My journey to a Training Contract

[JasmineM9]

Hello! My name is Jasmine I am currently a paralegal hoping to secure a training contract! 🥹

I have been a long time lurker of TCLA’s threads but now I decided to make this thread to finally hold myself accountable and keep track of my applications.

Submitted application:

A&O direct Training contract —> to do SJT and VI

Applications drafts made and to be reviewed:

White & Case - draft nearly done

Latham & Watkins - draft to be reviewed and amended.

Applications not started yet

Linklaters - spring vacation scheme

Weil - vacation scheme

Shearman & Sterling - open day and vacation scheme

Baker McKenzie - vacation scheme

Hogan Lovells - direct TC

Skadden - vacation scheme

Best of luck to everyone going through the application cycle. Hope we will all be successful!!!🤩

 

[axelbeugre]

Hello! My name is Jasmine I am currently a paralegal hoping to secure a training contract! 🥹

I have been a long time lurker of TCLA’s threads but now I decided to make this thread to finally hold myself accountable and keep track of my applications.

Submitted application:

A&O direct Training contract —> to do SJT and VI

Applications drafts made and to be reviewed:

Clifford Chance - draft nearly done

White & Case - draft nearly done

Latham & Watkins - draft to be reviewed and amended.

Applications not started yet

Linklaters - spring vacation scheme

Weil - vacation scheme

Shearman & Sterling - open day and vacation scheme

Baker McKenzie - vacation scheme

Hogan Lovells - direct TC

Best of luck to everyone going through the application cycle. Hope we will all be successful!!!🤩

This is an amazing way to keep yourself accountable, to connect with people and inspire others so thank you so much for sharing your experience.

Good luck with your journey!

 

[JasmineM9]

Thank you Axel!! I will keep you updated 😄

 

[JasmineM9]

Little Update. - I sat the A&O Blended Assessment - it was okay overall.
The VI was good - I practiced a lot so I am glad I was able to respond well.

Next steps:

Send Latham and Skadden by Friday and prep for WG practice

On the weekend - practice M&A TCLA courses and commercial awareness practice.

 

[flower]

Hi, does Latham use the WG?

 

[JasmineM9]

No, for Latham it is a SJT assessment

 

[Jaysen]

Hello! My name is Jasmine I am currently a paralegal hoping to secure a training contract! 🥹

I have been a long time lurker of TCLA’s threads but now I decided to make this thread to finally hold myself accountable and keep track of my applications.

Submitted application:

A&O direct Training contract —> to do SJT and VI

Applications drafts made and to be reviewed:

Clifford Chance - draft nearly done

White & Case - draft nearly done

Latham & Watkins - draft to be reviewed and amended.

Applications not started yet

Linklaters - spring vacation scheme

Weil - vacation scheme

Shearman & Sterling - open day and vacation scheme

Baker McKenzie - vacation scheme

Hogan Lovells - direct TC

Best of luck to everyone going through the application cycle. Hope we will all be successful!!!🤩

Good luck Jasmine. I look forward to following your journey!

 

[JasmineM9]

Thank you Jaysen! I will keep you updated! 😄

 

[JasmineM9]

Hi @axelbeugre I have a quick question in terms of drafting applications.

For Latham I applied last year and made it to the VI stage. I am a bit stuck in amending and drafting the application as it was good enough to pass the application stage. Should I maintain the same structure but maybe include more recent deals? 😊

 

[axelbeugre]

Hi @axelbeugre I have a quick question in terms of drafting applications.

For Latham I applied last year and made it to the VI stage. I am a bit stuck in amending and drafting the application as it was good enough to pass the application stage. Should I maintain the same structure but maybe include more recent deals? 😊

Hey @JasmineM9,

Thanks for the question.

I have shared some insights into this in a previous post that I will leave here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ons-discussion-thread-2023-4.8038/post-153326

Additionally, you could mention more recent deals, especially if they help you substantiate your why the firm answer. What I would focus on is how you can link these new deals to you and your background specifically. It is important to mention cases or deals in a way that make sense and not for the sake of it. So, for instance, when I was applying, I mentioned a case that the firm was working on in Africa, and I explained that that was very interesting to me because I am originally from the Ivory Coast and I worked with African social enterprises in the past.

I think that if you use these recent deals and find a connection to you, that will work well in your favour.

Moreover, if you have done new experiences, internships or joined new organisations, I think it would be worth mentioning them in your new application as to differentiate yourself from your past application. You want to show how you have developed and progressed as a candidate and now, you are more ready than last year.

I hope these are helpful and good luck with the application!

 

[JasmineM9]

Thank you so much @axelbeugre! It’s really helpful!

I will include a bit more of newest experiences.

There is a section on extra curricolars - would it be worth talking about starting a new sport? -I recently started fencing, I could potentially link the skills I developed as a fencer to being a lawyer at L&W. What do you think? 😁

 

[axelbeugre]

Thank you so much @axelbeugre! It’s really helpful!

I will include a bit more of newest experiences.

There is a section on extra curricolars - would it be worth talking about starting a new sport? -I recently started fencing, I could potentially link the skills I developed as a fencer to being a lawyer at L&W. What do you think? 😁

I think that this is an excellent experience you can discuss for sure and the link to the skills developed to being a lawyer at Latham will work immensely well for you so I would definitely include that.

I think that you should focus on what you think will distinguish you from other candidates and I personally believe that fencing is not as common as other sports, and so, it will be something that they might remember about you.

In order to do this, some questions that you might consider are:

1. How did you train for fencing?
2. Have you participated in any competitions where there was a tight time pressure?
3. How have you collaborated with a team (if relevant)?
4. Have you ever faced a particular incident where you show resilience despite difficult circumstances?

What I would be thinking about is being very specific about how the role of fencing is applicable to the role of a commercial lawyer.

Good luck with the process! @JasmineM9

 

[JasmineM9]

Amazing! Thank you for the advice, I will definitely include it now.

I will keep you updated!! @axelbeugre 😊

 

[JasmineM9]

Update on applications

Latham &Watkins drafted and ready to be sent.
To start prepping for VI potential questions this week.


Skadden - skeleton plan for application, I researched the firm and I have made a little summary on what to include in the application. To start drafting on the weekend.

Weil application - not started yet

Shearman & Sterling - not started yet

White & Case - draft made to review and amend.

 

[JasmineM9]

Hello, it’s been a while!

Little update - I was rejected by most of the firms I applied and currently waiting to hear back from Cleary and MoFo. 😕

Weirdly, last cycle was a bit better, I got two VIs with two firms that I really liked but was rejected after the video interviews.
I improved my applications and applied again but was rejected this cycle.

Although this cycle has been a bit of train wreck, it has also been very eye-opening for me.

I have taken a break from applications to get my motivation and positive mindset back after a short spiral.

Now that I am back, I decided I need to change and improve if I really want to secure a TC.

Steps for improvement:

1) I think I need to change my strategy and. apply to wayyy more firms to maximise my chances of success.

2) start practicing the Watson Glaser early on. I will be starting practicing tests daily for 30 minutes.

3) Continuing developing my commercial awareness and do it daily. To try and be more consistent.

4) Applying to open days/ insights evening and firms events to get to know firms better

5) improve my confidence and improve my performance in VIs by practicing weekly.

6) avoid negative mindset and comparison to other candidates - we are all in the same boat, success of others doesn’t take anything away from my own journey and success.

I worked really hard on my applications I made sure they were tailored and well researched. Not too sure on what to improve in that? (If anyone has tips feel free to comment!!!)

I have been a paralegal for two years now, would get other experiences maybe volunteering be worth considering?

I have a range of legal and non legal experiences, I am wondering do I need to bring something new in applications?

Anyways that’s the update haha, will update you once I hear back from Cleary and Mofo but at the moment I am mentally preparing for the next cycle now.

 

[Aks.Khurana]

Hi @JasmineM9,

It's so great to see you diligently update this thread with your progress! The road to a training contract isn't a straight path, and most people will inevitably face setbacks. But it only takes one yes. About your comments about sending more applications, here are some of my suggestions.

As you've experienced, many candidates realise that they hope to apply to more firms. This is undoubtedly a good idea; applications are a numbers game, and you reduce risks by applying to more places. During my vacation scheme cycle, despite only being interested in 3 firms, I pushed myself to apply to several firms I wouldn't ordinarily list as my top priority. Some of the applications that I didn't view as particularly significant at the time led to training contracts and vacation scheme offers, which offered security and options!

My one piece of advice here is to avoid a scattergun approach, which is when we maximise the number of applications while lowering the quality of each individual application. Rather, I'd recommend allocating more time to some applications you regard as higher value and adjusting your strategy for other firms. This way, you will still have a high standard for your work while diversifying for risk. This strategy helped me maximise my application numbers while focusing heavily on my top 3 firms. Regarding how many applications to do, we generally recommend doing as many applications as possible while maintaining a high standard for your work. This means showing a high level of research, perfect grammar, and clearly communicated motivations.

Good luck!

 

[JasmineM9]

Hi @Aks.Khurana thank you so much for your kind words and advice.

I will definitely follow your tips, thank you again. 😄