TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

[nj3352]

also does anyone know if it is possible to defer vac schemes? coz i might do a year abroad?

 

[Jessica Booker]

also does anyone know if it is possible to defer vac schemes? coz i might do a year abroad?

You can ask the firm - there is nothing to lose as the worst that will happen is they say no. Some firms will allow you to defer, others will just tell you to reapply next year.

 

[LegallyBrown]

Its probably not much compared to what other people have done but I submitted my 20th application this cycle 😭✨
I submitted my first app around this time last year and it took me four months to write that app. It took another three to write my second one lol. So while most of those 20 apps are already in the PFO pile, I am really proud I managed to get this far and become comfortable using phrases like 'sparked my interest' and 'intellectual complexities'.

and does anyone have advice for how to choose a topic for explain a current issue question? I read ft and can explain commercial topics but my mind just goes blank when I try to answer that question

Honestly I used to hate that question. In the past, I have always opted for something I think the firm would like to see I have knowledge of even if I had no interest in the matter itself - such as highly technical finance news stories.

As a result, my answer to the “how would this affect the firm” part of the question would always have to be “it’ll bring in more work” and I felt it consistently lacked commercial depth.

This cycle I opted to scratch all that and went for news stories that actually interested me, or that I was genuinely curious about. For example, discussions surrounding legalising cannabis, the new AI legislation, the controversy surrounding Disney contracts.

I found that when I went for topics that I was genuinely intrigued by, provided it sort of sat within the realm of any of the firms core practice areas, I found I had more to say on political, social, and economic levels.

It doesn’t have to be the biggest news story out there, it simply has to be something you genuinely would look into - and from that you will see a change in thinking and writing, which will translate further into the application.

I can’t say this is a definitive rule - it just simply worked best for me. I was tired of trying to sound like an economist when in truth I could not care less about what I was reading.

Step 1: Look at the practice areas the firm is strong in, what areas are bringing in the most money or what they do the most in. Firms will usually say the type of matters they work on within a certain practice area. For example, Reed Smith work on Section 280 tax notices for cannabis within its cannabis industry (a US practice per se, but may have implications firm-wide when you consider investment opportunities).

Step 2: Do a general google search of those industries/practice areas and see what’s happening out there.

Step 3: Find an article that interests you, of which ever one you consider to have the most impact on the firm, given its work in that area.

 

[EliteWhovian]

Thank you so much everyone!

Simmons recruitment will definitely be interested in why and how I am completing this VI at 1am haha

 

[yxngd2x]

Anyone heard from Latham today for the Spring VS?

Not a direct answer but i applied on 10th Dec and got an invitation on 22nd Dec with the AC next week

 

[user12345law]

Slightly unrelated buuut what's the expected dress code for ACs?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Slightly unrelated buuut what's the expected dress code for ACs?

I would always go more formal unless the firm says otherwise - suit/tie or smart blazer/skirt/blouse combo

 

[EllaClayton]

Would also like to know!

I did find out by the way it’s 11:59pm!

 

[Chelsea1]

Hi! Anyone been able to access the vacation scheme application for Norton Rose Fulbright? It is not showing up on their site and they said applications open on the 5th Jan...

Might email grad rec tomorrow morning.

 

[helga_p]

For Osborne Clarke, it says we will be sent a verbal reasoning test after submitting our application, does anyone know if this means we also have to complete the test by the deadline (15/01/2024)?

The deadline for completing the verbal reasoning test is 23.59 on 16 January 2024 - so a day after the deadline of the application itself

 

[addy2004]

If Freshfields' assessment centres begin a week today, when do people reckon we will know we have been invited or not by?

 

[OliviaPope]

If Freshfields' assessment centres begin a week today, when do people reckon we will know we have been invited or not by?

I would guess in the next couple of days? I’m scared to hear now I bombed WG😭

 

[Kodak123]

Is freshfields Winter Training Contract rolling or non rolling?

 

[manifestingtrainingcontract]

I would guess in the next couple of days? I’m scared to hear now I bombed WG😭

Still haven't heard if I am invited for the WG, I'm guessing it's a PFO now?

 

[addy2004]

I would guess in the next couple of days? I’m scared to hear now I bombed WG😭

At least the email said they weigh the WG and application together, but it's still scary😅

 

[addy2004]

Still haven't heard if I am invited for the WG, I'm guessing it's a PFO now?

They probably will PFO some people if their WG was awful and invite more to do WG test?

 

[OliviaPope]

Still haven't heard if I am invited for the WG, I'm guessing it's a PFO now?

They send WG in batches so you might be in the next one

 

[confusedlawstudent]

in an interview, is it okay to give examples from university even though i’ve graduate uni and am now a paralegal? i only just graduated last year, but just want to check that examples from uni are still relevant or not

 

[flower]

Slaughter SWE interview!

Would really appreciate any insight/advice regarding this.

 

[77777law]

The deadline for completing the verbal reasoning test is 23.59 on 16 January 2024 - so a day after the deadline of the application itself

Thank you !!