work in this field is something I look for as well!

Here is what I have done since October 2022:
  • October: Attended a range of virtual law fairs (AS Diversity Law Fair and Legal Cheek Virtual UK Fair) + AllAbout Law's Virtual Campus where I attended a range of workshops and had the opportunity to ask questions + independently signed up for various workshops and skills sessions by other law firms.

  • November/December: Attended four open days at Herbert Smith Freehills, Freshfields, Skadden and White & Case. I was very lucky to be connected with grad rec and trainees at King & Spalding through the courtesy of TCLA (thanks @Jaysen!). Attended more law firm virtual networking/workshops/skills sessions. Submitted an app to HSF, Freshfields, A&O and Skadden. Completed psychometric tests for HSF (mandatory - passed - rejected at app review), A&O (mandatory - passed - rejected at app review) and Freshfields (selective - did not pass).
    • I had a realisation during this period that I tend to do well at SJTs but fall down WGs. In the Jan wave of apps, I decided to focus on firms that meet bullet point 5 above AND tend to veer more towards interviews so that my chances of progressing to the next round increase.

    • Over the Christmas holidays, I also tapped into TCLA resources on how to research law firms and make more effective applications as I felt that was something I might have fallen down on in my HSF and A&O apps.
  • January: Applied for Debevoise, Gibson Dunn, Latham and White & Case. Completed psychometric test for Latham. Rejected at app stage with Skadden (we move!). In the meantime, I have completed a virtual video interview through TCLA's stimulator service. I have also completed a mock interview with Chloe last week. I have. a mock assessment centre with my University's career services to further practice interview skills in a group context.
So happy to open the forum to this! Very glad that you decided to make this thread, it's genuinely such a great way to connect with fellow applicants and see where you started from ➡️ what you achieved and went on to go to!

Love that you did a month-by-month break down of everything you've done towards securing your TC! The thing that stood out to me was your observation that you're better at SJTs than WGs - very interesting! What is your general approach towards practicing for WGs?
 
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AvniD

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To be honest, I am still not the best at this - I recently received an overall percentage from CC' practice tests (75% overall or 30/40 correct answers).

I mostly practice through JobTestPrep and document the result of each practice section to track my progress. I review the mistakes and highlight these areas for review (which I still haven't done haha!). I also compile a section on my Notion page that compresses all my learnings into a cheat sheet.

I haven't worked on this part since December but thanks for the reminder - I will need to get on it as SH and HL both have a WG component in their recruitment process.
It may just be the case that if you practice a little more widely that your scores get better! Linking my post here and another one here that you can come back to when you decide to focus on the WG again 😊
 
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HLL

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Mar 26, 2021
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Hi!! Popping in to say I really like this thread!

Also how you're finding the paralegal job hunting experience? I am planning to do some paralegal work too after I finish my gdl, but not sure where to start looking - are you reaching out to recruiting agencies or directly to firms with paralegal postings?
 
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j.s.cox

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    Hi!! Popping in to say I really like this thread!

    Also how you're finding the paralegal job hunting experience? I am planning to do some paralegal work too after I finish my gdl, but not sure where to start looking - are you reaching out to recruiting agencies or directly to firms with paralegal postings?
    Just to jump on this and say that I recommend Flex Legal if you are looking for paralegal jobs!
     

    NatashaS98

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    Sep 30, 2022
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    Hi @ml_vk2022 - I really like how you are keeping such a detailed log of what you are getting up to and your to-do list (this really helps keep you accountable).
    Have you spotted a trend in the incorrect answers you have got for the assumptions question? Identifying whether there is a common pattern could help you figure out whether there is anything you could change to boost your overall score.
     
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