TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

[axelbeugre]

Does anyone have any tips for the group task section of an assessment centre? What topics are they usually on?

Hey @lovelaw223,
In my experience, it is a case study about a commercial topic. Mine was about a private equity deal but I have heard many other cases around analysing who to fire from a company which is merging with another company, or what to consider in an M&A transaction with a private equity firm, things of this nature.

In terms of tips, I would say that the main thing is to be a team player during group exercises. Listen actively, contribute thoughtfully, and respect the opinions of others. Demonstrating collaboration skills is crucial in a law firm setting. It is not only about what you say but also how you contribute to the overall team and if you manage to make everyone feel comfortable, so focus on this aspect as well, which can be sometimes forgotten! Additionally, make sure that everyone on the team had a chance to say their piece, I think that this is a really great skill to demonstrate, i.e. being inclusive, as it shows that you are a great team player.

I would also brush off on your commercial awareness by keeping up-to-date with current news about the legal and business sector, particularly in areas that are of interest to the firm. For instance, my group task was around a tech company, which is an area of interest to Goodwin specifically, and so I expected something around technology. So, I think that if you can prepare on things that you think might come up in terms of main areas of interest to the firms it would be really good!

Lastly, be yourself throughout the process. As much as it can feel very daunting, I think that the best strategy is being yourself and making sure that you understood the task given. As long as you are able to do these things, I am sure that you will perform amazingly.

Good luck!

 

[Untilwinter]

So, DLA closed their internship applications, oh well!

when i am 20 words away from finishing my app🤯

 

[LawEnthus]

I would include an SU role or a volunteer role in work experience. I just would include society/sports club positions as they are clearly still asking for work experience rather than extra curricular activities.

Thank you Jessica!

 

[axelbeugre]

Hi @axelbeugre I was wondering how you would approach a question that asks what improvement you would make to a firm and why?

Hey @gch1997,

This is certainly a tricky question but what I would do is:

• Start with a thorough research of the firm (if the application question is directly asking to talk about these improvements to the law firm you are applying to), especially identifying practice areas that they might not cover or a specific focus area that they should work in (for instance ESG). I remember that during my mentoring scheme at Paul Hastings I had to create a presentation on a new practice area to suggest to the firm and I talked about AI, building my argument on the increasing need of legal understanding around AI for tech and non-tech clients. I also linked it to the firm's clientele and it was very well received, so approaching your answer in this direction might be helpful.
• Something that I personally will also look at is diversity initiatives and programmes. What is the firm already doing that can be improved? Is the firm successfully attracting diverse candidates? Diversity is not only intended based on race or gender, but also in terms of academic background and experiences. For instance, if a firm is really big on life sciences, attracting a candidate pool with a significant amount of people with a scientific background could be very beneficial in the long run. Considerations like this could be easier to make and also talk about in case they bring your answer up during a potential face to face interview.
• Additionally, considerations around international expansion in certain areas of the world (if the law firm in question is not already quite international) should also be made. It would be good to argue that now certain locations like Dubai or Riyadh are becoming extremely attractive to the legal world, and given the amount of work that these locations are producing, law firms should be thinking about possible expansions in that region. I think that international expansion is something that you could also discuss and it would make your answer quite interesting and compelling.
• @ Jessica Booker's tips are also quite beneficial so I would follow what she said to, I think that they will help you understand how to structure your answer. I tried to give you some examples!

I hope this is helpful and good luck with the application!

 

[axelbeugre]

@Jessica Booker @axelbeugre Hi both, I hope you are well. At the Simmons AC I was told that we would hear an outcome by 20th Nov. I see that some people on the forum have received WVS invites post AC, and some unfortunately have rejected PFO post AC.
I don’t want to seem pushy but I would need to know soon as I work full time and the scheme is in less than 2 weeks.

How would you handle this?

I would wait until Friday and if you do not hear anything, then I would send a polite email asking for updates. I am sure they will be very happy to reply to you so do not worry to sound too pushy. As long as your email is polite, then there is nothing to worry about. I certainly have reached out a couple of times when I was applying last year for updates as I had to organise everything since I had other commitments and all the law firms were very nice about it. I made sure that my email were always very nice and never pretentious.

I hope that helps and congratulations for the assessment centre! This is a huge achievement in itself! And good luck with the outcome!

 

[axelbeugre]

W&C WVS offer! Can’t believe it!

Congratulations!! This is amazing!! Well deserved!

 

[SalmaNasser]

Who has heard from Stephenson Harwood and when did you reply? Also, what if the test they send out if you know it?

i applied for spring and i still haven't heard back although i got invited for the open day. When did you apply?

 

[Cynthia14]

Anybody has the idea of answering the questions of " Focusing on one of Reed Smith' s sectors, what current issues do you think will impact this sector? What opportunities or challenges could this present Reed Smith or our clients?" do I need to mention a specific practice area?

 

[WN20]

Hey @gch1997,

This is certainly a tricky question but what I would do is:

• Start with a thorough research of the firm (if the application question is directly asking to talk about these improvements to the law firm you are applying to), especially identifying practice areas that they might not cover or a specific focus area that they should work in (for instance ESG). I remember that during my mentoring scheme at Paul Hastings I had to create a presentation on a new practice area to suggest to the firm and I talked about AI, building my argument on the increasing need of legal understanding around AI for tech and non-tech clients. I also linked it to the firm's clientele and it was very well received, so approaching your answer in this direction might be helpful.
• Something that I personally will also look at is diversity initiatives and programmes. What is the firm already doing that can be improved? Is the firm successfully attracting diverse candidates? Diversity is not only intended based on race or gender, but also in terms of academic background and experiences. For instance, if a firm is really big on life sciences, attracting a candidate pool with a significant amount of people with a scientific background could be very beneficial in the long run. Considerations like this could be easier to make and also talk about in case they bring your answer up during a potential face to face interview.
• Additionally, considerations around international expansion in certain areas of the world (if the law firm in question is not already quite international) should also be made. It would be good to argue that now certain locations like Dubai or Riyadh are becoming extremely attractive to the legal world, and given the amount of work that these locations are producing, law firms should be thinking about possible expansions in that region. I think that international expansion is something that you could also discuss and it would make your answer quite interesting and compelling.

I hope this is helpful and good luck with the application!

This is really useful - thanks so much for this! If the question asks what improvements you would make as a trainee, how should we adapt our response? I can´t imagine proposing an international expansion to the key stakeholders of the business as a trainee haha. Any insight would be much appreciated

 

[axelbeugre]

This is really useful - thanks so much for this! If the question asks what improvements you would make as a trainee, how should we adapt our response? I can´t imagine proposing an international expansion to the key stakeholders of the business as a trainee haha. Any insight would be much appreciated

The trainee part definitely is important, however I do think that a trainee could very easily do this by a well-thought and researched presentation on the issue. These are just suggestions, so if they are backed up by information and data, I am sure that the key stakeholders will take it into account. So I do stand with what I said in terms of examples that you could mention. I would just stress how a trainee could present these to partners through a presentation.
As Jessica said, I would focus more on the why after mentioning a couple of examples. I think that that is the key aspect of the question.

Try to explain your reasoning behind the factors you have decided to talk about and use data and information to back your argument. I feel like in this answer, everything is valid as long as it makes sense and it is supported by data so do not be afraid!

Good luck!

 

[mfuturetrainee]

hi axel @axelbeugre i had a quick q about how to
approach one of bakers app which says smt along the lines of ‘think back to our clients and what matter would be affecting them rn and how could we as a law firm help them’, I was wondering if you could advise as to what a starting point in researching or answering this could be because im stumped 😅 thank you!

 

[axelbeugre]

Anybody has the idea of answering the questions of " Focusing on one of Reed Smith' s sectors, what current issues do you think will impact this sector? What opportunities or challenges could this present Reed Smith or our clients?" do I need to mention a specific practice area?

Yes, I think the question is asking you to focus on a particular practice area of the firm, potentially the one you find most interesting or the major one at the firm, and find interesting trends or events that are substantially challenging, for better or worse, this practice area.

I would say that a good portion of your time should be spent on researching the practice area you choose and understanding the main current trends. A lot of research should also go towards understanding Reed Smith's business and clients, specifically in the practice area of your choice. This will help you better analyse the issues as well as the challenges and opportunities for the clients you identify.

I hope that was clear and good luck with the application!

 

[axelbeugre]

hi axel @axelbeugre i had a quick q about how to
approach one of bakers app which says smt along the lines of ‘think back to our clients and what matter would be affecting them rn and how could we as a law firm help them’, I was wondering if you could advise as to what a starting point in researching or answering this could be because im stumped 😅 thank you!

Hey @mfuturetrainee,

I totally understand your confusion, questions like this used to confuse me a lot too last year.
I did provide some insights into this question in this post : https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ns-discussion-thread-2023-24.8037/post-154642 which I invite you to read and I hope it is somewhat helpful.

I would add that something worth mentioning in these kind of questions is the necessity for lawyers to always be up-to-date with the new concepts in the business and legal field that they might not be very much aware of. So, if I were you, regardless of the factors you decide to mention, I will always mention how understanding the core of the business of a client, especially of a client operating in a new and developing sector is extremely fundamental for lawyers. Examples of these could be technology, AI, ESG, metaverse and things of that nature. This means that investing in the knowledge of the lawyers is very important and it is something that the law firm can invest in, in order for the lawyers to be exception business advisors other than legal experts.

I hope that is clear and good luck with the application!

 

[Abbas J]

Hi,

Quick question regarding Sullivan & Cromwell's Cover Letter.

How long should it be? I am assuming to write a page? But other US firms such as Gibson Dunn prefer around 675 words which is more than a page? A

Any insight/tips/advice would be appreciated even if not related to Sullivan & Cromwell.

Thanks! )

 

[Jessica Booker]

I know its an age old debate. But I've just graduated university with a first in English literature, a two week internship at a boutique firm and little to no other legal experience. My CV is decent in terms of leadership roles and other extra curricular achievements. Should I apply for direct TCs or VSs??? Ideally I would prefer to go for TCs having missed the boat for WVSs because I had to wait 5 months for my uni results. Do I need more legal experience to get a look in for direct TCs? @Jessica Booker would love some help and sorry if you get this question all the time!

I would apply to a mix of VS and TCs. There will be some firms that a VS will always make more sense no matter what your background - particularly those with very small TC intakes or those that recruit almost (or completely) exclusively from VS.

There will be some firm you can apply to a direct TC so. Remember that it isn’t just about legal work experience - leverage any other experience and draw out the transferable skills from them.

If you do want to build out more commercial legal experience, then complement your current experiences with open days, insight programmes and virtual work experience programmes.

 

[axelbeugre]

Hi,

Quick question regarding Sullivan & Cromwell's Cover Letter.

How long should it be? I am assuming to write a page? But other US firms such as Gibson Dunn prefer around 675 words which is more than a page? A

Any insight/tips/advice would be appreciated even if not related to Sullivan & Cromwell.

Thanks! )

I was given the advice to stick to a one page cover letter when I was applying last year. I talked to some future trainees and they told me that they wrote a one page cover letter too. If a firm does not specify, I would stick to one page!
in terms of tips, I shares some in this post recently and I think that they could helpful for you too https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ns-discussion-thread-2023-24.8037/post-154912

Good luck with the application!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Anybody has the idea of answering the questions of " Focusing on one of Reed Smith' s sectors, what current issues do you think will impact this sector? What opportunities or challenges could this present Reed Smith or our clients?" do I need to mention a specific practice area?

Be mindful that sectors and practice areas are often two different things (although there is sometimes cross over which can make it confusing).

Here is a link to how the firm distinguishes the two - they refer to sectors as capabilities:

Capabilities | Reed Smith LLP

Reed Smith’s skilled lawyers deliver tailored solutions to clients in the energy, entertainment, media, health care, life science, financial services and transport industries.

www.reedsmith.com

It maybe that one sector drives more specific work to a particular practice area though, and so you may want to think about this. But for some sectors, their “issues” could be across practice areas and therefore not need a specific reference to one in particular.

You could also focus your answer more on the opportunities/challenges for the clients rather than Reed Smith, which then might not need any reference to the firm’s practice areas.

 

[Abbas J]

I was given the advice to stick to a one page cover letter when I was applying last year. I talked to some future trainees and they told me that they wrote a one page cover letter too. If a firm does not specify, I would stick to one page!
in terms of tips, I shares some in this post recently and I think that they could helpful for you too https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ns-discussion-thread-2023-24.8037/post-154912

Good luck with the application!

Brilliant,

thanks

 

[NMA]

Anyone know how long Mofo takes to get back to you after applying?

 

[lawapplicant]

i applied for spring and i still haven't heard back although i got invited for the open day. When did you apply?

Deadline. I haven’t been sent the test