TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[tarastar]

Does anyone know how to pass the Macfarlanes online test? What skills are they looking for as strengths/weaknesses?

 

[zonnonomo]

Does anyone know how to pass the Macfarlanes online test? What skills are they looking for as strengths/weaknesses?

they are very big on resilience

i went to their AC last year and my top 3 strengths were resilience, collaboration and adaptability

and my weakness was personal responsibility iirc

 

[KBanana]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some practical advice on how to deal with very busy supervisors during VSs. I’ve noticed I tend to get great feedback from more involved supervisors (the ones who check in regularly, have tasks planned for you etc), but I struggle with very busy/hands-off supervisors.

In a recent VS that I didn’t convert, one of my supervisors (let's call them supervisor 1) checked in with me throughout the day, planned my tasks ahead of time, and gave me excellent feedback. Whereas supervisor 2, who was quite busy, gave me bad feedback (GR didn't tell me the specifics, just that I scored poorly in their evaluation). I don't think my work quality was the issue as all my work was reviewed by another lawyer (supervisor 2 was too busy to review it), and I only received positive feedback for my work. Therefore, I think the problem might be that I bothered supervisor 2 too much.

As supervisor 2 didn't check in with me, I tried to be proactive: I’d stop by their office (I was seated away from them) once or twice a day (usually morning/lunch and before leaving) to say hello, let them know what I was working on, and ask if they needed help. They also didn't give me any tasks initially, so I asked others around for tasks (I thought that was better than doing nothing). I did get tasks from others, but eventually a more senior lawyer intervened, said they would speak with my supervisor about the situation, and after that I started receiving tasks from them. I feel terrible, as I didn't mean to create more stress for supervisor 2 - I just didn't want to sit idle all week and was concerned I’d have nothing to speak about in the upcoming partner interview (as we were told it would be based on the tasks we completed).

Thankfully, I have another VS starting soon. However, I’m worried I might face a similar situation. So my questions are:

- With busy supervisors, how often should you try to speak to them in a day?​

- Is it better to wait for them to approach you/check in instead?​

- How many tasks would you typically be expected to complete in a week?​

- If your supervisor doesn't give you tasks, how long should you wait before asking others?​

I’d really appreciate any practical tips or insights (including advice that goes beyond my specific questions!). Thank you!

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

 

[aspiringcatsolicitor]

Hiya, any 2025 graduates here planning to take a year to focus on applications in the next cycle? Would love to connect and possibly set up a group chat

 

[Chris Brown]

Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating it. I hope you guys have a great day and weekend! 🥳​

 

[legalxp2]

Missed a vacation scheme this year? There's still time! The TCLA team are excited to share the following opportunity.

Perkins Coie London has just announced its vacation scheme. It runs this summer. And you can apply in the next two weeks.

It's a firm that has a huge presence in the US, especially in the tech sector - working with clients like Amazon, Meta and Amazon. What's interesting about the London-side is it's new, fast-growing, and operates very much like a start-up. This is a chance to join the firm as it builds its London practice.

It is a very unique vacation scheme (which tells you a lot about the firm), including gamified AI case studies, masterclasses to boost skills and commercial awareness, and a group pitch to a Founder/General Counsel client. As well as being a paid position, the firm will cover the cost of accommodation and travel.

Want to apply directly instead? The firm is also hiring for its Legal Business Analyst role.

For the vacation scheme, apply here by 23 June 2025.

Hi Jess,
For this opportunity it has mentioned to include

• Cover letter including your response to the following questions:
  • What attracts you to the LBA program?
  • What is a recent story in the news that could impact a Perkins Coie client and what could that effect be?

would you recommend it be best to answer the second question separately in its own respective paragraph within the cover letter or to integrate the response within the cover letter itself and continue with the typical cover letter structure?

Many thanks!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jess,
For this opportunity it has mentioned to include

• Cover letter including your response to the following questions:
  • What attracts you to the LBA program?
  • What is a recent story in the news that could impact a Perkins Coie client and what could that effect be?

would you recommend it be best to answer the second question separately in its own respective paragraph within the cover letter or to integrate the response within the cover letter itself and continue with the typical cover letter structure?

Many thanks!

I think it should be within the cover letter format but have dedicated paragraphs to it.

 

[trainee4u]

Missed a vacation scheme this year? There's still time! The TCLA team are excited to share the following opportunity.

Perkins Coie London has just announced its vacation scheme. It runs this summer. And you can apply in the next two weeks.

It's a firm that has a huge presence in the US, especially in the tech sector - working with clients like Amazon, Meta and Amazon. What's interesting about the London-side is it's new, fast-growing, and operates very much like a start-up. This is a chance to join the firm as it builds its London practice.

It is a very unique vacation scheme (which tells you a lot about the firm), including gamified AI case studies, masterclasses to boost skills and commercial awareness, and a group pitch to a Founder/General Counsel client. As well as being a paid position, the firm will cover the cost of accommodation and travel.

Want to apply directly instead? The firm is also hiring for its Legal Business Analyst role.

For the vacation scheme, apply here by 23 June 2025.

Looks like this is more of an undergraduate-only work experience program than a VS - it doesn't appear to lead to permanent employment, and graduates appear to be excluded.

 

[Chris Brown]

Looks like this is more of an undergraduate-only work experience program than a VS - it doesn't appear to lead to permanent employment, and graduates appear to be excluded.

I think only finalists and graduates can apply for the legal business analyst (LBA) role, which is a form of permanent employment. Anyone who is not a finalist or graduate is not eligible to apply for the LBA role. They can apply for the Perkins Coie Summer VS instead. 😅​

 

[Joey green]

Do you need a visa for Perkins Coie? Or can they sponsor one?

 

[johnnn821]

Guys does anyone have any resources to recommend on how to improve your presentation skills or how to prepare for a presentation during an interview?

 

[Kakaboo]

I’ve just received my buddy for my scheme, what kind of message should I drop him on LinkedIn? Thanks!

 

[trainee4u]

I think only finalists and graduates can apply for the legal business analyst (LBA) role, which is a form of permanent employment. Anyone who is not a finalist or graduate is not eligible to apply for the LBA role. They can apply for the Perkins Coie Summer VS instead. 😅​

I'm not really sure if it is permanent employment - at least previously the LBA was effectively a fixed-term 12-month paralegal role, but, uniquely, they would offer some candidates a further 12-month 'training contract', to take advantage of the fact that training contracts don't really exist in the SRA's eyes any more, so you could do 12 months as LBA (paralegal) and then presumably up or out onto their 'TC'.

It's definitely interesting and innovative that they are not messing around with long recruitment time frames, but instead are giving people immediate work with a focus on business rather than law.

Not quite sure at what point SQE would fit in, or whether they make people spend a further year doing the GDL.

 

[hfbjsdhfbhf]

Hi everyone! What are some common/potential topics for a commercial case study other than ESG or AI?

 

[paralegaltotrainee]

You may not get the formal agreement until just before your TC starts. If you have received a TC offer letter, this could be your formal offer.

If there is no chance of you accepting a TC offer from firm B over firm A, you should withdraw your candidacy from the VS. There is little value in continuing with the vacation scheme - you don't need the experience now you have secured your preferred TC.

If you want to work out whether Firm B is better suited to you than firm A, then you can proceed with the VS given neither of your offers have a term restricting you from doing so.

There are no unwritten rules about this. Some would argue that you should stick to the "voluntary code of recruitment for trainee solicitors" which can be found here https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topic...ry-code-of-recruitment-for-trainee-solicitors. However, as you can see, this hasn't been reviewed or updated since 2015 and firms are not sticking to this, so I don't see why candidates should. Just to highlight it is just a voluntary code - there is no regulatory requirements to stick to this, its just considered best practice.

Firms would only find out if you told them or you put it in the public domain like on LinkedIn. Now they could ask you as part of your scheme or TC conversion interview, and at that stage I would encourage people to be honest.

As for LinkedIn, no one would know when you got the offer or when you accepted it, so it wouldn't look odd to have a VS on your LinkedIn. You can also change your "future trainee" dates on LinkedIn to only cover the period you start a sponsored course, so it wouldn't look like your VS was after you had accepted an offer based on the information on LinkedIn.

The only final point to make, is that your "funding" commitment with Firm A could start from the point you submit forms to the GDL/SQE prep provider. I have seen people financially tied to the firm because they have effectively signed up to a GDL/SQE course even if that has not started.

Thanks so much for the detailed response! I have a follow-up question about the LinkedIn aspect. I’m now connected to several people from Firm A who have congratulated me privately on the offer, so if I were to add a Firm B vacation scheme to my experience section later, it would be visible to them if they happened to check my profile. Do you think this would raise any eyebrows or look a bit off, given that I’ve already signed the offer letter with Firm A?

 

[trainee4u]

Thanks so much for the detailed response! I have a follow-up question about the LinkedIn aspect. I’m now connected to several people from Firm A who have congratulated me privately on the offer, so if I were to add a Firm B vacation scheme to my experience section later, it would be visible to them if they happened to check my profile. Do you think this would raise any eyebrows or look a bit off, given that I’ve already signed the offer letter with Firm A?

you don't have to update linkedin! You could just deactivate it for a while.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Looks like this is more of an undergraduate-only work experience program than a VS - it doesn't appear to lead to permanent employment, and graduates appear to be excluded.

As @Chris Brown has pointed out, that is not the case. This is a feeder programme to their Legal Business Analyst programme that is also mentioned in my post. We will check with the firm on the eligibility point as this has been raised in our WhatsApp chats as to whether graduates can apply.

Vacation schemes with any firm don't lead to permanent employment though, only a fixed-term contract of two years if you secure a TC.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Do you need a visa for Perkins Coie? Or can they sponsor one?

For both their roles you will need to right to work - this is stated at the end of both of the job adverts.

 

[billyonthespeeddial]

I believe that’s quite normal at this stage, especially as we’ve only just entered June. The firm will likely be in touch soon with pre-scheme materials or further details. If you haven’t heard anything closer to the start date, that would be a good time to follow up. But for now, I wouldn’t be too concerned.

Thank you!

 

[Gr33n]

Tax

RIP bro, thats arguably the hardest area of law. I sat in tax for a spring vac scheme and didnt convert despite having two years tax working experience. Not to scare you but idk anyone who has got a TC after sitting in tax so prepare yourself and get ready for the challenge. Feel free to message me and i can give you a few pointers.