TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[sapphireoreos]

@Jessica Booker I’m applying to Withers, and they have a 60 word question asking to give details of my current interests and activities including the nature of your involvement. I therefore have three questions. Firstly, does interests and activities in this context means extracurriculars (e.g. society executive roles) or hobbies (e.g. language learning)? The Form doesn’t have a separate question about positions of responsibilities and extracurriculars, so I’ve put them in my work experience section for now.

Secondly, what would the best approach be? Should I focus on one thing and expand on it, or bullet point multiple activities? Similarly, what is your advice on how to tackle 60 word questions, as I’m used to 200-350 word questions? Thank you!

 

[fairbourne]

Anyone completed the Weil VI? Can trade for the Dechert written exercise.

Yes, happy to give an insight!

 

[Ash4202]

Hi everyone, For W&C, has anyone that did their VI before the WVS and received the holding email heard any news since? Should we anticipate a PFO?
Wishing everyone a fantastic week and year ahead!

hey did the email basically say you’re still under consideration and that they’ll be in touch in the new year?

 

[Miss Chocolate]

May be a stupid question, but would you say it's important to make an impression on an Open Day? Am I OK to turn up with any questions I may have and ask them to people if I speak with them individually? Is there anything else I need to do, like make an effort with graduate recruitment or something 💀💀

any insights would be appreciated, thank you!! @Andrei Radu @Jessica Booker

 

[jta227]

May be a stupid question, but would you say it's important to make an impression on an Open Day? Am I OK to turn up with any questions I may have and ask them to people if I speak with them individually? Is there anything else I need to do, like make an effort with graduate recruitment or something 💀💀

any insights would be appreciated, thank you!! @Andrei Radu @Jessica Booker

Making a good impression is always a good thing, but it’s unlikely it will completely carry an application that is not up to the firm’s quality. They can only get to know so much of you in one day. What’s probably more important is getting good insights and info to tailor your application more so it’s better - which indeed may involve talking to a lot of people.

I think it’s important not to make a *bad* impression though by trying too hard to impress people - that’s not what an open day is for. Treat it as a two-way thing and just be normal IMO. Asking any questions you have will be fine. What made me cringe is when after a talk the speaker would ask for questions and people would shoehorn in some random deal or development they had looked up before and try and relate it to the talk.

 

[kokoprep]

hey did the email basically say you’re still under consideration and that they’ll be in touch in the new year?

Hey - did you do the VI and was said you will be considered for spring summer ?

 

[Miss Chocolate]

Making a good impression is always a good thing, but it’s unlikely it will completely carry an application that is not up to the firm’s quality. They can only get to know so much of you in one day. What’s probably more important is getting good insights and info to tailor your application more so it’s better - which indeed may involve talking to a lot of people.

I think it’s important not to make a *bad* impression though by trying too hard to impress people - that’s not what an open day is for. Treat it as a two-way thing and just be normal IMO. Asking any questions you have will be fine. What made me cringe is when after a talk the speaker would ask for questions and people would shoehorn in some random deal or development they had looked up before and try and relate it to the talk.

Thanks for this!! They aren't sharing information on who's speaking during the event so not sure i can go with specific questions but we shall see...maybe they will release that information the night before.

 

[CHLTC]

Hi @CHLTC I really empathize with your struggles, as case studies/written tasks were always the hardest part of ACs for me as well. I don't think there is a specific method you can prepare, since as you mentioned, they come in a wide variety of formats. In my view, the only way to prepare is by developing the underlying skills every case study will seek to test: time-management and work under pressure, clarity of writing and structure, commercial awareness and analysis, ability to digest large amounts of information, etc.

To do that, I think it is useful to both practice actual case studies and to read more widely about the commercial matters that might be relevant for them. A particularly helpful resource for me was the course offered by TCLA on the matter (which you can find here). It includes a number of mock PE and M&A case studies, recordings of two hour long sessions explaining how to think through written/interview style M&A case studies, and a number of questions that are analyzed in depth by the TCLA team. To link a few useful free resources on TCLA:

• An amazing guide for M&A case studies by @Jacob Miller, which includes both a mock case study and a model answer with detailed explanations of how you should think through the materials (which you can find here).
• A mock written case study offered by TCLA here.
• An excellent article written by @Jaysen Sutton, which explains the process, types, structures, and general terms of an M&A transaction (which you can find here).
• A glossary of M&A terms by @Amma Usman here.

Besides these, I have also found a few external resources you may want to take a look at:

• A great LSE article giving an overview of case studies and preparation methods for each element
• An article with tips from the Oxford Careers Service
• A Next City Lawyer case study available on a fee basis

Finally, I quoted bellow a recent post I wrote which I think you could find useful - it includes my top tips for any written task:

Hi Andrei, thank you so much for all of this. This is incredibly kind of you to write all this and give me all these useful links. I really appreciate it. Thank you very much, I will look through these in detail.

 

[James Wakefield]

Is the Withers Vacation Scheme freestanding? As in, do you have to separately apply for their TC after?

Hi all. Still not clear on this so any advice would be really helpful.

On the website there’s one small section which says “Learn about our one week vacation schemes that allow you to get to know the firm before you apply for a training contract.”

Just wondering if that means the VS is freestanding at Withers?

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker I’m applying to Withers, and they have a 60 word question asking to give details of my current interests and activities including the nature of your involvement. I therefore have three questions. Firstly, does interests and activities in this context means extracurriculars (e.g. society executive roles) or hobbies (e.g. language learning)? The Form doesn’t have a separate question about positions of responsibilities and extracurriculars, so I’ve put them in my work experience section for now.

Secondly, what would the best approach be? Should I focus on one thing and expand on it, or bullet point multiple activities? Similarly, what is your advice on how to tackle 60 word questions, as I’m used to 200-350 word questions? Thank you!

The question will cover extracurriculars and hobbies. I wouldn't use bullet points. I would try to highlight 2-3 key activities you think are most important/relevant to you or that you are not covering in the work experience section - you'll just need to be super concise. I would recommend focusing on the results/outcomes from your activities rather than detail on your actions.

 

[Chris Brown]

Hi all. Still not clear on this so any advice would be really helpful.

On the website there’s one small section which says “Learn about our one week vacation schemes that allow you to get to know the firm before you apply for a training contract.”

Just wondering if that means the VS is freestanding at Withers?

Based on the wording I think they are separate from each other.

Since it says the VS will allow you to get to know the firm ‘before you apply for a training contract’ - I think this means the VS just acts like a insight scheme and you must then apply for the TC separately.

It might be that you need to do the scheme in order to apply for the TC so it acts as a fast track route? Not entirely sure if this is the case though.​

 

[James Wakefield]

Based on the wording I think they are separate from each other.

Since it says the VS will let you to get to know the firm ‘before you apply for a training contract’ - I think this means the VS just acts like a insight scheme and u must then apply for the TC separately.

It might be that you need to do the scheme in order to apply for the TC so it acts as a fast track route? Not entirely sure if this is the case though.

It’s weird though because there’s no other reference anywhere on the website or on the graduate brochure!

 

[Jessica Booker]

May be a stupid question, but would you say it's important to make an impression on an Open Day? Am I OK to turn up with any questions I may have and ask them to people if I speak with them individually? Is there anything else I need to do, like make an effort with graduate recruitment or something 💀💀

any insights would be appreciated, thank you!! @Andrei Radu @Jessica Booker

Yes, it is important to make a good impression on an open day.

Just focus on active listening and balance asking your questions to the right people, at the right time. If you show enthusiasm and interest, you will make a favourable impression. Don't try to hard to impress - that's usually where it goes wrong.

 

[AlegalA]

It’s weird though because there’s no other reference anywhere on the website or on the graduate brochure!

TCLA did do a list with firms who applied from VS or TC, and Withers is in the "Mostly from Vacation Scheme but with a consistently healthy direct TC intake" list, so hopefully it is automatic? (only thing is it's dated back to 2022/23 so maybe it's changed). Also their TC deadline is in March, which is before both spring and summer VS happen, so successful VS applicants would have to wait a year before applying which seems long.

Where firms recruit from (Vacation Scheme vs Direct TC applications) 2022-2023

Hi everyone! I hope that this can be useful in planning out where you will apply for vacation schemes and where you will apply directly for training contracts. You can decide when to apply to each firm by looking at my compilation of law firm deadlines as well as my thread about which firms...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi all. Still not clear on this so any advice would be really helpful.

On the website there’s one small section which says “Learn about our one week vacation schemes that allow you to get to know the firm before you apply for a training contract.”

Just wondering if that means the VS is freestanding at Withers?

Based on the wording I think they are separate from each other.

Since it says the VS will let you to get to know the firm ‘before you apply for a training contract’ - I think this means the VS just acts like a insight scheme and u must then apply for the TC separately.

It might be that you need to do the scheme in order to apply for the TC so it acts as a fast track route? Not entirely sure if this is the case though.

It seems the VS and TC applications are separate, but I doubt they are completely independent. I do not have specific information for Withers but when I was doing my VS at Slaughter and May, they had a similar system with a separate TC application. That essentially meant two things. Firstly, our 'performance' in the VS was significantly less important for the purposes of conversion. In fact, we were told that the VS itself was not assessed and was just meant to give us the most authentic experience of life at the firm. Our supervisors had to fill in a sheet about us but unless someone showed a terrible attitude, that was basically a tick box. Secondly, we had to submit a new application for a TC during the vacation scheme, but we were told everyone is guaranteed a place in the final stage interview. But after the interview, decisions would be made with no regard to the VS.

 

[aspiringsolicitor23]

Definitely speculation. I did not get 65 average in every module 😭 They may reject me once they review my application though. It’s most definitely the tests that automatically reject!


Your results are good leadership isn’t needed at such a junior stage so I don’t think that’s a negative being a weakness. I will say they have already given some AC’s out last week but I’m unsure of which scheme it’s for.

Wishing you good news soon x​

My application is showing 66% but I requested my WG report and got 92% percentile (which was apparently 36/40) so do you think this means my CAPP assessment is the issue. My strengths were commercial thinking and respect, weakness resource management. I felt pleased when I received my WG results but now I am fixating on the progress bar being stuck at 66%. Do you think there's any chance this is not relevant? I also submitted my WG test on the last day before my deadline so I don't know if maybe my application is at the bottom of the pile to be reviewed.

 

[Miss Chocolate]

Yes, it is important to make a good impression on an open day.

Just focus on active listening and balance asking your questions to the right people, at the right time. If you show enthusiasm and interest, you will make a favourable impression. Don't try to hard to impress - that's usually where it goes wrong.

Thanks a lot, Jessica Will keep in mind.

 

[Callumw123]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I did a VI yesterday and I thought it went ok bar one question - where I only managed to answer half the question in the allotted time. I'd be grateful for your opinion on how this might be viewed?

 

[Miss Chocolate]

Has anyone heard back from CMS post-online test? Or know when they started sending out invites/rejections last year?

 

[Andrei Radu]

May be a stupid question, but would you say it's important to make an impression on an Open Day? Am I OK to turn up with any questions I may have and ask them to people if I speak with them individually? Is there anything else I need to do, like make an effort with graduate recruitment or something 💀💀

any insights would be appreciated, thank you!! @Andrei Radu @Jessica Booker

I completely agree with what @jta227 and @Jessica Booker said. I only have two things to add. Firstly, I think it would be beneficial to do some extra research on the firm, which will allow you to naturally discover questions you might have an interest in asking. I would specifically target my research around the firm's unique selling points which I would consider using in a VS/TC application. This is both because I would have an actual interest in learning more about those aspects of the firm (so, I could make a good impression without looking like I am trying too hard) and because getting more information on those points is what would enable me to write a better VS/TC application. To give an example, when I recently attended an insight event at Davis Polk, someone asked about the firm's plans for its London corporate practice, as the firm had recently invested in a number of top lateral hires. This shows off the attendee's research but is also a genuine query that has a bearing on their decision making if they have an interest in doing a certain type of corporate work. Furthermore, the response someone from someone at the the firm can often be more nuanced and insightful view than can be found in the legal press, and will thus enable the attendee to write a more impressive application.

Secondly, if you have the opportunity, I think it is a good idea to go and say hi to the graduate recruitment team. As the other members said, definitely avoid going looking like you just want to impress. Instead, if your attitude and intention is just to try to get to know some people at the firm and learn about their experiences, I cannot see how this could negatively impact you. Quite the opposite - if the graduate recruitment team sees you as nice and sociable, the kind of person they might enjoy chatting with over a coffee, they might remember you when they are reading your application or reviewing a VI. This will not have a decisive influence on the ultimate outcome, but in a game of such small margins everything helps.