TCLA General Discussion Thread 2022-23

[Jessica Booker]

I think my expectations are fairly standard based on the government issued recommendation that says post bachelor degree internship pay should be 2.7-4K and masters 3.5-5k, depending on degree and market.
I also know some people that have done internships at big4 companies that were paid 3.5k . I was paid 3.5 at my last internship, a similar company as to the one I am interviewing with (both are finance start-ups w big backing)
Also starting salaries after the internships are usually around 80-100k.
I have an interview in two days and I don’t know if I should state my expectations in numbers or give a generic answer like “a fair/reasonable market rate” and wait for them to give me number.
Also if they don’t ask , should I bring it up or just wait and see?

Edit: the pound and my currency is pretty much 1:1. it maybe makes a 100-200 pounds difference depending on the day.

You can explain what you have earned previously and vaguely state you would be expecting around a similar amount, especially if they are similar companies.

Just shows the difference in salaries in Europe - it would be more difficult to get that in the UK.

 

[jessicamcnamara]

Hi @Jaysen I applied for the TCLA Scholarship, will we be informed of the outcome today? Little worried as I haven’t heard back yet and I’m sure it is today. Thank you in advance

 

[Pumpkinsoup]

You can explain what you have earned previously and vaguely state you would be expecting around a similar amount, especially if they are similar companies.

Just shows the difference in salaries in Europe - it would be more difficult to get that in the UK.

Thank you Jessica.
Am I allowed to lie a little and say that I got paid like 3.7 to give myself a little raise or room for negotiation or would that be frowned upon?

The interview didn’t happen today, they rescheduled to next week.

And yes I agree. wages have depressed in the UK and have been for many years, while rent is increasing hence I started looking for positions in Europe.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you Jessica.
Am I allowed to lie a little and say that I got paid like 3.7 to give myself a little raise or room for negotiation or would that be frowned upon?

The interview didn’t happen today, they rescheduled to next week.

And yes I agree. wages have depressed in the UK and have been for many years, while rent is increasing hence I started looking for positions in Europe.

I wouldn’t lie about what you have earned previously. Instead, just state your expectations are 3.7 if that’s what they are.

 

[FM302989]

Thank you Jessica.
Am I allowed to lie a little and say that I got paid like 3.7 to give myself a little raise or room for negotiation or would that be frowned upon?

The interview didn’t happen today, they rescheduled to next week.

And yes I agree. wages have depressed in the UK and have been for many years, while rent is increasing hence I started looking for positions in Europe.

I don't think telling a lie (even a little one) is a good look in the legal industry. Particularly when dishonesty is so frowned upon. Sadly I've been unpaid on numerous internships and disclosed that

 

[Pumpkinsoup]

I don't think telling a lie (even a little one) is a good look in the legal industry. Particularly when dishonesty is so frowned upon. Sadly I've been unpaid on numerous internships and disclosed that

Fine I’ll stay with the truth haha.. would that apply to other industries as well? I’m thinking of applying to some PE internships as well

 

[Jessica Booker]

Fine I’ll stay with the truth haha.. would that apply to other industries as well? I’m thinking of applying to some PE internships as well

Just own the statement of what you expect to earn rather than focusing on what you have earned in the past. There is no issue in doing this and it’s much more appropriate than lying about what you have earned in the past and then this potentially coming up at a later stage and jeopardising your job offer through dishonesty.

 

[wz_13]

if anyone has done the flex legal trainee VI/ online test and wouldnt mind giving me some insight it would be greatly appreciated! <3

 

[lawtc2024]

Hey everyone, I have a TC interview coming up which involves a presentation.
The brief says it can be something of interest to me. It does not specify that it needs to be law related.
Any ideas? Would you lean away from talking about law or would you focus on the legal sector still, even if it does not specify?

 

[lpcstudent2021]

Hi all,

Conundrum for you. I’m currently a paralegal at a white shoe law firm. Got a 2:1 from an RG uni, strong A levels and then a distinction and a commendation for postgraw law studies. Annoyingly haven’t got a TC for various reasons but am glad to be in the job I’m in. It’s good work and I’m enjoying it but my hours are a bit intense and unpredictable(late nights/ weekend work). This in turn is making it hard to juggle vac scheme applications on top of everything else.

As I qualify for the SQE 1 exemption, would it be wise to ask my firm about the possibility of signing me off on QWE? The hiring manager of the firm mentioned it at work drinks and the idea has been stuck in my mind ever since, but there has been no official confirmation of this and I don’t want to punch above my station. I’m not expecting a position out of it but want to keep options open as to how I qualify, as I’m on my fourth round of applications and have struggled to manage to get any decent ones together before the deadlines. If not, hopefully this experience should be enough to get me into a firm next cycle. Be good to hear people’s thoughts?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi all,

Conundrum for you. I’m currently a paralegal at a white shoe law firm. Got a 2:1 from an RG uni, strong A levels and then a distinction and a commendation for postgraw law studies. Annoyingly haven’t got a TC for various reasons but am glad to be in the job I’m in. It’s good work and I’m enjoying it but my hours are a bit intense and unpredictable(late nights/ weekend work). This in turn is making it hard to juggle vac scheme applications on top of everything else.

As I qualify for the SQE 1 exemption, would it be wise to ask my firm about the possibility of signing me off on QWE? The hiring manager of the firm mentioned it at work drinks and the idea has been stuck in my mind ever since, but there has been no official confirmation of this and I don’t want to punch above my station. I’m not expecting a position out of it but want to keep options open as to how I qualify, as I’m on my fourth round of applications and have struggled to manage to get any decent ones together before the deadlines. If not, hopefully this experience should be enough to get me into a firm next cycle. Be good to hear people’s thoughts?

You need to ensure your QWE will be comparable to the other candidates going forward for the NQ roles you aspire to apply for in the future.

For many paralegals, their experience will not be comparable to trainees coming through their training, and if this is the case, you will be at a disadvantage as the NQ/qualified job market is all about your work experience in law firms - the levels of responsibility you have had, the complexity of the work, the type of clients will all be what influence your employability as a qualified lawyer.

Put frankly, the QWE frameworks are designed on the lowest common denominator, meaning many paralegals will be able to qualify. But that is not what many law firms expect - they will have much higher expectations than the SRA.

So you have to be confident you are predominately operating at a trainee level (or above) in the role(s) you want to use for your QWE to put yourself in the strongest position for the NQ market.

 

[lpcstudent2021]

You need to ensure your QWE will be comparable to the other candidates going forward for the NQ roles you aspire to apply for in the future.

For many paralegals, their experience will not be comparable to trainees coming through their training, and if this is the case, you will be at a disadvantage as the NQ/qualified job market is all about your work experience in law firms - the levels of responsibility you have had, the complexity of the work, the type of clients will all be what influence your employability as a qualified lawyer.

Put frankly, the QWE frameworks are designed on the lowest common denominator, meaning many paralegals will be able to qualify. But that is not what many law firms expect - they will have much higher expectations than the SRA.

So you have to be confident you are predominately operating at a trainee level (or above) in the role(s) you want to use for your QWE to put yourself in the strongest position for the NQ market.

Brilliant, thank you for your thoughtful response. My workload is varied as I’m relatively new, but I’m doing generic trainee tasks such drafting, research and due diligence on corporate transactions but so far it’s all been a blur.

I’ll continue with training applications in the meantime. If QWE is eventually offered by the firm I’ll take it as it’s a very good firm. Will just keep slugging until I get something as that’s the best I can do at this stage.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Brilliant, thank you for your thoughtful response. My workload is varied as I’m relatively new, but it has been fairly complex so far. I’m doing generic trainee tasks such drafting, research and due diligence on corporate transactions but so far it’s all been a blur.

I’ll continue with training applications in the meantime. If QWE is eventually offered by the firm I’ll take it as it’s a very good firm. Will just keep slugging until I get something as that’s the best I can do at this stage.

If you do get your QWE signed off by the firm, try to get some guidance from them as to what this means for your career at the firm - will you have a chance to go forward for a NQ role and how would that process differ from any trainees the firm currently has.

 

[Alicegreenbury]

Can anyone help advise me about Slaughter and May. I applied for the Winter Workshop which I was successful at securing. However, I turned it down so I can attend White & Case's Winter Vacation Scheme. I am now just going to apply for the S&M TC which they said I could do. Does anyone know whether it is okay to just send in the same cover letter (obviously updated to reflect the fact that I am applying for the TC not WW). They won't consider it plagiarism or anything like that right? Time is of the essence so I want to make as minimal changes as possible. Any advice on this would be really helpful!

 

[kalagsd]

I have a question about day to day working as a trainee lawyer. I was approached about a task on Monday last week. The person who asked me to help with the task said they were going to send the details through in an email and then schedule a coffee with me to go through it later that week. I brought it back up on the Wednesday that week and he said he was really busy and trying to get something else off his desk by the next day (Thursday) so should have some time then.

It has been over a week now and no sign of the task. Another trainee colleague said he is probably really busy. Does this seem normal to take this long to delegate the task? He did say it didn't have a strict deadline so I could take my time (once I've been briefed). It's in an area I'm really interested in which is why I'm so keen, I'm just worried that the work has been given to someone else or something.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Can anyone help advise me about Slaughter and May. I applied for the Winter Workshop which I was successful at securing. However, I turned it down so I can attend White & Case's Winter Vacation Scheme. I am now just going to apply for the S&M TC which they said I could do. Does anyone know whether it is okay to just send in the same cover letter (obviously updated to reflect the fact that I am applying for the TC not WW). They won't consider it plagiarism or anything like that right? Time is of the essence so I want to make as minimal changes as possible. Any advice on this would be really helpful!

It’s not plagiarism if it’s your own content. I would just make sure your why the firm is really nailed down, as this can be where more leniency is given in earlier programmes compared to TCs.

As the firm knows you will have turned them down to go to W&C, you may also want to think about how you spin this into your application too. It doesn’t need to be as obvious as directly tackling why Slaughters over W&C, but you may just want to think about how you are going to convince them as to why they are your first choice (when you effectively turned them down).

 

[Jessica Booker]

I have a question about day to day working as a trainee lawyer. I was approached about a task on Monday last week. The person who asked me to help with the task said they were going to send the details through in an email and then schedule a coffee with me to go through it later that week. I brought it back up on the Wednesday that week and he said he was really busy and trying to get something else off his desk by the next day (Thursday) so should have some time then.

It has been over a week now and no sign of the task. Another trainee colleague said he is probably really busy. Does this seem normal to take this long to delegate the task? He did say it didn't have a strict deadline so I could take my time (once I've been briefed). It's in an area I'm really interested in which is why I'm so keen, I'm just worried that the work has been given to someone else or something.

This is very normal. I wouldn’t worry too much about it, and just continue to check in with the individual to see if/when the work can be delegated to you.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Does anyone know what all firms operate a single consolidated profit pool? I know that BCLP, CC do, can anyone add to the list? Do all MC firms follow this approach? Thanks.

 

[CallumJR]

Does anyone know what all firms operate a single consolidated profit pool? I know that BCLP, CC do, can anyone add to the list? Do all MC firms follow this approach? Thanks.

HL

 

[axelbeugre]

I have a question about day to day working as a trainee lawyer. I was approached about a task on Monday last week. The person who asked me to help with the task said they were going to send the details through in an email and then schedule a coffee with me to go through it later that week. I brought it back up on the Wednesday that week and he said he was really busy and trying to get something else off his desk by the next day (Thursday) so should have some time then.

It has been over a week now and no sign of the task. Another trainee colleague said he is probably really busy. Does this seem normal to take this long to delegate the task? He did say it didn't have a strict deadline so I could take my time (once I've been briefed). It's in an area I'm really interested in which is why I'm so keen, I'm just worried that the work has been given to someone else or something.

It does feel pretty normal to me too. Lawyers are very busy and usually supervisors or senior associates do not have much time. If he approached you to give you some work, I am sure he will at some point when his schedule is not as busy so I would not worry too much right now. I would suggest to work on other tasks that you were given by others and make sure to be ready when he comes back around.