Does anyone have any insights on the Macfarlanes stage 2 simulate test? I am not really looking for what questions were asked but just trying to understand how the assessment is structured and whether it's different from the usual capp test. Feel free to PM me if you have any insights. Thank you in advance!
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TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
Someone on Reddit got an invite to Ashurst's WE a few weeks ago, so I am assuming they are going through applications. They did give end of May (think 29 May) as a hard deadline for when everyone should hear back by.
I was told by my friend who met SH grad rec at event 2 weeks ago, you should hear back by this week for DTC.
I am losing hope for Ashurst probably PFO for me as i had typo in my written app, i had a problem when submitting it as well, seemed it lacked of lines/par spacing too.
Still waiting for Baker McKenzie
SH had better fucking get back to us soon, Jesus Christ.
I've also been waiting over two months to hear back from Macfarlanes post job sim, and it's a couple of weeks since my Withers interview. Has anyone heard of ACs from these two recently?
I saw a post on LinkedIn that someone got invited to an AC post WE for Ashurst, so it seems they’re gna PFO everyone on TCLA post SJT/WG atp…
Still nothing from SH it’s been 62 days post app, or bakers idk where they’re at lmao. They’ve alr sent two rounds of PFOs so hoping SJTs soon…
Still nothing from SH it’s been 62 days post app, or bakers idk where they’re at lmao. They’ve alr sent two rounds of PFOs so hoping SJTs soon…
Macfarlanes Job Sim VI invite! Sat the first-stage (SJT and WG) last night and haven’t even got the feedback report yet but alr got stage 2!
Posting on linkedin about an AC is wild
I’d appreciate any insights anyone has into how firms decide who to give TC offers to from AC for DTC. If there’s vacation schemes running later in the summer will they wait till after those candidates have been assessed to give offers? Or is it done on whether you score above a certain threshold on the day?
It was someone who does mentoring iirc and they posted a screenshot of the mentee saying they got invited to the AC post WE 4 days ago:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ayaz...s&rcm=ACoAAE9h0s8BM86JijY5giIKwqMcAS5MQ5MX3LY
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ayaz...s&rcm=ACoAAE9h0s8BM86JijY5giIKwqMcAS5MQ5MX3LY
I just hope I make it past the application stages for the firms I’ve applied to. It’s so fucking difficult to get a TC, it’s impossible not to lose hope in the process.
Hey!
I would try not to worry too much about having a huge or outstanding achievement - firms will usually care much more about how you talk about something than how objectively impressive it sounds.
A lot of good answers are often quite ordinary things that are explained really well. Therefore, I'd say the key part is choosing something where you can clearly explain:
- What the situation was
- What challenges you faced
- What you specifically did
- What you learned/gained from it (+ how this has impacted how you approach similar situations)
I wouldn't say it needs to be recent or legal-related, and a high school achievement is completely fine if it is the best example you have and you can reflect on it well. I always used to discuss my grade in a public speaking module at university as my 'greatest achievement', as I could reflect on it well and show why it mattered to me and my own development.
You could even use things such as balancing work with studies, leading a society or team project, caring responsibilities, or improving in a subject that you initially struggled with. What matters most is that you choose something that you are genuinely proud of, and can discuss how you approached the challenges.
For the "challenges" part, they are usually looking for resilience and self-awareness, rather than perfection. Therefore, don't be afraid to talk honestly about any difficulties or setbacks that you encountered, provided that you then focus on how you dealt with them.
Best of luck!!
Hey!
I think that this will be completely fine, as long as you can clearly explain why the case stood out to you and connect it to the firm's wider work or practice areas.
I think it would only become an issue if all of your commercial awareness or examples were quite outdated, but one example from 2021 is unlikely to be a problem at all (particularly if it was a significant case!)
Hi!hey! I'm currently applying for reed smith's DTC which has a work experience section. may be overthinking it but I'm not too sure how to structure the content or what to emphasise most - would really appreciate any insights (esp from the TCLA trainee gods!!!). happy may everyone, the sun is coming out now!
I definitely overthought the work experience section a lot too! I found that what worked best for me in the work experience section was to cover three main things:
- What the role actually was
- What my main responsibilities or tasks were
- The skills I developed from it, and how they could potentially translate to law
I hope that assists - happy May to you too (+best of luck with your application)!!
thank you this is quite helpful!!Hey!
I would try not to worry too much about having a huge or outstanding achievement - firms will usually care much more about how you talk about something than how objectively impressive it sounds.
A lot of good answers are often quite ordinary things that are explained really well. Therefore, I'd say the key part is choosing something where you can clearly explain:
- What the situation was
- What challenges you faced
- What you specifically did
- What you learned/gained from it (+ how this has impacted how you approach similar situations)
I wouldn't say it needs to be recent or legal-related, and a high school achievement is completely fine if it is the best example you have and you can reflect on it well. I always used to discuss my grade in a public speaking module at university as my 'greatest achievement', as I could reflect on it well and show why it mattered to me and my own development.
You could even use things such as balancing work with studies, leading a society or team project, caring responsibilities, or improving in a subject that you initially struggled with. What matters most is that you choose something that you are genuinely proud of, and can discuss how you approached the challenges.
For the "challenges" part, they are usually looking for resilience and self-awareness, rather than perfection. Therefore, don't be afraid to talk honestly about any difficulties or setbacks that you encountered, provided that you then focus on how you dealt with them.
Best of luck!!
Hi, sorry for hijacking, to preface I'd like to say your responses are really helpful, so thank you for your time!Hi!
I definitely overthought the work experience section a lot too! I found that what worked best for me in the work experience section was to cover three main things:
I think it is easy to fall into the trap of just listing tasks, so I found it helpful to focus on what I actually learned from each role (e.g. communication, attention to detail, working under pressure, client interaction, etc.) and then tie it back to the skills required in a legal context. I found this was the best way of showing my transferable skills from my non-legal (+ legal) work experiences.
- What the role actually was
- What my main responsibilities or tasks were
- The skills I developed from it, and how they could potentially translate to law
I hope that assists - happy May to you too (+best of luck with your application)!!
I was wondering how to frame a Pass at MSc? I completed Political Econ master's at LSE and went through a recurring health issue throughout the year. I've seen firms are looking for Distinction or Merit for PGDL so I reckon it might me something that hampers my chances going forward without a proper explanation, which makes me insecure while applying.
I did it last year. I remember there were both motivational and situational questions. It was pretty standard stuff for the most part.
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