TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

[lawyersum]

Yes. My friend did mention they were surprised when they heard. I guess a perk of the SQE is being able to do it with others at different firms allowing you to gauge insight.

Other firms revoke if you don’t pass first time. I think it’s ridiculous given the low pass rate. I saw someone on LinkedIn fail SQE 2 twice and has only 1 chance left to pass otherwise she has to wait 6 years.

Definitely. The exam is not classed as a super-exam for no reason. I think we saw the same post on LinkedIn because watching it was a very humbling experience to say the least.

 

[bibss]

Travers PFO and my third PFO in a week! At what point do I just give up? 🤦‍♀️

 

[yasmars]

Travers PFO and my third PFO in a week! At what point do I just give up? 🤦‍♀️

That’s how I’ve been feeling! Have you heard anything from cms post test?

 

[TCseeker17]

does anyone know how long it takes to hear back from Slaughter and May post interview?

 

[bibss]

That’s how I’ve been feeling! Have you heard anything from cms post test?

Not yet!

 

[Amma Usman]

Hey everyone,

I had recently posted a Private Equity case study. I’ve left the floor open for discussions, so feel free to share your thoughts. I’ll be posting my thoughts on it by next Friday. Hope you find it useful…

Private Equity Case Study - OPEN ENGAGEMENT ENCOURAGED ;)

Hey TCLA Community! We’re back again with the mock case studies ;) This time around, I decided to take a different approach. I’ve included the case study below, and will leave the floor open for a couple of days so you can all provide your thoughts and ideas on the commercial and legal issues...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

 

[SamiyaJ]

Does Trowers provide a feedback report for the cappfinity assessment?

 

[ashwright]

Has anyone heard back from CC yet?

 

[RSK]

Has anyone heard back from CC yet?

they mentioned they'll send out VIs from next week onwards

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

*TCLA in December*

We want to flag this now so people have plenty of notice and can plan application reviews, 1-2-1 calls, and general support over December.

The TCLA office will be closed from Monday 23 December 2024 through to Wednesday 1 January 2025.

Therefore the last date for application review submissions before the Christmas office closure is 19 December 2024 at 4.00pm. As we expect there to be a pre-Christmas rush, any applications submitted on 19 December may be returned on Monday 23 December.

You will not be able to submit applications between 4.01pm on Thursday 19 December until 10.00am on Thursday 2 January due to the office being closed. Other services like mock interviews and written exercises will also not be available during this period.

Please take this into consideration when planning not only your application reviews, but also any 1-2-1 calls and if you think you may need any additional services like mock interviews.

I expect the 18/19/20 December and the 2/3/5/6 of January to be very busy times for the team, so please consider this when thinking about the support you will need.

I will be on WhatsApp and the forums over the Christmas/New Year period for general support usually provided by these methods.

Any questions regarding this, please let me know.

 

[whywhy88]

Haven’t even heard back post app

Did you do the lift off scheme or anything? Cause they carry scores over for some of their schemes. I did lift off last year and when I emailed them about not having received the watson glaser a few weeks ago they said my score was transferable

 

[whywhy88]

Hi! I just got an AC for A&O Shearman’s direct tc! Any insights? Literally begging 🙏

Congrats! Do you mind me asking when you applied? Hoping to hear back soon, but I stumbled quite a lot on the video section of the SJT so I have my doubts 🙃

 

[ashwright]

they mentioned they'll send out VIs from next week onwards

Thank you so much! I wasn’t sure if it was saying that the VI stage was starting next week or that they’d send out invites next week 😅 I really appreciate it ☺️

 

[RSK]

Thank you so much! I wasn’t sure if it was saying that the VI stage was starting next week or that they’d send out invites next week 😅 I really appreciate it ☺️

No worries at all

 

[AspiringAAsolicitor]

How do I approach this question for CMS: Describe a specific instance where you have utilised artificial intelligence (AI) or other technologies in your work or studies. How have these tools enhanced your personal development? (200 words)

 

[Zaidoz10]

Hey guys, does anyone know if Goodwin requires minimum a commendation on the LPC?

 

[Zaidoz10]

Anyone hear back from CC Middle East?

 

[Lawlawlaw2]

Anyone heard back from PM for an AC?

 

[Amma Usman]

It’s so demoralising getting the rejections lol

Hi there @gazdgazd11 , I know how disheartening it can feel, but every rejection is a step closer to the opportunity that’s meant for you. It’s not a reflection of your potential or worth, it’s just part of the process. Keep reminding yourself of your strengths and how far you’ve come. Every "no" makes the eventual "yes" so much sweeter. You’ve got this, stay focused and keep pushing forward!

 

[Amma Usman]

How do I approach this question for CMS: Describe a specific instance where you have utilised artificial intelligence (AI) or other technologies in your work or studies. How have these tools enhanced your personal development? (200 words)

Hi @AspiringAAsolicitor ,

Thanks for this. I‘ve quoted a few posts the team has made on this;

Since you haven't used AI for anything substantial, it will be difficult to get to a conclusion that it improved your personal development directly. However, if you are willing to be a bit flexible with your writing, I think you can tie your use of Grammarly to some indirect resulting personal developments. Off the top of my head, I can think of:

1. By using it, you have saved significant amounts of time you would have normally spent reviewing and rephrasing your writing. This enabled you to invest more time and effort into improving your understanding of the subject matter of your coursework and into improving your understanding of the law firms you were applying to. The, you could give concrete examples of this and/or explain the outcomes: did your academic/professional interests change in any way? did you obtain better results - more success in application or better grades?
2. By using it to assess your manner of writing, you have been able to notice patterns in the errors you make when writing. This has allowed you to enhance your attention to detail and also improve your understanding of your strengths and weaknesses in your ability to articulate your thoughts. Then, you can explain how this progressively led to you improving your capacity to use language precisely. This arguably does not only also betters your capacity to express yourself both verbally and in writing, it also improves your ability to minimize ambiguity in thought itself (as the very act of reasoning involved representing concepts in language). Granted, this point might be a bit of a stretch, but I don't think it's impossible to make it fit for an application form answer if you can illustrate it by using some practical examples.

The other point I wanted to mention is that the application question says 'AI or other technologies'. As such, maybe you can think of some other new technology besides AI that you have used recently - perhaps some smarter search engine when looking for further resources in your research for the coursework?

Hi! I totally understand where you’re coming from. I think looking at the wording of the question is really important here. It’s not limited to just artificial intelligence—it also says or other technologies. So, think about any tech tools you’ve used, even if they’re not advanced AI systems.

For example, have you ever used Grammarly for spell-checking and improving your writing? Or maybe Excel for managing data? Even tools like Google Calendar, Zoom, or note-taking apps like Notion count! It’s less about using the most sophisticated tech and more about highlighting how these tools helped enhance your personal development or productivity.

I agree with @Jessica Booker's response here. I'll also add that although the term 'technologies' is ambiguous, because of its association with "AI", I would assume it does not refer to everything and anything digital. Rather, I think it's likely it is referring to some of the newer developed technologies - I would not go further back than 4-5 years. As such, online courses might not qualify.

However, I don't think you should worry too much about this question if you already have two examples. Many other candidates only write about using Grammarly as a review tool, so you should definitely be fine.