-
Hey Guest, Have an interview coming up? We’ve opened new mock interview slots this week. Book here
-
TCLA Premium: Now half price (£30/month). Applications, interviews, commercial awareness + 700+ examples.Join →
TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
CMS application submitted 5 mins before deadline 😮💨
Drafted Davis Polk filled out the entire application a few days ago and didn’t save the cover letter I did😭
Drafted Davis Polk filled out the entire application a few days ago and didn’t save the cover letter I did😭
Last edited:
Wonderful, I missed it by a second 😎 CMS missed their best potential trainee solicitor. Their loss 😏 (I just finished breaking down)
Since it's allhires, you can add it on the notes and emailing the grad rec about the mistake
Wow! I absolutely hated it. I found the VIs at random places so jarring.
Also, I find it very strange that they don’t ask about uni! I actually worked pretty hard to get into/complete university and its an achievement that I value, so to not even be asked about it felt borderline insulting 😅
Hi @TCLA Community Assistant I am applying for a paralegal role that requires a CV. The application also requests a personal summary requesting I "tell them about myself". Should I focus on breaking down my previous legal experience or focus on extracurricular activities or both? Any help with how to structure this would be greatly appreciated.
Hey!
For the personal summary, its best to strike a balance between your legal experience and the wider qualities you bring, but with a clear emphasis on what's most relevant to the paralegal role. A helpful structure is:
- A concise opening line about your professional identity: briefly state your current stage (e.g. recent graduate, career changer, or someone with prior legal or admin experience) and the specific legal area or type of work that you are interested in. This provides a nice opening and sets the tone!
- Briefly highlight your most relevant legal experiences: I would focus on the skills and responsibilities that match the job description - this could be research, drafting, admin, case management, etc. You don't need a full breakdown (as that is what the work experience section on the CV is for), but 2-3 sentences that show how your experiences make you a good fit is ideal.
- Add personality and well-chosen extracurriculars: include any extracurricular activities only where they reinforce your key competencies - things such as attention to detail, commitment to the legal sector, or commercial awareness. This could be mooting, volunteering, pro bono work, or non-legal activities that show discipline or initiative.
- Finish with what you are looking for: a good way to wrap up your personal summary is to add a line about what you hope to bring to and gain from the role.
Overall, I'd keep it professional, positive, and relevant to the specific paralegal role. Think of the personal summary as a narrative of your key experiences and traits that summarises your CV as a whole.
I hope that helps, and best of luck with the paralegal application!
Thank you so much Abbie! This is very helpful.Hey!
For the personal summary, its best to strike a balance between your legal experience and the wider qualities you bring, but with a clear emphasis on what's most relevant to the paralegal role. A helpful structure is:
- A concise opening line about your professional identity: briefly state your current stage (e.g. recent graduate, career changer, or someone with prior legal or admin experience) and the specific legal area or type of work that you are interested in. This provides a nice opening and sets the tone!
- Briefly highlight your most relevant legal experiences: I would focus on the skills and responsibilities that match the job description - this could be research, drafting, admin, case management, etc. You don't need a full breakdown (as that is what the work experience section on the CV is for), but 2-3 sentences that show how your experiences make you a good fit is ideal.
- Add personality and well-chosen extracurriculars: include any extracurricular activities only where they reinforce your key competencies - things such as attention to detail, commitment to the legal sector, or commercial awareness. This could be mooting, volunteering, pro bono work, or non-legal activities that show discipline or initiative.
- Finish with what you are looking for: a good way to wrap up your personal summary is to add a line about what you hope to bring to and gain from the role.
Overall, I'd keep it professional, positive, and relevant to the specific paralegal role. Think of the personal summary as a narrative of your key experiences and traits that summarises your CV as a whole.
I hope that helps, and best of luck with the paralegal application!
I know right 😭😭😭 I tried fitting in a little bit of my work experience in one of the motivation questions… But, of course, its not enough.
A&O Shearman Direct TC AC
Congrats! have they told the dates the acs will be held? if you could share, id appreciate it! i have a holiday coming up and i dont want to then book and if i get invited, i have to cancelA&O Shearman Direct TC AC
Thanks, I applied the day before the deadline and did the test on the deadline day, but I know that they do not recruit on a rolling basis. The AC's they listed as available were between 8th-11th December. I saw that there were lots of slots still left.
What is this? DTC? They are not rolling, so you will get to know the outcome after the app deadline. I just invited to their OD last week if you have any questions, feel free to DM me.
Similar threads
- Sticky
