TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[yeezyee]

does anyone have any tips for scenario/situational interview questions? thanks!

 

[Emmakate18]

Im reminded of a quote: “A bird in the hand is better than 2 in the bush!” Accept the HSF offer and wait to see what happens with S&M. No point in trying to rush them to make a decision- it can come across as somewhat manipulative if you think about it. You can use your HSF offer as leverage once you accept if you’re a creative thinker.

Hi! I also applied for the spring vacation scheme at HSF, if I haven't heard anything from them is it safe to assume that it's a rejection? I know they've held a fair few AC's already.

 

[lawgirlintheworld]

Hi! I also applied for the spring vacation scheme at HSF, if I haven't heard anything from them is it safe to assume that it's a rejection? I know they've held a fair few AC's already.

I think they are still doing AC's im not sure? I had my invite 31st Dec but I wouldn't assume rejection as someone else on this forum got an invite 3 days before their HSF AC!

 

[bobjeff]

anyone got insights into HSF AC? please reach out, thank you!

 

[Thom&as]

anyone got insights into HSF AC? please reach out, thank you!

Sent you a message!

 

[Katy12345]

Girls who have been to AC’s did you wear a full suit or just a formal blouse and pants? I’d feel more comfortable in a blouse and pants but would not want to be the only one taking this approach if it comes across as not formal enough!

 

[jojo23]

Hii, congrats to everyone with CRS VI offers for the London office. Could people please clarify when they applied? I applied on the deadline day but feel like it will be a PFO

I applied at 5am on deadline day and received the invite on Friday

 

[Nine]

Sent you a message!

Would you have any advice for case-study based and competency based AC’s? Congrats on HSF!!!!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Girls who have been to AC’s did you wear a full suit or just a formal blouse and pants? I’d feel more comfortable in a blouse and pants but would not want to be the only one taking this approach if it comes across as not formal enough!

I'd say the latter is far more common than the former for most firms. If the firm you are interviewing with is known to be traditional/conservative, you may want to edge towards a full suit but these days a more "business casual" (albeit on the smarter side) is more common for professional meetings in law firms.

 

[unknownnn7372]

For skadden do we wait for them to send a follow up email for the requested documents?

 

[SteinsGate]

Any help/insight into the Goodwin interview would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Chris Brown]

Does anyone know whether the Paul Hastings PHirst Steps Into Law work experience programme leads to a TC offer, or whether everyone who wants a TC with the firm needs to submit a direct TC application? I want to apply but I don’t know which one to apply to (or if I can apply for both in the same application cycle).

If someone does apply for PHirst, are they then ineligible to apply for the DTC? Also, does Paul Hastings recruit on a rolling or non-rolling basis? Any insight would be appreciated. 🙂​

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

Anyone found anything on the Morgan Lewis telephone interview? Currently spiralling trying to prep

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Any help/insight into the Goodwin interview would be greatly appreciated!

Hiya @SteinsGate

If the interview is still similar to previous years, it will likely be with two senior fee earners and cover a mix of commercial, motivational, and competency-based questions. When preparing, I think it’s worth thinking about the key sectors that Goodwin’s London office is particularly well known for (i.e. private equity, real estate, life sciences, tech, and finance). If you can, I'd encourage you to reflect on the intersections between these areas, such as prop tech and fintech, which are also where the firm has developed strong capabilities. In my interview, I was pressed on Goodwin’s place in the broader London legal market, so it’s worth thinking about that as well.

Towards the end of the interview there was also a short case study. This didn’t require much legal knowledge, but still it’s useful to have a basic grasp of the kind of contractual issues and commercial factors that can affect business transactions. The exercise itself was quite straightforward, even though I initially overthought some of the questions (it took me a few prompts to get to one of the answers). My advice would be to approach it methodically and not to second-guess yourself too much. It’s more about demonstrating a logical, commercial approach rather than coming up with a technically perfect response.

Overall, I'd recommend getting comfortable discussing Goodwin’s sector strengths, considering how they fit into the London legal market and speak to your motivations. As always, if you approach it with a clear structure and a focus on practical reasoning, you should be in a good position. Hope that helps, and best of luck with the interview!

 

[marisachr]

Lol okay I was wrong no AC slot confirmation from Taylor Wessing it seems 😂

Same for me! Probably will give them out Monday

 

[AS24]

Bristows invited me to complete a written case assessment but I have no idea how to approach it.
The deadline is on Tuesday but I have only one opportunity to complete the test, so I have to finish it in one go. I was wondering if you guys know how long they give you and if they consider the time you spend. I am honestly anxious!

 

[AS24]

Hi @Ram Sabaratnam and @Andrei Radu

I trust you are well.

I am working on my upcoming VI and was wondering how you would answer the question 'Why should we hire you'?
Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[tosin4774]

I was thinking of applying to SH but I didn’t know they used amberjack…

Paul, Weiss test has traumatised me. I’m trying to avoid this amberjack test at all costs now. 😂

Looks like I won’t be applying to SH at all. 🥲

Is the amberjack test for Paul, Weiss not the 12 situation judgement questions, 5 Applied Verbal Reasoning questions
5 Applied Numerical Reasoning questions?

 

[Chris Brown]

Is the amberjack test for Paul, Weiss not the 12 situation judgement questions, 5 Applied Verbal Reasoning questions
5 Applied Numerical Reasoning questions?

Yeah the Paul, Weiss test was 12 SJT, 5 verbal and 5 numerical reasoning questions. 🙂​

 

[SteinsGate]

Hiya @SteinsGate

If the interview is still similar to previous years, it will likely be with two senior fee earners and cover a mix of commercial, motivational, and competency-based questions. When preparing, I think it’s worth thinking about the key sectors that Goodwin’s London office is particularly well known for (i.e. private equity, real estate, life sciences, tech, and finance). If you can, I'd encourage you to reflect on the intersections between these areas, such as prop tech and fintech, which are also where the firm has developed strong capabilities. In my interview, I was also pressed on Goodwin’s place in the broader London legal market, so it’s worth thinking about that as well.

There was also a short case study, though it didn’t require much legal knowledge. Still, it’s useful to have a basic grasp of the kind of contractual issues and commercial factors that can affect business transactions. The exercise itself was quite straightforward, but I initially overthought some of the questions, and it took me a few prompts to get to one of the answers. My advice would be to approach it methodically and not to second-guess yourself too much. It’s more about demonstrating a logical, commercial approach rather than coming up with a technically perfect response.

Overall, I'd recommend getting comfortable discussing Goodwin’s sector strengths, considering how they fit into the London legal market and speak to your motivations. As always, if you approach it with a clear structure and a focus on practical reasoning, you should be in a good position. Hope that helps, and best of luck with the interview!

Thank you so much, that is incredibly helpful!