TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

[John Travoni]

I guess they are really having a hard time processing us, the summer VS applicants. I wouldn't find it surprising given the bigger candidate pool and the fact that this is the first year they do strength-based interviews.

Perhaps it is a lot more time-consuming going through all the candidates than in previous years and they underestimated it......

I don’t think it’s just the summer VS applicants bc a lot of spring VS candidates haven’t heard either. And if it was the case where only the successful spring VS candidates have been put forward, then surely the rest of us spring VS candidates should have got out PFO by now.

 

[PirateShip]

Anyone have experience messing up a couple of questions in an AC interview and still receiving an offer? My brain completely short-circuited 😅

My first AC so I'm going to treat it as a learning experience.

Just quoting myself so I can appreciate the irony.

Got the call today, RPC Summer Scheme invite 🥳

 

[Parsorandini]

Just realised the impending PFO from Reed Smith on my birthday tomorrow is gonna double hurt...

 

[average_jo123]

I've just finished an interview and I can't stop thinking about a million other ways I could have answered some of the questions to make my answers better e.g. 'should have said this/should have said that', missed out an important point in my answer, should have rambled less here and there (could tell that the interviewer found it hard to follow what I was saying because at some points I rambled for too long and now I just wish that I had cut down some of my answers)

I know there's no point dwelling on it since the interview is now over and there's literally nothing I can do to fix my mistakes, and I'm also aware that we're often our own worst critics. But would appreciate if anyone can shed light on how to deal with the post-AC slump lol. I won't hear back until March so I think my mental health will take a hard hit in February if I don't learn to manage my emotions properly. I don't want to be too harsh on myself but at the same time I don't want to get my hopes up too early in case I get rejected.

This was my first ever AC so I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself to get a perfect outcome. But any advice on this would be helpful!

 

[bibss]

Just realised the impending PFO from Reed Smith on my birthday tomorrow is gonna double hurt...

I wonder what was the point of giving us false hopes with the second holding email? They must have sent all AC invites on Saturday imo 🙃🙃

 

[h1]

Ngl I was still feeling hopeful/optimistic with RS

Let's see what happens tomorrow! Also, if they sent AC invites last Sat, the rest of us might also hear back on Sat so another day to potentially wait

At least we got each other ahaha

 

[CorporateLaw101]

I wonder what was the point of giving us false hopes with the second holding email? They must have sent all AC invites on Saturday imo 🙃🙃

Why would they do that though? Doesn't make any sense to me. You could say that theyre doing it to ensure that they fill all AC slots in case someone drops out but they fill way more ACs than they have VAcs available anyway so it doesn't make sense to not reject.

 

[willturnbull60]

Has anyone completed an AC with RPC? I have my AC date but have not recieved any information on what tasks are included in the day.

Hi, I did the AC last week and got confirmation of a place on the Summer Scheme a couple of days ago. There is a partner+HR interview, a written task, and a meeting based on the written task. I hope this helps. W

 

[Madeleine Fox]

Was this an invite to interview?

Yep! For the vacation scheme. It's on February 2nd

 

[I.Like.UFOs.Not.PFOs]

I've just finished an interview and I can't stop thinking about a million other ways I could have answered some of the questions to make my answers better e.g. 'should have said this/should have said that', missed out an important point in my answer, should have rambled less here and there (could tell that the interviewer found it hard to follow what I was saying because at some points I rambled for too long and now I just wish that I had cut down some of my answers)

I know there's no point dwelling on it since the interview is now over and there's literally nothing I can do to fix my mistakes, and I'm also aware that we're often our own worst critics. But would appreciate if anyone can shed light on how to deal with the post-AC slump lol. I won't hear back until March so I think my mental health will take a hard hit in February if I don't learn to manage my emotions properly. I don't want to be too harsh on myself but at the same time I don't want to get my hopes up too early in case I get rejected.

This was my first ever AC so I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself to get a perfect outcome. But any advice on this would be helpful!

Hi!
First of all, congrats for getting an AC in the first place; that in itself is already an amazing achievement.

Honestly, I think I know what you mean; you know you can’t change anything about what’s done, but for some reason, your brain keeps on replaying previous moments/ the worst parts, and you keep on thinking of ways you could’ve done better. I think most of us have been through this at some point.

I’m no expert, but here are some of the things that I did to help myself through that stage:

1) write down the ways that you feel you could’ve improved e.g., how to better structure answers etc. After all, this is your first AC and I’m sure there are many more to come- you can take your personal criticisms and turn them into practical future improvements.

2) once you’ve done that, try not to think about it any further. This is the hardest part but I feel like once I’ve written down all of the reasonable improvements I can make, I’m able to control myself better and not fall into a hole of self-deprecation and doubt 😅

3) for worst case scenarios, just forget that firm and that interview ever happened and move on lol. I did this with a firm once (kept busy with work, uni, other applications etc) and was confused for a moment when I got a PFO from the firm because I managed to blank my experience with them from my memory 😂

Note that these are entirely personal and might not be objectively the best methods to take, but I hope they help! Would love to see what everyone else has to say about this too 👽

 

[law2561]

Has anyone heard back from AG post VI for the Leeds office?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi!
First of all, congrats for getting an AC in the first place; that in itself is already an amazing achievement.

Honestly, I think I know what you mean; you know you can’t change anything about what’s done, but for some reason, your brain keeps on replaying previous moments/ the worst parts, and you keep on thinking of ways you could’ve done better. I think most of us have been through this at some point.

I’m no expert, but here are some of the things that I did to help myself through that stage:

1) write down the ways that you feel you could’ve improved e.g., how to better structure answers etc. After all, this is your first AC and I’m sure there are many more to come- you can take your personal criticisms and turn them into practical future improvements.

2) once you’ve done that, try not to think about it any further. This is the hardest part but I feel like once I’ve written down all of the reasonable improvements I can make, I’m able to control myself better and not fall into a hole of self-deprecation and doubt 😅

3) for worst case scenarios, just forget that firm and that interview ever happened and move on lol. I did this with a firm once (kept busy with work, uni, other applications etc) and was confused for a moment when I got the PFO from a firm because I managed to blank my experience with them from my memory 😂

Note that these are entirely personal and might not be objectively the best methods to take, but I hope they help! Would love to see what everyone else has to say about this too 👽

On top of this great advice, I would recommend noting down the positives too, and trying to make sure you have a balance of positive points (no matter how minor they may seem) to balance out the constructive points.

Self-analysis and self-awareness are vital traits for any lawyer. But to have these traits requires you to have balance in your thinking. By overly criticising yourself, you are never going to learn what you are doing well, and you'll have less ability to repeat that strength again in the future. Not knowing your strengths will also likely lead to more stress/anxiety in the future - because you suffer from too much self-doubt.

I really understand it's difficult to shift to that positive thinking - I am in a pessimistic "funk" currently and it's annoying me how long it's taking me to get out of it. But I have tried to remind myself that although it's ok to feel like this, at the same time I can't let it fester. Even if I take small steps to try to move me in the right direction to a more positive mindset, that is better than not trying at all.

 

[YUKI1201]

Have hogan nearly finished holding ACs?

Don't think so. I had it on 20th Jan and we were among the very first batches; personally I also know many ppl are preparing for upcoming ACs.

 

[MH]

What do firms expect full time workers to be able to do when they seem to be sending out such late notice invites to ACs? (e.g. DLA, Gowling and Reed Smith)

 

[Nicole15]

Guys after three years of applying I’ve finally received a Vac scheme offer I fully can’t believe I’m typing this!

Delighted for you - congratulations!

 

[gigglingsquid]

Anyone successful for Sidley - did you link the qualifies for a good lawyer back to yourself or not?

I tried to for most of them but not all. I'd say a mix is good because the question still asks what 'you' think the qualities of a good lawyer are. So it's quite subjective and linking stuff back to yourself is good if they apply.

 

[aspiringlawyer123_]

What do firms expect full time workers to be able to do when they seem to be sending out such late notice invites to ACs? (e.g. DLA, Gowling and Reed Smith)

When I booked my AC for gowling they only had 1 date available under a week away - but I logged back in and another later date had been released so I switched - worth looking into this!

 

[JD]

Has anyone heard anything back from Greenberg Traurig??

Also if anyone has any inside info on their 1st-year trainee/NQ salary I'd be intrigued to know. Seeing as most law firms are so open about salary the fact I haven't seen any mention of it anywhere is making me a bit sceptical.

Considering their revenue, size, US roots, ranking etc I assume it will be pretty similar to other US firms in the city with around £50k for year 1 and then £120k plus for NQ but would be interested to know.

Don't they send an email saying if you haven't heard back by 28 Feb, you've been unsuccessful?

 

[Jessica Booker]

What do firms expect full time workers to be able to do when they seem to be sending out such late notice invites to ACs? (e.g. DLA, Gowling and Reed Smith)

To be honest it's not even full-time workers. People with part-time jobs and/or any form of major commitment, whether it is kids/caring responsibilities, or even commitments to extra curriculars would find it difficult to move things around at such short notice.

My view is that everyone should be given at least a week's notice.

However, to defend my fellow recruiters, candidate cancellations can often be the reason why they are filling interviews last minute. I have lost count how many times someone pulls out of an interview/assessment centre, sometimes even only the day before and I have had to try and backfill it last minute. It is not ideal by any means but the alternative is not to invite anyone and that could just lead to you hiring fewer people.

 

[moneymoneymoney]

Strengths assessment is a pretty straightforward SJT. Mayer Brown's verbal reasoning is a bit unlike anything I've seen elsewhere, and tests a broader range of attributes than straight-on critical reasoning.

How did u prep for the verbal reasoning bit?

Just did a few on Jobtestprep and failed it miserably any advice