• 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

@Abbie Whitlock

Hope you're doing well!

Please describe your non-academic activities, interests and any hobbies. Please include any relevant details about these interests and list any positions of responsibility you have held (max 250 words) - for this question, do I need to list positions of responsibility if I've already discussed these elsewhere in my application? I used this section to focus only on my hobbies, would that be ok?

Also, the application form has an 'additional experience' section, which says 'Please use this section to detail any other law-related experience that you consider relevant to your application: (insight days, competitions, society involvement, pro bono, etc)'. There is also a normal WEX section. I've usually only seen 1 WEX section, so I combine everything in one. For this, would it better to put all law experiences in the 'additional experience', then put all non-law experiences in the normal section?
 
Last edited:
  • ✅
Reactions: Abbie Whitlock
Hi, would people recommend sending a thank-you letter to a partner and associate after a first-round interview with them? I don't have their emails so I thought about emailing grad rec and asking them to forward it on, but wanted to see if that was common practice or not first...
would love to hear a different perspective on this, but I think the risk of coming across as disingenuous and brown nosing is too high, particularly in a formal recruitment process for a specific role. If it were a case of interviewing for a speculative position with, say, a connection obtained via a family friend, you'd thank them for their time, etc. But for a vac scheme/DTC it kind of cringes me out.
 
  • ✅
Reactions: radssss
is it worth it to apply to stephenson harwood so close to the deadline? i can't tell if they're rolling
Hey!

Whilst I am not sure if they have a rolling deadline, I would still say it is worth applying! Whilst it is advantageous to submit as early as you can if it is a rolling deadline, most firms will still receive the bulk of their submissions the last few days before the deadline.

Firms will review any application that has been submitted before the deadline, so there is still plenty of chance to be progressed. I would focus on writing a strong and tailored application, as this is the most important part :)
 
  • Love
Reactions: preciosayelaire
@Abbie Whitlock

Hope you're doing well!

Please describe your non-academic activities, interests and any hobbies. Please include any relevant details about these interests and list any positions of responsibility you have held (max 250 words) - for this question, do I need to list positions of responsibility if I've already discussed these elsewhere in my application? I used this section to focus only on my hobbies, would that be ok?

Also, the application form has an 'additional experience' section, which says 'Please use this section to detail any other law-related experience that you consider relevant to your application: (insight days, competitions, society involvement, pro bono, etc)'. There is also a normal WEX section. I've usually only seen 1 WEX section, so I combine everything in one. For this, would it better to put all law experiences in the 'additional experience', then put all non-law experiences in the normal section?
Hey!

I am doing well, thank you - hope you are too! :)

On the hobbies question, it is absolutely fine to focus primarily on your non-academic interests. If you have already covered the "positions of responsibility" clearly elsewhere in the application, I don't think it is necessary to repeat it in detail here. However, what you can do, if relevant, is briefly weave in responsibility within your hobbies (e.g. organising events, captaining a team, etc.) without turning the answer into a duplicate of other sections. The key is to show your personality and what you do outside of academics, and firms often use this question to see if you're well-rounded and how you might fit culturally.

On the experiences section, you are right that this structure seems a bit unusual, but I would treat them as serving two different purposes in your application:

1. Work Experience Section: this is broader and more formal, so I would include your main roles (legal and non-legal), especially anything that is substantial
2. Additional Experience Section: this is more supplementary and law-focused, so I would include things such as insight days, mooting, pro-bono activities, society involvement, short schemes, etc.

I wouldn't move all legal experience into the additional experience section, as you risk underselling more substantial roles. There can be some duplication across the two, I would just make sure that the additional section focuses on anything that shows how you have strengthened your interest in law that isn't necessarily formal employment :)
 

About Us

The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

Get Our 2026 Vacation Scheme Guide

Nail your vacation scheme applications this year with our latest guide, with sample answers to law firm questions.