TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

[lawgurl90]

Hello guys! can anyone explain what this means 'Please note that you have 3 days to complete your interview from the time you click on the email link on AllHires’. They have not given a particular deadline or anything.

Is this for dwf?? same issue omg

 

[Lawgirl97]

Anyone know what the dwf vi deadline is?? It says three days from opening the link but what if I don't open link....

Omg same question! Also if anyone has done the VI before please help a sister out! This is the first time I have ever posted on this forum because I just finally got to the second round of an app for the first time ever. Please any help would be amazing!!!!!

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hello guys! can anyone explain what this means 'Please note that you have 3 days to complete your interview from the time you click on the email link on AllHires’. They have not given a particular deadline or anything.

I would just take it that the only deadline is from when you access the link. I would try to do the interview in the next week though if you can.

 

[S87]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

I am drafting an answer for a vacation scheme, I am describing a challenging situation and I need to explain what I did. I want to talk about my past experience of volunteering for an LGBTQIA charity in my home country. Among our many services, we also provided workshops for safe s*x, we had doctors coming in and also a safe space to talk. Am I allowed to talk about how our funds got cut and how I found alternative ways to promote safe s*x such as distributing items outside gay nightclubs and directing people to a local health-free clinic? Is it impolite to talk about such an unconventional topic? Sorry, I am just worried that it will be too much.

 

[Bottega_Veneta]

Does anyone know if Cleary takes into account mitigating circumstances?

On their portal the only documents you can upload are the CV, cover letter and transcript.

 

[Lawyer500]

Hello! If anyone has had an assessment centre with Penningtons Manches Cooper, please could you message me? thanks!

 

[Lawyer500]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

I wondered if you had any tips please on answering the question “who are our competitors”, I’m finding it difficult to know which firms to mention but I know it should probably be those with similar areas of law and sectors. I am applying to a regional office so should I just mention law firms with an office in that location?

Thank you!

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

I am drafting an answer for a vacation scheme, I am describing a challenging situation and I need to explain what I did. I want to talk about my past experience of volunteering for an LGBTQIA charity in my home country. Among our many services, we also provided workshops for safe s*x, we had doctors coming in and also a safe space to talk. Am I allowed to talk about how our funds got cut and how I found alternative ways to promote safe s*x such as distributing items outside gay nightclubs and directing people to a local health-free clinic? Is it impolite to talk about such an unconventional topic? Sorry, I am just worried that it will be too much.

Not a problem at all to talk about this topic.

One of my early interviews for a law firm I talked about being a condom fairy at university, and that was a very long time ago when things were a lot more traditional, and it really wasn’t an issue back then!

If you want to extra cautious though, just focus more on what you did rather than the topic.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Does anyone know if Cleary takes into account mitigating circumstances?

On their portal the only documents you can upload are the CV, cover letter and transcript.

I am sure they would. You could include this detail in the cover letter as a footnote.

 

[Z48]

Does anyone know if Cleary takes into account mitigating circumstances?

On their portal the only documents you can upload are the CV, cover letter and transcript.

I contacted them once to ask, they said you can put the details at the end of your CV/cover letter

 

[Bottega_Veneta]

I am sure they would. You could include this detail in the cover letter as a footnote.

I contacted them once to ask, they said you can put the details at the end of your CV/cover letter

Amazing, thank you both.

 

[LawyerBEC]

Same - Did yours say that "Your application is of interest to us, however, we have filled all available interview slots at present. We will contact you
in due course if we are able to accommodate further candidates." ?

I got the same message!

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

I wondered if you had any tips please on answering the question “who are our competitors”, I’m finding it difficult to know which firms to mention but I know it should probably be those with similar areas of law and sectors. I am applying to a regional office so should I just mention law firms with an office in that location?

Thank you!

I wouldn’t just mention firms with a location to the one you are applying to - it will need to be a bit more refined than that.

Firstly, work out how you are going to categorise them as competitors - there are many different measures you could use (location being one), but you could look at other factors like client base, sector expertise, practice areas, who they lose talent to (eg have any partners jumped ship either to or from this firm), revenue. Some of those categories can also be defined themselves, one competitor in one practice area might be different to another.

So defining how you have considered who is a competitor creates structure to your answer and makes your analysis clear.

Then select a small number 2-4 firms max that meet the criteria you have set.

 

[S87]

Not a problem at all to talk about this topic.

One of my early interviews for a law firm I talked about being a condom fairy at university, and that was a very long time ago when things were a lot more traditional, and it really wasn’t an issue back then!

If you want to extra cautious though, just focus more on what you did rather than the topic.

Thank you so much for your help @Jessica Booker

 

[zdi2024]

In Bristows VI would you say it was all competency or a mix of motivational and competency questions

 

[ayiiii05]

Has anyone heard back from Cooley for VS or Simmons for 10K Black Interns?

 

[axelbeugre]

@axelbeugre - Hi Axel, I was wondering if you knew who Shearman's biggest competitors are? Shall I break this question into 3, to answer who are the biggest competitors according to M&A, Finance, Project Development and Finance?

I looked it up and these are some of the firms that came out: Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Fried Frank Harris, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Linklaters. I think you can keep it general without necessarily going deeper into the different practice areas.

 

[axelbeugre]

Ahhh okay, I understand. Thank you for explaining

How could I please answer 'What are your hobbies and interests?' and 'Please give brief details of your non-academic activities and interests including positions of responsibility.'? I feel as though they are quite similar and what I had intended to put in one is also what I find repeating for the other. Do you have any tips? @axelbeugre @Jessica Booker

I think they are quite different as in the first one asks you about your interests outside of any academic or professional commitments like singing, music, reading books etc. The second one asks you about student associations and clubs at university and the skills you have developed from them. I think this is the distinction I would make.

 

[MandyAA]

I’m not sure if I’m overthinking this question ‘Discuss a recent news article related to DAC Beachcroft. If you were tasked to write a follow up article on the same issue, what would you seek to cover’

Does it mean a news article related directly to/about the firm or a news article that I can link to one of their sectors?

 

[Kbrandnew]

Hi. I hope this isn't a silly question, but I'm curious about the time limit for 'recently'. For instance, if an application question says, 'Give a recent example of a goal you have set for yourself', how far back in the past is acceptable?