TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2024-5

[ke.nabbk26]

Mayer Brown pfo

Probably Ashurst pfo too as I haven't received the post-app written assessment yet. I will try my last shots with W&C and Fried Frank. Hope to overcome the “overqualified for an entry levle role” vs “underexperienced in UK law” dilemma

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Anyone have any advice on when to submit a rolling application, other than as early as possible? is a week/ a few days before the deadline too late?

It’s ultimately never too late if the application is still open.

I would just avoid the last 24 hours as the recruitment systems are notorious for crashing on deadline day due to the volume of people using the system. If you have any other technical issues, you haven’t got the time to resolve them either. Trying to get the application submitted on a working day before the deadline is good too just in case you need to speak with the recruitment team.

 

[wz_13]

If anyone has applied to the samsung paralegal job, have you managed to hear anything back yet?

 

[lou1707]

hey guys and @Jessica Booker , I'm completing an application and they're asking for a referee.
Is it better to put down
1- one undergraduate law professor
2- a partner from a french firm I internshipped in last summer
3- my current manager BUT from my hospitality work

I'm aware options 1 & 2 look more prestigious but they're more removed in time and I haven't spoken to them in a year
thank you!

 

[Raspberry44]

Ashurst Interview Invite!

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Ashurst Interview Invite!

congrats. noob here. is this after the case study?

 

[lawzade02]

Ashurst Interview Invite!

Congrats and good luck! If they are already sending out interview invites, does this mean they are done with the online case study stage?

 

[1136PX0]

Congrats and good luck! If they are already sending out interview invites, does this mean they are done with the online case study stage?

Most likely

 

[adzu9]

Anyone else still waiting on Bakers post-app lol

What day did you apply if you don’t mind telling me?

 

[adzu9]

I am.. it’s making me extremely paranoid

Same…. When did you apply?

 

[3000to1shoteverytime]

It’s now Monday and I’ve still not heard anything

They sent another email though extending it to 19 May.

 

[A worried paralegal]

There will be paralegal roles that do not require 2 years experience. Try temp or fixed term contract roles rather than permanent roles too.

Also try legal assistant roles.

Legal Assistant Roles will be the option I will have to take.

I am waiting from one firm who advertised it as entry-level but still had experience as desirable.

 

[Legallywhatever]

Bit of a silly question but is there much of a distinction between an admin assistant role (at a law firm) and a legal assistant role?

 

[A worried paralegal]

High street firms don’t have the same budget for recruitment and so a lot of the time they want to hire someone they know will mostly likely stay a long period of time.

Perhaps if you are framing your applications as a bridge between where you are at now and where you want to be could be an indicator that you are not actually invested in this role and you are happy to take anything.

There’s also the issue of your cover letter, does it provide the information to show you genuinely want to work in this area? Or are you submitting a generic cover letter with no focus on the job role or practice area? If you don’t have any legal experience you can always indicate your other previous life experiences that are transferable and how you will utilise them in this role. Even if you don’t have anything relevant to the role, if you choose an elective module in that area or you have a personal interest that you have conducted independent research of can boost your cover letter immensely.

Your cv also needs to be more tailored when applying to high street firms. Be specific about what your daily tasks may have been in other job roles. If you don’t have any previous work experience then add a section headlined “about” that you can use to highlight any transferable skills or your interest for that practice area.

There are also loads of paralegal roles (depending on your area) that don’t ask for paralegal experience. It’s all about what you can do with the skills you have.

There are no application forms but rather a CV and, occasionally, a cover letter (usually 20% or so of them).

I have landed a few interviews but have usually been told that I need more experience afterwards.

Some of them in my area still prefer the LPC and funding is a rarity (the ones that do will usually cover the PSC , Cilex or maybe one of the SQE exams).

 

[isabelstcjourney]

has anyone heard from kinglsey napley yet?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

hey guys and @Jessica Booker , I'm completing an application and they're asking for a referee.
Is it better to put down
1- one undergraduate law professor
2- a partner from a french firm I internshipped in last summer
3- my current manager BUT from my hospitality work

I'm aware options 1 & 2 look more prestigious but they're more removed in time and I haven't spoken to them in a year
thank you!

I think any of them are fine to use. If the firm isn’t being clear who the referee should be, then I would put the law firm partner just because they are most closely related to the work unless the internship was more than three years ago, then I would go with your current boss.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Bit of a silly question but is there much of a distinction between an admin assistant role (at a law firm) and a legal assistant role?

An admin assistant might not be in a legal team. It could be in a business services department like risk, compliance, HR or finance.

 

[Legallywhatever]

An admin assistant might not be in a legal team. It could be in a business services department like risk, compliance, HR or finance.

Sorry, I meant in terms of would a legal assistant role be valued more than an admin assistant one, in the grand scheme of things?

 

[B101]

Ashurst Interview!!!

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Sorry, I meant in terms of would a legal assistant role be valued more than an admin assistant one, in the grand scheme of things?

It depends on what team the admin role is in really. If it is in a legal team then it’s just a slightly different job title - legal assistant/admin assistant would be a very similar role, while an admin assistant in risk would be very different.