TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Jessica Booker]

I think this whole fiasco actually will create a much larger problem of killing off social mobility.

If someone can’t or won’t self-fund, having funding vs having funding IF you pass is one hell of a distinction especially if it could lead to serious financial problems.

Furthermore, getting a TC means having to study at BPP and live in London, both of which will add a lot of costs, especially as I have been told that the largest firms ban part time working while studying the SQE and even one of the smaller internationals (80k or so NQ) have told me that they would require approval.

I do wonder how it will work for the grad sol apprentices

Solicitor apprentices, whether degree or graduate level, won’t have to pay back their fees. Employers cannot reclaim costs back from apprentices.

 

[Ruth A]

Is it even worth emailing PW at this point, when you haven’t heard back yet post- app? (Summer)

 

[Chris Brown]

I think this whole fiasco actually will create a much larger problem of killing off social mobility.

If someone can’t or won’t self-fund, having funding vs having funding IF you pass is one hell of a distinction especially if it could lead to serious financial problems.

Furthermore, getting a TC means having to study at BPP and live in London, both of which will add a lot of costs, especially as I have been told that the largest firms ban part time working while studying the SQE and even one of the smaller internationals (80k or so NQ) have told me that they would require approval.

I do wonder how it will work for the grad sol apprentices

It’s pretty ironic considering the SQE was supposedly introduced to broaden access into the legal profession, yet it seems to be having the opposite effect lmao. I think the exam fees have gone up again recently as well! 🥲

Why would a firm need to approve a future trainee working whilst studying the SQE? How exactly do they expect (socially mobile) future trainees to afford the cost of living in London with a grant that is less than £20,000? 🥲

To be fair, I read somewhere that future trainees studying the SQE with their cohort(s) together in London have a higher chance of passing first time than people self-funding and studying the SQE independently. 🫤​

 

[fxy]

Hey did anyone apply to the summer legal internship for bbc and heard anything back after the second stage?

was the second stage the video interview and questions or an AC

 

[👩🎓]

Hi @Amma Usman,

Do you have any advice on how to approach this question: What do you think you might find the most challenging part of being a Solicitor?

Any help will be appreciated, thank you.

 

[A worried graduate]

Solicitor apprentices, whether degree or graduate level, won’t have to pay back their fees. Employers cannot reclaim costs back from apprentices.

Interesting, I wonder if that puts off law firms from moving to GSAs or if the 95% is sorted regardless

 

[Andrei Radu]

Is it even worth emailing PW at this point, when you haven’t heard back yet post- app? (Summer)

I would say that the amount of time the firm has taken to respond to applicants despite having already organized ACs would be surprising if they did not have some type of waitlist or some further round of ACs - perhaps @Chris Brown or other forum members that have done PW ACs have more information on that. Thus, I would not necessarily infer you have already been rejected. Regardless, I do not think emailing them could have any negative impact on your progression chances. As such, if this is something that would give you more peace of mind, perhaps it is worth doing.

 

[A worried graduate]

It’s pretty ironic considering the SQE was supposedly introduced to broaden access into the legal profession, yet it seems to be having the opposite effect lmao. I think the exam fees have gone up again recently as well! 🥲

Why would a firm need to approve a future trainee working whilst studying the SQE? How exactly do they expect (socially mobile) future trainees to afford the cost of living in London with a grant that is less than £20,000? 🥲

To be fair, I read somewhere that future trainees studying the SQE with their cohort(s) together in London have a higher chance of passing first time than people self-funding and studying the SQE independently. 🫤​

The pass odds may be higher but it is not something that can be guaranteed, so it creates a risk.

I am surprised that law firms aren't working to develop an alternative to BPP/Ulaw as the tuition fees are continuing to rise and both have a rather poor reputation. If not the firms themselves then you'd expect one of the London unis to create something (For example Queen Mary supposedly offer an LLM with SQE yet presently outsource the SQE part to Barbri)

If I was the SRA, I'd be looking to standardise the test papers somewhat to make it cheaper to run and allow for tests to be resat within a shorter period. If they want to keep the toughness element then perhaps tightening the QWE aspect as those who qualify via that without the training are often struggling anyway.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Guys this might sound like a daft qs but should I be preparing for a potential PH interview even tho I have heard nothing from them since my initial app?

I don’t really know how long you have between the interview invite and the interview itself. I also don’t want to tire myself out by preparing in advance if I don’t have an interview to begin with 😭

I think in general firms give at least a one week notice prior to a scheduled interview. Unless you have other significant commitments, that should be more than enough time to ensure you are well-prepared. In my opinion, intense preparation for more than 4-5 days can actually have diminishing returns. As such, unless you have information to the effect that PH sometimes makes interview invites only a few days in advance, I believe investing lots of time in interview preparation may be premature. However, you could try to keep up with the news and generally work on your commercial awareness more in the coming days/weeks - that is a skill you can best improve a more extended period, as it can take quite a bit of time. This should also reduce your workload if you end up invited to interview with a shorter notice.

 

[Chris Brown]

Is it even worth emailing PW at this point, when you haven’t heard back yet post- app? (Summer)

To my knowledge, the application deadline for Paul, Weiss was 19/01/25. They sent out a lot of their online test invites between 30/01/25 and 31/01/25. I think others received online test invites in the first week of February. Paul, Weiss sent out a lot of post app and post test PFO’s around this time as well. 🥲

I think most of us received Paul, Weiss interview invites on 14/02/25 (Valentine’s Day). This was for the first batch of interviews. Other people received their interview invites in the following few days. From this first batch of interviews, Paul, Weiss made the majority of their Spring and Summer VS offers on 10/03/25. 🙂

Last week, a second batch of interview invites were sent out, which I think were to fill the remaining Summer VS slots (5 remaining). I think Spring VS for Paul, Weiss is full. If you haven’t heard back at all from Paul, Weiss (post application) since the deadline passed, it might be a PFO sadly. 🫤

Then again, some people have not heard anything since the online test invites were sent out. Also, a lot of people that interviewed with Paul, Weiss did not hear back post interview. It is hard to say ultimately as it’s their first recruitment cycle. If you feel that emailing them is worthwhile, I would say go for it (for ease of mind)! 🙂​

 

[FM302989]

Please can I remind people to keep things civil and avoid speculation, especially in conversations regarding a named individual.

Just as we wouldn’t expect judgement and negative comments within our community, it is not appropriate to direct the same behaviours to someone just because they are in the legal press.

I think the key takeaway from this news is the ‘dishonesty’ element when these decisions are published. That’s why the punishment has been severe. Whether it’s accounts breaches, behaviour, or the classic ‘briefcase left on train’ scenario, honesty is taken seriously

This is something that’ll come up when solicitor ethics/SRA principles are studied

 

[Starfish31]

Hey guys, ahead of my vac scheme at Goodwin I would really appreciate any good advice for maximising my chance of converting it into a TC. (For context the VS is a week long.)

My background is non-law and I have never done a vac scheme before so I would be going in blind in a sense. I'm also open to investing in any paid services that anyone would personally recommend.

I selected a few seat preferences but I haven't gotten any confirmation as to where I would be sitting. I know that there will be a written exercise task and a group assessment but that's basically all the info I have.

Separately, but quite randomly, I have been looking to reactivate my premium LinkedIn because I have ran out of personalised invites to send to Trainees at the firm but it's either £30 a month of £180 for a year. Is it worth the investment or should I seek alternative methods such as trying to email for a discount of leaving it altogether?

 

[ohnoselim]

does anyone struggle to get referees for applications?

none of my tutors at university were very helpful when it came to this (had some bad experiences and just stopped asking) , and now that I am a graduate I just think its difficult

for applications some specify having an academic referee, what do people do in this instance?

 

[broalabear]

Quick WG Assumption Q:

For humankind to survive, it must colonise other planets.
Assumption - There will be a time when the Earth can no longer sustain human life.

Am I right in saying that an assumption has been made here?

The only thing I can think of against this is that Earth may very well sustain human life, but not be sufficient. Then again, that would mean that it technically cannot sustain human life, and therefore, the assumption is made.

Also, if I were to invert this: There will be a time when the Earth can sustain human life, then the proposed statement becomes redundant, which should logically indicate that there is an assumption, no?

3.30 am yk, I hate these damn tests.

 

[emma.d]

Hi everyone, I have 2 x 400 application questions which I would like some guidance on. I am unsure of how to fill the word count and the things I should cover.

In light of our service lines, if you could introduce one client to us, who would it be and why? (max 400 words)

I have identified a specific client and how it relates to the firm through similar cases in the past but am unsure on what else to talk about.

AI is rapidly changing how law firms operate and how solicitors interact with clients. How can we embrace AI without sacrificing our value of Human First? (max 400 words)

@Andrei Radu your insight would be much appreciated as I have found your question breakdowns in the past super useful! Also, a side question Andrei do you think you will still be around on TCLA next cycle?

 

[Bread]

Quick WG Assumption Q:

For humankind to survive, it must colonise other planets.
Assumption - There will be a time when the Earth can no longer sustain human life.

Am I right in saying that an assumption has been made here?

The only thing I can think of against this is that Earth may very well sustain human life, but not be sufficient. Then again, that would mean that it technically cannot sustain human life, and therefore, the assumption is made.

Also, if I were to invert this: There will be a time when the Earth can sustain human life, then the proposed statement becomes redundant, which should logically indicate that there is an assumption, no?

3.30 am yk, I hate these damn tests.

What does the answer say?

 

[user9809]

I have a paralegal interview soon and I’m not sure how to prepare for it. This is my first one. Does anyone have any advice? Would really appreciate it!

@Jessica Booker @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu @Amma Usman

 

[Legallywhatever]

Is there any way (alongside practice tests) that one can prepare for an Amberjack test? I've never done one of these before so don't really know how to adequately prepare. Any tips would be appreciated!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Interesting, I wonder if that puts off law firms from moving to GSAs or if the 95% is sorted regardless

I don't think this is the issue as effectively the GSAs are funded from the apprenticeship levy (which is why it cannot be paid back). The levy is effectively a tax on employers as they can only spend it on apprenticeship training, otherwise it goes to waste (well just goes to the government if not used).

I think the reluctance of GSAs is more firms are worried about how they manage capacity and giving 20% of time off dedicated to the academic part of the apprenticeship and needing blocks of time off for assessments.

Its not really an issue in my opinion - the investment banks and accountancy firms manage it very well and typically with much higher numbers of people.

 

[Jessica Booker]

does anyone struggle to get referees for applications?

none of my tutors at university were very helpful when it came to this (had some bad experiences and just stopped asking) , and now that I am a graduate I just think its difficult

for applications some specify having an academic referee, what do people do in this instance?

You can just give your faculty's admin office. It does not need to be someone who vouches for you personally - the reference just needs to verify your grades.