TCLA Spring & Summer Vacation Scheme Thread 2026

[haribolover]

Hi all, I feel like I messed up on a case study I recently did. I now feel a bit rubbish and just need some advice on how fatal it will be to my application. I know I need to move on but I feel like I just made such a silly mistake

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock and all (me again), i was wondering whether you had any tips on networking both formal and informal and how to know when to ask certain questions.

My scheme has organised a lot of QnA panels during breakfast and lunches which I gather are more formal networking sessions and also have some more relaxed ones.

In terms of the more formal ones how do I ask about practice areas/deals without just asking "what is an interesting deal you have worked on recently" which sounds a little redundant.

In terms of more relaxed scenarios, I know that lawyers don't love 24/7 talk about deals and work and also might not be able to talk too much about specific things. Are there any good non-law questions that you have asked/heard anyone else ask that keep the conversation going?

Thanks so mcuh

Hi!

No problem at all, this is a great question!

I always found thinking of questions on the spot quite daunting (+ I still do at networking events, haha!), so I completely understand wanting to go in with a few ideas prepared - especially for the more relaxed sessions where there is less structure, and you suddenly feel like you should be making conversation! I actually found having a few "go-to" questions in mind really helped me feel more relaxed as I could then focus on listening rather than trying to think of the perfect thing to ask next.

For the more formal Q&A sessions, I would try to move slightly deeper than "what interesting deal have you worked on". This question is completely fine, but you can often get more in-depth or interesting answers by asking about things like:
1. What makes a matter interesting or challenging from a lawyer's perspective?
2. What surprised you most when you joined this practice area?
3. What does a really good trainee do in this seat?
4. What skills become more important as you become more senior?
5. How has the practice changed over the last few years?
6. What type of client problems are becoming more common?

I always personally found questions about how lawyers think a bit more interesting than questions about what lawyers did.

For the more relaxed networking sessions, I think people really do underestimate how much lawyers enjoy normal conversations. You absolutely do not need to talk about deals all evening!

Some questions that could work well include:
1. What made you choose this firm?
2. If you had your TC again, would you choose the same seats?
3. What surprised you most about becoming a lawyer?
4. What does a typical week actually look like?
5. What do you enjoy outside work?
6. What is something trainees worry about that they really don't need to?
7. If someone was starting their first week tomorrow, what advice would you give them?

These types of questions are still connected to law and the networking event, but they also give you the opportunity to learn more about each person as an individual. That often leads to more interesting conversations and can give you better insight into their career path, what they actually enjoy about the role, how they made decisions throughout their career, and what the culture of the team and firm feels like in practice.

I also would try not to feel too much pressure to keep firing questions. If someone mentions something interesting, such as working abroad or doing something before law, I would follow that and ask them to go into more detail. Those conversations often end up feeling much more natural than trying to get through a list.

I hope you have an amazing scheme, and it sounds like you are preparing really well for it already!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi all, I feel like I messed up on a case study I recently did. I now feel a bit rubbish and just need some advice on how fatal it will be to my application. I know I need to move on but I feel like I just made such a silly mistake

Hey

I am really sorry to hear you are feeling like this - I always found case studies particularly difficult afterwards as you usually have time to replay every answer and spot things you wish you had done differently.

Without knowing the mistake, it is hard to say how much impact it would have. However, I would try not to assume that one moment automatically makes the entire application fatal. Off the top of my head, I can remember two main instances where I was convinced I had messed up an assessed task at a final AC.

One was for a final TC AC, where I ran out of time on the written assessment and had to rush the end, which meant I didn't quite finish everything I wanted to say and didn't get to finish the formalities. The other was at a VS AC, where I felt I hadn't spoken enough during the group exercise - this was to the point where people in my group were actively prompting me and asking if I wanted to add anything. However, on both occasions, I still ended up receiving an offer.

That obviously doesn't mean every mistake is irrelevant, but I think it is a good reminder that we tend to ruminate on the moments that felt uncomfortable or imperfect and give much less weight to the things that actually went well. Firms are usually assessing across a range of things, rather than looking for flawless performance. If the rest of your performance was strong, a silly mistake is unlikely to be fatal.

If it helps, you could reflect on:

• Was it a factual mistake, or a judgement call?
• Did it affect your whole answer, or one small part?
• Did you still explain your reasoning clearly?

Candidates are often much more aware of their own mistakes than interviewers are, and something that feels huge to you may have come across as a very normal slip in an otherwise strong performance. I really would try not to score yourself retrospectively, as you don't necessarily know what they are looking for and what they value. I would give yourself credit for getting through the exercise and try not to let one moment define how you feel about the whole application.

Fingers crossed for the outcome!

 

[haribolover]

Hey

I am really sorry to hear you are feeling like this - I always found case studies particularly difficult afterwards as you usually have time to replay every answer and spot things you wish you had done differently.

Without knowing the mistake, it is hard to say how much impact it would have. However, I would try not to assume that one moment automatically makes the entire application fatal. Off the top of my head, I can remember two main instances where I was convinced I had messed up an assessed task at a final AC.

One was for a final TC AC, where I ran out of time on the written assessment and had to rush the end, which meant I didn't quite finish everything I wanted to say and didn't get to finish the formalities. The other was at a VS AC, where I felt I hadn't spoken enough during the group exercise - this was to the point where people in my group were actively prompting me and asking if I wanted to add anything. However, on both occasions, I still ended up receiving an offer.

That obviously doesn't mean every mistake is irrelevant, but I think it is a good reminder that we tend to ruminate on the moments that felt uncomfortable or imperfect and give much less weight to the things that actually went well. Firms are usually assessing across a range of things, rather than looking for flawless performance. If the rest of your performance was strong, a silly mistake is unlikely to be fatal.

If it helps, you could reflect on:

• Was it a factual mistake, or a judgement call?
• Did it affect your whole answer, or one small part?
• Did you still explain your reasoning clearly?

Candidates are often much more aware of their own mistakes than interviewers are, and something that feels huge to you may have come across as a very normal slip in an otherwise strong performance. I really would try not to score yourself retrospectively, as you don't necessarily know what they are looking for and what they value. I would give yourself credit for getting through the exercise and try not to let one moment define how you feel about the whole application.

Fingers crossed for the outcome!

Hi Abbie, thank you! is it okay if I privately message you about this?

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi Abbie, thank you! is it okay if I privately message you about this?

No problem - of course, will reply to you now

 

[co1004co]

Hi!

No problem at all, this is a great question!

I always found thinking of questions on the spot quite daunting (+ I still do at networking events, haha!), so I completely understand wanting to go in with a few ideas prepared - especially for the more relaxed sessions where there is less structure, and you suddenly feel like you should be making conversation! I actually found having a few "go-to" questions in mind really helped me feel more relaxed as I could then focus on listening rather than trying to think of the perfect thing to ask next.

For the more formal Q&A sessions, I would try to move slightly deeper than "what interesting deal have you worked on". This question is completely fine, but you can often get more in-depth or interesting answers by asking about things like:
1. What makes a matter interesting or challenging from a lawyer's perspective?
2. What surprised you most when you joined this practice area?
3. What does a really good trainee do in this seat?
4. What skills become more important as you become more senior?
5. How has the practice changed over the last few years?
6. What type of client problems are becoming more common?

I always personally found questions about how lawyers think a bit more interesting than questions about what lawyers did.

For the more relaxed networking sessions, I think people really do underestimate how much lawyers enjoy normal conversations. You absolutely do not need to talk about deals all evening!

Some questions that could work well include:
1. What made you choose this firm?
2. If you had your TC again, would you choose the same seats?
3. What surprised you most about becoming a lawyer?
4. What does a typical week actually look like?
5. What do you enjoy outside work?
6. What is something trainees worry about that they really don't need to?
7. If someone was starting their first week tomorrow, what advice would you give them?

These types of questions are still connected to law and the networking event, but they also give you the opportunity to learn more about each person as an individual. That often leads to more interesting conversations and can give you better insight into their career path, what they actually enjoy about the role, how they made decisions throughout their career, and what the culture of the team and firm feels like in practice.

I also would try not to feel too much pressure to keep firing questions. If someone mentions something interesting, such as working abroad or doing something before law, I would follow that and ask them to go into more detail. Those conversations often end up feeling much more natural than trying to get through a list.

I hope you have an amazing scheme, and it sounds like you are preparing really well for it already!

thank you as always

 

[lucky2]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock do you think it’s appropriate to connect with assessors, trainees and lawyers you met during your vac scheme or is that unprofessional? Since they will be the ones providing feedback, I don’t want to come across as being inappropriate.

On the other hand, wouldn’t not connecting come across as a lack of interest?

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock do you think it’s appropriate to connect with assessors, trainees and lawyers you met during your vac scheme or is that unprofessional? Since they will be the ones providing feedback, I don’t want to come across as being inappropriate.

On the other hand, wouldn’t not connecting come across as a lack of interest?

Hey!

Personally, I don't think it is unprofessional at all to connect with people you met during your vacation scheme - I think this is quite normal, particularly if you worked closely with them or had a genuinely nice conversation. I connected with a lot of the people I spoke to on my vacation schemes, whether that was trainee buddies or supervisors, and this seemed to be perfectly acceptable!

However, I also definitely wouldn't worry that not connecting would come across as a lack of interest. I don't think most people are monitoring that or reading into it either way.

I would probably avoid doing it in a way that feels like you are trying to influence feedback while decisions are being made, but a normal LinkedIn connection request or a thank you message is very standard in my experience

 

[lucky2]

Hey!

Personally, I don't think it is unprofessional at all to connect with people you met during your vacation scheme - I think this is quite normal, particularly if you worked closely with them or had a genuinely nice conversation. I connected with a lot of the people I spoke to on my vacation schemes, whether that was trainee buddies or supervisors, and this seemed to be perfectly acceptable!

However, I also definitely wouldn't worry that not connecting would come across as a lack of interest. I don't think most people are monitoring that or reading into it either way.

I would probably avoid doing it in a way that feels like you are trying to influence feedback while decisions are being made, but a normal LinkedIn connection request or a thank you message is very standard in my experience

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this Abbie

 

[haribolover]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock, is it okay I sent you a personal message? The question might potentially dox myself so I sent it there?

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock, is it okay I sent you a personal message? The question might potentially dox myself so I sent it there?

Of course, no worries at all - just replied to you now

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi!

TCLA Premium members are able to access the application database by going to the TCLA Premium site and looking at the right-hand side of the dashboard. The database is the 'Applications & Interview Database'

 

[elle.brokovitch]

I got a TC! I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone on this thread, and the previous vac scheme application thread for all of your help, support and advice! Words cannot explain how grateful I am to all of you this site is truly a gem!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

I got a TC! I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone on this thread, and the previous vac scheme application thread for all of your help, support and advice! Words cannot explain how grateful I am to all of you this site is truly a gem!

Huge congratulations!!

That is fantastic news, and I hope you take some time to celebrate all of your hard work!!

 

[haribolover]

I got a TC! I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone on this thread, and the previous vac scheme application thread for all of your help, support and advice! Words cannot explain how grateful I am to all of you this site is truly a gem!

Congratulations!! Extremely well deserved!!

 

[elle.brokovitch]

Huge congratulations!!

That is fantastic news, and I hope you take some time to celebrate all of your hard work!!

Thank you so much Abbie you are literally legendary. All of your help is so appreciated! You truly deserve all the awards in the world for all that you do for future trainees and applicants. Thank you thank you thank you!

 

[elle.brokovitch]

Congratulations!! Extremely well deserved!!

thank you so much

 

[WillKitchen]

I hope everyone had a good week.

Things have been a little quiet since submitting the Paul Hastings application. With SQE 1 approaching, I've been cutting back on application work in general. I plan to resume research and drafting by the end of July, and follow-up on the encouraging results from Lee & Thompson and Womble Bond Dickinson. It is good to see that so diverse a selection of firms can recognise the value in my background (even if I'm still one or two steps short of an offer!)

I'll also be refining my interview strategy with the new mentor at Mishcon de Reya. She's invited me to some client events this summer. Should be a fun opportunity to find out more!

 

[Jaysen]

I got a TC! I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone on this thread, and the previous vac scheme application thread for all of your help, support and advice! Words cannot explain how grateful I am to all of you this site is truly a gem!

Well done!!