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

[hopefullylaw2000]

Hi all. For those that have done/ are doing a non-law degree - what would be your response for why didn't you do a law degree?

I have always said that at school I wasn't sure what I wanted to do so I decided to do something which I really enjoyed and realised that my enthusiasm for the subject would mean that I performed my best then because I did a degree linked to law, I explain that it is whilst I did my degree i realised I liked commercial law!! This has always been viewed very positively in interviews because (as feedback has said multiple times) that my enjoyment for my undergraduate subject shows my passion and drive !

 

[Celestie]

This is very helpful! Unfortunately can’t avoid testing completely as most firms use it but I do think it’s one of the most unfair criteria to judge people in this process

You can avoid it quite a bit - I found a lot of American firms don't seem to use it. Also, firms use their online testing differently - to choose candidates or to reduce the paper pile. So it's a complete game of chance!

I agree - not fair

 

[Celestie]

I remember around this time last year I got really stressed with apps and uni. Please feel free to drop me a dm if you would like any help!

 

[GXA123]

I remember around this time last year I got really stressed with apps and uni. Please feel free to drop me a dm if you would like any help!

What firm have u got a TC with?

 

[Ameliaa]

Has anyone done the Irwin Mitchell VI for the vac scheme? It's my first video interview and I'm quite nervous! Any insight would be appreciated

 

[A92167!8]

What time on the 6th do the Addleshaw apps close please?

 

[WeRegretToInformYou]

any word from Macfarlanes about the technical issues?

 

[George Maxwell]

Hi George, can I ask what made the AC so enjoyable? Currently preparing for this now, any suggested preparation also very much appreciated!

Hi @Al1793!

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Just want to wish you the very best for the year ahead before I start. Congratulations too on being progressed to interview!

I enjoyed the AC for two reasons.

Firstly, I really liked the interviewer that I had for the motivational/general interview. I just enjoyed our conversation and appreciated how open he was with me about his experience.

Secondly, I found the scenario-based interviews invigorating. My interviewers (I had two scenario-based interviews as it was online when I did it) were not trying to catch me out and seemed to enjoy our discussion. They genuinely seemed invested in learning how I thought and what the approach I employed was when answering questions. They were challenging interviews but I appreciated having the opportunity to speak with two partners about how to approach a particular case too.

I also enjoyed that the interview allowed me to be curious and to ask questions. The structure of the interview lends itself well to discussion which suited me.

My biggest advice for these interviews is know the "Three Whys" (why you, why HSF, why commercial law), be hot on your commercial terms (Jake Schogger's Commercial Law Handbook is great for this), and be up to date on your commercial awareness (Watson's Daily!). Also practice. You must be comfortable with explaining and justifying your thought process out loud in a clear and logical manner.

I would advise checking out the materials that the Big Three Management Consultancies put out for Case Study preparation (i.e., Mckinsey, BCG, Bain). BCG's is here. Videos like this are also really useful to demonstrate what effective 'thinking out loud' is and how this skill can be implemented in an interview scenario.

I hope that helps .

Do tag me if you have any follow-up questions!

 

[Parsorandini]

This is a silly question, and I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but I just got an outrageous percentile score in a WG test feedback so I just need to ask. 🤣 Your percentile compared to the group means that you performed better than that percentage of people right? For example, 70th percentile would mean that you performed better than 70% of the group rather than the opposite?

 

[John Travoni]

any word from Macfarlanes about the technical issues?

Yeah. Even though I did not email as I submitted over a week ago, they said they’ve extended the deadline to tomorrow 9am so that anyone who needs to submit has enough time.

 

[Parsorandini]

Just finished Baker McKenzie's video interview.. the first video interview I've ever had, completely tripped up on my words although I got 70%-90% of the information across. With the last question I spoke too fast and stared at the camera like a deer in headlights:/ holding out some hope because I don't think the substance/information of my answers were too bad, it was just more of my nerves in the way. Any advice for someone who feels horrible after their first video interview?

So I did my first VI last month and it was atrocious. I stuttered, I blanked - everything you can imagine to go wrong went wrong. However, I have done 3 since then and they just get better every time. Honestly the more you do, the more confident you'll get, and I'm not someone who is necessarily naturally confident in those scenarios so it shows that practice makes perfect. Also you can't have been as bad as me! Good luck for the future

 

[IRO]

Hi all. For those that have done/ are doing a non-law degree - what would be your response for why didn't you do a law degree?

I've done 3 non-law degrees and I found that if I had a compelling answer to 'why commercial law?' no one questioned my commitment to law/asked me why I didn't do a law degree. I basically said: 'I planned to do X career and did degrees which supported that career plan. During my last degree I realised I wanted a career in law for ABC reasons' and scored very highly. Non-law degrees will give you transferable skills which will serve you well as a solicitor so if you can highlight these you can strengthen your answer to this question.

 

[Rob93]

I've done 3 non-law degrees and I found that if I had a compelling answer to 'why commercial law?' no one questioned my commitment to law/asked me why I didn't do a law degree. I basically said: 'I planned to do X career and did degrees which supported that career plan. During my last degree I realised I wanted a career in law for ABC reasons' and scored very highly. Non-law degrees will give you transferable skills which will serve you well as a solicitor so if you can highlight these you can strengthen your answer to this question.

Agree with this. I would expect most interviewers to be more interested in why you studied what you *did* study, what you got out of that and why you are now pursuing law than why you didn't study law in the first place.

 

[hopefullylaw2000]

Hi! I was wondering if anyone had any tips for the Reed Smith VI (I got an extension due to having Covid!) I have prepared strength questions and why RS but was wondering if there's more commercial focused questions aswell etc? Thanks in advance!!

 

[anon123456789]

Hi! I was wondering if anyone had any tips for the Reed Smith VI (I got an extension due to having Covid!) I have prepared strength questions and why RS but was wondering if there's more commercial focused questions aswell etc? Thanks in advance!!

Hope you are feeling better! The RS VI is so calm in my opinion. That's not to say I think I did well but it wasn't a particularly stressful experience as you get given plenty of time to talk and the questions are more conversational than strict, direct answer questions.
From what I can remember there aren't any questions that specifically focus on commercial awareness, they more look at the ways you develop your knowledge and what you are interested in.
As long as you have prepped the usual 'why reed smith' and are generally aware of the firm and what they are looking for then you'll be absolutely fine.
I would recommend using the prep time in between each question (about 1-2 mins cant remember) to give your answer a bit of structure because there is the tendency to ramble due to the conversational nature of the qs.
Otherwise just remember to smile and look at the camera and you'll do great - best of luck x

 

[mckelly]

Anything from Skadden?

 

[Rob93]

Anything from Skadden?

Total silence since applying 13th Dec. Their brochure says telephone interviews run through Jan so I would expect responses to start coming in the next week or two.

 

[anon123456789]

Anyone heard from Clyde & Co RE Spring Vac? 😅 😅

 

[RachelLouise22]

Anyone prepared to share tips for the Clyde and Co VI? Would be massively appreciated

 

[samni]

Yeah. Even though I did not email as I submitted over a week ago, they said they’ve extended the deadline to tomorrow 9am so that anyone who needs to submit has enough time.

Hi, can I just ask where you heard this from? I emailed yesterday but haven’t gotten a response yet