TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[RSK]

Hey, does anyone know if the SJT + VI needs to be completed by the 8th for Latham, or do we have until the 11th?

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi guys I have 2 random questions-
Would it be particularly bad to reuse part of your 'Why commercial law' answer in your 'Why this firm in particular' answer?

When answering why firm x in particular, could you draw comparisons between firms you've attended an open day for and why you're drawn to this form more.. or something like that?

Hey @jojo23 , these are really good questions that often came up for me as well, when I was applying. I don‘t have too much to add to @Ram Sabaratnam ’s wonderful response, but these are a few things I found helpful as well;

I believe it’s totally fine to reuse an answer for both questions, however, do so sparingly and in a way which brings out different variations of the same experience. For example, if I included that working in-house insurance sparked my passion for commercial law due to being able to see things from the clients perspective, my answer to why X firm would be different. For example, I would then cement it with how working in-house insurance and delivering a training on competition law to all personnel at the firm sparked my passion for exploring X firm‘s renowned competition law practice. So you see, I’ve used two different arms of the same experience to solidify both answers in a way which adequately shows demonstrated interest.

In relation to the second part of your question, I believe this is fine as well, depending on how you phrase this. For example, a lot of responses I have read from candidates which implement this approach, often leads to an indirect slandering of the other firms which they attended open days at. Thus, the way in which you tackle this is by referencing the difference in the scope of their work. For example, say you attended open days at X and Y. If firm X is largely transactional and firm Y is more disputes-focused, then when applying to firm Z who is also disputes focused, you will reference the differences in both areas and why the latter appealed more.

Another thing I did often was to include how attending X open day sparked my passion for commercial law, and repeating the contents of the day in more detail when discussing my motivations for that specific firm (or again, a firm which has a strong expertise in its line of work). By expanding on the contents of the day, such as presentations by trainees, the firm’s trainee offering, or even mock case study workshops, I trust that you will be able to approach both questions in a different light and show this breadth of exposure that is needed.

 

[hanz123]

Any advice on how to answer why should we hire you as a trainee for a VI?

 

[legal_student2024]

hi everyone! i got my macfarlanes cappfinity report back - and my low scoring areas was analysis. obvs know it’s hard to draw any definitive conclusions, but do you think this means will likely result in pfo? can’t see myself progressing beyond test stage given how central a trait “analysis” is

 

[yasmars]

hi everyone! i got my macfarlanes cappfinity report back - and my low scoring areas was analysis. obvs know it’s hard to draw any definitive conclusions, but do you think this means will likely result in pfo? can’t see myself progressing beyond test stage given how central a trait “analysis” is

I once emailed GR about a technical difficulty I faced during the online assessment, and they said they would never disregard an application due to a low test score, so I wouldn't worry!

 

[jta227]

Literally same. I was really surprised and somewhat disappointed. Tempted to email their Graduate Recruitment team and ask but I don't want to appear as if I'm on a high horse or anything D:

If you do can you let me know what they say? I would but I'd rather just focus on my other apps at this point haha

 

[Shermel F]

Hi,

I wondered how we should reflect our LPC results that are not graded or only have the grade "Competent"?

The application form says to put all my LPC results, but the answers allow either a grade percentage or a Distinction, Commendation, or Pass. However, certain modules are scored Competent/Not Competent.

How should I reflect the Competent? - [should I put the overall grade for the LPC, for example, Distinction, or just put Pass]?

 

[zq522]

When was your interview?

Last week!

 

[Shermel F]

Hi,

I wondered how we should reflect our LPC results that are not graded or only have the grade "Competent"?

The application form says to put all my LPC results, but the answers allow either a grade percentage or a Distinction, Commendation, or Pass. However, certain modules are scored Competent/Not Competent.

How should I reflect the Competent? - [should I put the overall grade, for example, Distinction, or just put Pass]?

 

[Amma Usman]

Hey all, for VI - when responding to the question 'Why our firm?' I struggle to provide a thorough breakdown of 3 arguments (as I would do in a written response). I think all 3 which I want to mention are important, but I run out of time when trying to provide evidence of research/explanation. In a written response, it's easier to cut down the words/redact and make them fit within the word count.

What structure would you recommend for that question? Should we focus on a number of reasons (if so, are 2 sufficient?)?

Hey @CarolineC , this is a good one. I was actually having a chat about this with one of my mentees a few minutes ago!

Personally, I would focus on less than 3 points. In answering why X firm, I usually focus heavily on one major point - the work. The reason I spend a lot of time on this is because with VIs, you have little time to go into detail on your motivations and would not want to be left in a situation where your marker wonders what more you had to say. On a side note, I also believe this is the most specific point of demonstrated interest a candidate can reference. Any practice areas that appeal and why? Focusing on one point, such as the work, is fine if you expand on it in great detail. For example, say you’re drawn to Kirkland for its strong trsanctional practice. Lots of firms have strong transactional practices, so you may want to touch on any intricacies of this practice that are seen at Kirkland more than at other firms. Is it their specialty on advising on both the buyer and lender side? Is it a particular deal? Now just as a mode of warning, mentioning deals also requires another level of high depth and a link of specificity to yourself, so consider if this time is available during your VI. However, if you can adequately show this, then it will elevate your answer.

There would also be some points which could be talked on in less words than, say, the work of the firm. In this case, you will be able to talk about two points strongly. For example, if you’ve properly discussed a practice area you like at Freshfields and why, but you are also drawn to the firm‘s unique training structure, then you could touch on why the 8-seat system appeals. Have you thrived in a similar environment? How do you know it’s for you?

I really sympathise with the feeling of wanting to talk about many points, especially when you know they are all really strong at their core. However, the quality and depth of your answers will be more favoured than high quality in some, but brevity in others.

Hope this helps, and I’m sure @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu and @Jessica Booker will have additional thoughts.

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi,

I wondered how we should reflect our LPC results that are not graded or only have the grade "Competent"?

The application form says to put all my LPC results, but the answers allow either a grade percentage or a Distinction, Commendation, or Pass. However, certain modules are scored Competent/Not Competent.

How should I reflect the Competent? - [should I put the overall grade, for example, Distinction, or just put Pass]?

Hey @Shermel Clarissa Francis , I have tagged @Jessica Booker here as I’m sure she’ll have more thoughts.

 

[Amma Usman]

Does anyone know if it is worth still applying for Trowers & Hamlins? I know they recruit on a rolling basis and it is quite late.

Hey @cleojwilliams , I have just checked and seen their deadline is not until the 6th of January. In my experience, you are still in a good place to apply now. Many firms receive the bulk of their applications in the last two weeks so now is a reaosnable time to submit.

 

[studentdelaw786]

can anyone applying to Davis Polk please confirm who we are addressing the cover letter to?

 

[Amma Usman]

I have no clue how to answer the 'why commercial law' question because my interest in the career is an accumulation of different experiences. For example, working with my parents on their legal immigration documents/ translating what the lawyers would say when we moved to the UK, as well as working with the family companies litigation cases that happened over the years/ hearing about them and the process which they decided to follow (based on the advice of the legal team). I feel like its not clear when I write it or seems uncertain. How would I best frame these to link to commercial law/ the work companies do?

Hey @Reem2024 ,

First of all, this is an excellent link. I will touch on how you could integrate the ‘why commercial law‘ part in more detail below.

Answering ’why commercial law’, sometimes, doesn’t have to include instances where your first exposure was to commercial law and commercial law alone. In fact, for most people, it’s a subsequent exposure to commercial law, after first being exposed to other areas, which made them know this is the true profession for them. For example, you could say you experienced immigration law and found that you liked the legal aspect of it, the X and Y aspect of it, and so on. Then, you could contrast with another experience that is more business-oriented (doesn’t have to be exactly commercial law!), and expand on how you enjoyed this side more. For me, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer regardless of specialisation. So, all that was left was to adequately explain why I liked the clientele approach from a commerce perspective.

I believe you could also link the cross-jurisdictional work of commercial law on an international scale with your language abilities. For me, I enjoyed learning Arabic and transliterating information to English. I wanted to continue with this by working at a global firm with a strong Middle East presence.

As you have also been exposed to litigation, you would have a strong point to reference whilst applying to disputes-focused firms. With litigation, you could highlight how you gained insight into conflict resolution and the importance of understanding a client’s business objectives when advising them. It’s also an excellent way to demonstrate that you’re familiar with the contentious side of law and how disputes can be resolved effectively (key skills for commercial law).

I could also link your experience to another practice area in commercial law firms, the private client practice, because your work with the family business cases likely gave you exposure to the overlap between personal and commercial legal issues. Many commercial firms have private client teams that handle matters for entrepreneurs, family-run businesses, and high-net-worth individuals. Your familiarity with these dynamics could be framed as understanding the legal landscape and also the human side of decision-making, which is critical in private client work.

The point I want to emphasise is that direct commercial experience is valuable, but not necessary. We have all been exposed to many practice areas at some point in our lives, it’s really just about digging those out when writing an application.

Best of luck, and I know you will do great! I’m sure @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu and @Jessica Booker will have more to say on this.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi,

I wondered how we should reflect our LPC results that are not graded or only have the grade "Competent"?

The application form says to put all my LPC results, but the answers allow either a grade percentage or a Distinction, Commendation, or Pass. However, certain modules are scored Competent/Not Competent.

How should I reflect the Competent? - [should I put the overall grade for the LPC, for example, Distinction, or just put Pass]?

You can just list it as a pass - the firm will be aware of the modules that only receive the competent grading and in this instance, a pass would be the best option to select.

 

[legal18]

Know someone that got a Weil VI

 

[Amma Usman]

can anyone applying to Davis Polk please confirm who we are addressing the cover letter to?

Hey @studentdelaw786 , I have tagged @Andrei Radu here as I’m sure he’ll have more thoughts on this.

 

[studentdelaw786]

Hey @studentdelaw786 , I have tagged @Andrei Radu here as I’m sure he’ll have more thoughts on this.

Thanks Amma!

 

[Annahubb]

Hey I just used the test platform the firm gives you access to and did all the questions multiple times haha

Hi! Sorry to ask but was the platform in the email they send the test in? Or do you access it from their website? I’ve looked on their website but struggling to find a practice test.

 

[BonanzaBih_]

Hi! Sorry to ask but was the platform in the email they send the test in? Or do you access it from their website? I’ve looked on their website but struggling to find a practice test.

I got the platform link in the email