TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Amma Usman]

Do the Paul Hastings PHirst Steps placements lead to training contract offer? Or is it better to apply directly to TC? (I'm final year oxbridge non-law, good grades, w/ some impressive non-law work experience).

The firm mentions this on their website: “In June 2025 the firm will be offering Summer work placements. PHirst Steps placements will take place 16 - 27 June 2025. These placements are for those looking to gain experience in a City practice and will give participants experience of life at the firm and the work our lawyers do. Each placement is for one week and is paid. The deadline to apply is 2 March 2025.”

Thus, it seems unlikely the placement leads to a TC offer. However, participation in it may lead to a TC offer if the candidate on the scheme laters applies for the direct TC with the firm.

 

[Amma Usman]

does anyone have any advice in how to approach a tell me about yourself question at the start of an interview. especially when the interview is CV blind so this will lead the discussion. any potential structuring tips, or things to def include?

Very very good question. It always came up for me. At the start of my interview journey, I never really knew what to say. How much info did they want? How professional did I need to be? Could I just say… HELLO MY NAME IS AMMA AND I LIKE RICE! Hahaha definitely not, but the below approach definitely helped me;

The trick is to treat it like a little story about you, who you are, what drives you, and why you’re sitting in that chair. It’s all about hitting the right balance between being personal and professional.

A structure that works really well is splitting it into three parts. Start with the present, where you are now and what you’re doing. This gives them the context they need without diving into too much detail yet.

Then, move into the past, this is where you can talk about what’s shaped you. For me, I always loved charity work and social mobility, so I often mentioned my work in that sphere. It’s a huge part of who I am at my core, and it tied into everything I was doing. I’d say something like, “My passion for social mobility and charity work really influenced my journey, from leading initiatives at university to helping others access opportunities they didn’t think were possible.” This adds a personal touch and shows what drives you beyond just academics or professional ambitions.

Finally, end with the future, tie everything to the role or firm. This is where you can connect the dots between your background and what they’re looking for. You could say, “That’s why I’m so excited about this opportunity, it feels like the perfect way to combine my passion for making an impact with my interest in (X specific area of law or the firm’s ethos).” Finish on a confident, enthusiastic note.

The main thing is to keep it concise, two minutes max, but hit those unique points that make you stand out. For me, charity work was always a must-mention because it’s such a big part of who I am, and I think it’s good to highlight something similar for yourself. Show them what you’re passionate about and how that aligns with the role. If you can do that while keeping it genuine, you’ll smash it.

 

[u64928428]

How long after the second-stage interview are successful candidates typically notified by Gibson Dunn?

 

[Amma Usman]

Hey @futuretcholder . First of all, congratulations on securing the AC. You have done very well to get to that step.

With negotiation exercices, I would say the first tip is being mindful of how one comes across. It’s a negotiation -you‘re trying to meet a middle ground, so ensuring that the discussion is fruitful and not argumentative is a key skill. This is quite difficult to master, but with the right tone, approach, and demeanor, you’ll do great on this area.

The next is acknowledging both sides of the argument. A lawyer needs to understand their client, but also the client on the other side. This makes you appear as a well-rounded candidate. Briefly throw in a few pointers which show that you acknowledge and understand the other side too.

Structure, structure, structure! I can’t emphasize the importance of this enough. You need a clear structure to appear as a candidate with well-organized thoughts. This does so many things. For example, it shows the interviewer that the set preparation time for delving into the facts was more than enough for you to come back in with a reasoned position.

Above all - confidence. The more confident you are in your position as a negotiator, the more confident your answers will come across. This aspect of an AC tests things beyond your commercial acumen - it tests those soft skills that are often unspoken about.

Hope this helps, and let us know if you have any more questions

Hey @sjr22 , well done on getting the AC. In terms of preparations, I remember fishing out several articles when I had ACs coming up. After reading them, I’d make a summary of the main issues and their impacts on law firms and their clients. The reason this is a good starting point is because any written element will essentially require you to demonstrate an understanding of those two core elements, as well as an ability to summarise information adequately. You may not necessarily be asked about the legal and commercial implications in a written assessment, but this knowledge will serve you well one way or another.

So, practicing using random articles on the FT, for example, would aid your preparations. Hope this helps!

I also understand all the nerves, so take a moment before your assessment to recharge

Yay! Great news! I’ve included a few tips below. It’s a mix of technical and soft tips, and I believe both are equally important for success;

• Relax the night before. I don’t recommend preparing hefty content the day before as it tends to stir one‘s nerves up before the assessment.
• Research on how to ace the key components of the AC. Usually, this tends to be motivational, competency, and situational interviews, as well as commercial awareness interviews (CA). CA should be weaved in at any of the other interview types I mentioned, as it‘s a skill that should be highlighted naturally. Law firms value this heavily, as you can imagine. Lawyers in the commercial world are business advisors as well as legal advisors. Notice how the commerce part comes first in the term ‘commercial lawyer’ ?
• As a transactional focused law firm, I suspect the case study to be a corporate one. I also know this has been the case at A&O in the past. However, I am not completely certain about this. On tips to prepare for corporate case studies, see the two links below;

(NEW) Corporate Case Study Analysis

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all having a wonderful Sunday. As we get closer to more interviews and assessment centres (AC’s) I thought it would be helpful to include a new fictitious Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) case study analysis. Hope you enjoy the read, and feel free to pop any questions...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

Mock M&A Case Study: Analysis

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a fantastic day. We’re entering the season of assessment centres (ACs) at law firms, and a hot topic for many of these ACs is Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)! So, in this thread, I’ll be guiding you through a short fictitious M&A case study and highlighting...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

• Confidence. I appreciate this may sound a bit flowery, but if you’re confident on your abilities to excel at the AC, it will reflect in the responses you give. You didn’t get the AC by chance, they saw potential in you. All that’s left to do now is to calm yourself and showcase those abilities.
• Know your motivations. When I was applying, I fell into the trap of only knowing what I put in my application form. As you can imagine, this is very bad as your motivations for why law, or why X firm, shouldn’t be solely contained in 300 words or less. I took time out to understand what was driving me and why. This solid understanding made communicating those passions at length in an interview very easy. So, understand these drivers of yours. On this, avoid talking about personal experiences too much. By personal, I mean attributing your passion for Big Law to rather generic things like a person, or the international reach, etc. Focus on being specific to your experiences. For example, started a business or worked in one? Done legal work experience? Why the business side of law, and not family or immigration? Literally differentiating between the various forms of law in the interview to say ‘I liked this cause.. I didn’t like this cause..’, helps craft a solid answer. Basically.. show your journey. Nobody woke up one day and decided to go into the profession - there would be drivers. Some will be more specific and professional than others, so focus on those.
• Presentation. This is a given, but coming in professionally dressed in a smart suit goes a long way. At the end of the day, it’s a clientele role.

Again, very well done on getting to this stage. I’m sure you’ll ace it!

Hi, congratulations again on your first virtual AC invite!

For the group exercise, focus on presenting your views in a way that’s both respectful and collaborative. Express your ideas confidently, but also engage with and encourage others’ contributions to showcase your ability to work effectively as part of a team.

Since this is for an in-house role, it's essential to understand how the advisory scope differs from private practice. In-house lawyers are typically specialists in the specific industry they serve, providing expert advice tailored to the business's needs. However, when matters require niche expertise or go beyond their scope, they may seek support from private law firms. I have usually been asked about this difference in past ACs I’ve been to, so it’s helpful having some points under your belt on the advisory-related differences.

To prepare, familiarise yourself with the industry the company operates in and think about how their legal team might approach commercial and operational challenges. During case studies or group discussions, focus on offering practical, solution-oriented advice that balances legal compliance with business priorities.

Best of luck, you’re going to do great!

Hey @suhana ,

I have linked a couple of helpful resources by the team below;

A complete guide for competency interview preparation

This is a guide for the purposes of preparing for competency interviews, be they in a VI, another intermediary step or an AC/final stage interview. The advice here is based on my personal approach, as I received VS offers from top US/MC firms 4/4 times I implemented it. This will include: A...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

A Guide to Building a Winning Application Strategy

Introduction This post is meant to serve you as a definitive guide to crafting your optimal application strategy. As it is quite lengthy, I have divided it into five subsections for you to navigate according to your interests: Why do you need an application strategy? How many law firms should...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

Mock M&A Case Study: Analysis

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a fantastic day. We’re entering the season of assessment centres (ACs) at law firms, and a hot topic for many of these ACs is Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)! So, in this thread, I’ll be guiding you through a short fictitious M&A case study and highlighting...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

Private Equity Case Study - OPEN ENGAGEMENT ENCOURAGED ;)

Hey TCLA Community! We’re back again with the mock case studies ;) This time around, I decided to take a different approach. I’ve included the case study below, and will leave the floor open for a couple of days so you can all provide your thoughts and ideas on the commercial and legal issues...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

Best of luck! You’ll do amazing!

Super excited—I just got invited to an assessment centre at HSF! 🎉 If anyone has tips or advice, please drop them below or DM me. Would really appreciate it! 😊

Congrats! I’ve quoted some posts above to help!

 

[Amma Usman]

Ropes has no work experience section wtf???? Surely in that case we need to relate the 3 characteristics question back to ourselves? Strangest application ever

Hiya,

I was actually talking about this with a friend of mine who was applying yesterday as well. Yes, you are right, I recommend linking the values to you/your experiences/how you showed them/ how you know you will transfer them at R&G and thrive in the role.

Best of luck!

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi, does anyone know how to access the Commercial Law handbook online? PDF version or Ebook

Hiya, I presume this should be available on amazon.

 

[Amma Usman]

Freshfields PFO

Hi there,

I’m sorry to hear about the PFO. I know how much effort goes into these applications, and it can be so disheartening to not get the result you were hoping for.

Please don’t let this knock your confidence, though. Rejections are such a normal part of this journey and many of the most successful lawyers faced them before finding their fit. It’s all part of the process, and I have no doubt you’ll come out stronger from this.

Keep going, you’ve got this.

 

[jacksollaf]

How long after the second-stage interview are successful candidates typically notified by Gibson Dunn?

Hey, I don't know the answer to the question, but I have the first-stage interview on Monday with Gibson Dunn! Would you please be able to give me any advice? how was yours, etc..

 

[Zaraa.x]

Is anyone in the same position as me - I applied to Slaughters on 30/10 for their vac scheme but I am yet to hear back.
This despite the fact that others applied much later than me and have received invites/PFO's.

Should I assume PFO or write an email asking for updates? I felt as though my application was strong and have extensive history with the firm so I'm genuinely lost here 😭

I’m in the similar position as well but I applied for TC 😭😭

 

[u64928428]

Hey, I don't know the answer to the question, but I have the first-stage interview on Monday with Gibson Dunn! Would you please be able to give me any advice? how was yours, etc..

mainly competency based , just be yourseld and have answers to why GD, law etc.

 

[Cool pigeon]

have you been invited yet?

There was an email on Friday

 

[lawyer195]

Did anyone get a response from Latham post AC this week (either way)?

 

[Tintin06]

I've written gleamed rather than gleaned. This is in reference to skills. Is this going to be fatal? It's hard to notice such things. Especially when it's a correct word. Even if not used correctly here. It's hard to catch all errors.

 

[Andrei Radu]

How to best answer the question 'why this firm' in a structured manner in an interview? Any insights would be appreciated @Ram Sabaratnam @Amma Usman @Andrei Radu

To add to @Amma Usman's great post on this, I just wanted to lay out the basic structure I used. There are other structures you can employ for a great answer but this one ended up working very well for me, even when I had to cover a lot of information over a span of 3-4 minutes.

Introduction: State the number of reasons you will discuss and the basic point of each - eg. "I want to join your firm instead of your competitors because of three key reasons: firstly, the firm's strength in X department; secondly, the firm's strategic focus on Y; thirdly, the firm's Z approach to training".

First reason

1. State the feature of the firm and state the basic idea behind your interest in it - eg. "So, firstly, I am attracted to the firm's strong corporate M&A team because of my interest in learning about new businesses across a variety of fields and working on complex contractual negotiations"
2. Explain the factual claim you are making about the firm and back it up with evidence; if possible in a way which distinguishes it from rivals - eg. "Having researched the firm, I know it is a market leader in this practice area because of its reputable rankings in Chambers/Legal 500 and its numerous high-end mandates such as ..."
3. Tie it back to yourself and elaborate on your interest in the relevant feature of the firm, linking it to an example form an experience if possible - eg. "Thus, your firm is the ideal place to explore my interest in the area, as I would be learning from the best practitioners in the field while working on the most important matters. This opportunity excites me, as I have recently completed a Forgae M&A virtual internship, where I got to complete usual trainee tasks such as due diligence and proofreading - an experience which further confirmed the alignment between my skills and motivations and the work of the firm's M&A department."

Second/Third reason:

• Repeat the same three steps and do not forget to signpost

Conclusion: Summarize your points and reaffirm your interest - eg. "As such, because of the interests I just discussed in X, Y and Z features, your firm is the ideal place to begin my legal career".

 

[lawyerletsgo]

anyone have a list of places still accepting applications for vs?

 

[Andrei Radu]

I've written gleamed rather than gleaned. This is in reference to skills. Is this going to be fatal? It's hard to notice such things. Especially when it's a correct word. Even if not used correctly here. It's hard to catch all errors.

I really do not think it will be - I discovered multiple typos/misspellings in some of my successful applications, with some examples being far more noticeable than yours.

 

[Tintin06]

I really do not think it will be - I discovered multiple typos/misspellings in some of my successful applications, with some examples being far more noticeable than yours.

Thanks Andrei - that's very helpful, honestly.

 

[Chris Brown]

anyone have a list of places still accepting applications for vs?

I have seen a few but I’m not entirely sure whether they are rolling or non-rolling apart from Ropes & Gray which is non-rolling.

Womble Bond Dickinson: deadline 30th Jan.

Orrick + Ropes and Gray: deadline 31st Jan.

Gateley: deadline 31st Jan

Russell-Cooke: deadline 7th Feb

Bevan Brittan: deadline 11th Feb

Simmons & Simmons (Bristol): deadline 15th Feb

Michelmores (Bristol & Exeter): deadline 17th Feb

Stephenson Harwood: deadline 28th Feb

RWK Goodman: deadline 28th Feb​

 

[Sad_Old_Grad]

Hello, lovely people of the forum! I have a DLA VI coming up and was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to provide some advice? I get horribly nervous doing these things and usually stutter the whole way through…

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hello, lovely people of the forum! I have a DLA VI coming up and was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to provide some advice? I get horribly nervous doing these things and usually stutter the whole way through…

My experience with DLA VI was one of a very typical VI, I was not surprised by any particular question. For my general tips for VIs and VI preparation, I have written an in depth guide (which you can access here) - please see in particular sections 1 and 2.