TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[NCTC2025]

To anyone still waiting on Hogan Lovells, was told by grad rec recently that they're still running ACs and the final one will be on 18th March!

 

[AZ97]

Safe to say if no response from weil post-AC yet then its a pfo?

 

[AS24]

Hi guys,

For those who completed the LPC at BPP, did you receive a signed and stamped certificate from them to prove your completion? I have been offered a new job, and they need this paper otherwise, I cannot start. I gave them my official transcript and the number of the tutor who usually provides firms with my reference.

@Jessica Booker, I have not signed the newly issued employment contract, in the meantime, I have been contacted for a job interview, which I would like to attend. If this goes well, can I reject the other job offer?

 

[Bloo]

Hi all, has anyone done the Pinsent Masons Forage experience/ have any general advice on how to prioritise emails?

I'm prepping for their AC which has an inbox/in-tray exercise. PM's forage has a task where you need to review emails and rank the order you would respond to, so I think assesses similar things to the AC exercise.

The correct answers for how you should prioritise are really different from how I would go about it so I am seriously confused.

E.g. they say to prioritise responding to an email from a partner (sent 4pm the day before) asking for a summary of changes in the legislation in the next few days BEFORE
1) an associate's email saying they need something 'as soon as possible to ensure the bank can fund the deal by 2pm', and
2) an urgent email from your supervisor at 9am saying they need your help summarising something 'sufficiently ahead' of 11am

Am I missing something? I would honestly have put the email from the partner as not that urgent and can be dealt with by the end of the week. Does anyone have any insight as to why this order? @Jessica Booker

 

[Careergal]

Does anyone please have any tips for NRF AC (its online) Can exchange info for Links (last year) & HSF

 

[applicant457]

Anyone have Spark VI insight? anyone done it?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi guys,

For those who completed the LPC at BPP, did you receive a signed and stamped certificate from them to prove your completion? I have been offered a new job, and they need this paper otherwise, I cannot start. I gave them my official transcript and the number of the tutor who usually provides firms with my reference.

@Jessica Booker, I have not signed the newly issued employment contract, in the meantime, I have been contacted for a job interview, which I would like to attend. If this goes well, can I reject the other job offer?

Yes - you can renege on a job offer quite easily unless you have taken any financial support from them ahead of joining.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi all, has anyone done the Pinsent Masons Forage experience/ have any general advice on how to prioritise emails?

I'm prepping for their AC which has an inbox/in-tray exercise. PM's forage has a task where you need to review emails and rank the order you would respond to, so I think assesses similar things to the AC exercise.

The correct answers for how you should prioritise are really different from how I would go about it so I am seriously confused.

E.g. they say to prioritise responding to an email from a partner (sent 4pm the day before) asking for a summary of changes in the legislation in the next few days BEFORE
1) an associate's email saying they need something 'as soon as possible to ensure the bank can fund the deal by 2pm', and
2) an urgent email from your supervisor at 9am saying they need your help summarising something 'sufficiently ahead' of 11am

Am I missing something? I would honestly have put the email from the partner as not that urgent and can be dealt with by the end of the week. Does anyone have any insight as to why this order? @Jessica Booker

I don’t understand the logic of that order they are suggesting either.

 

[c3alg]

should I assume PFO from CRS if I haven't heard back yet post VI for London SVS

 

[c3alg]

I don't think so. I haven't seen anyone receive AC invites yet... could be wrong tho

I saw a few people received holding emails on friday - there isn't an ac before the svs

 

[DolphinShades44]

should I assume PFO from CRS if I haven't heard back yet post VI for London SVS

Based on last year's responses for CRS post VI they were pushing into March so I wouldn't assume anything just yet!

 

[radssss]

Age isn't why I'm feeling stuck. Laziness is the reason - anyone else?

I feel you because same. I am just lazy and keep procrastinating😭

 

[xxrr.18]

Does anyone please have any tips for NRF AC (its online) Can exchange info for Links (last year) & HSF

I'll PM you

 

[trainee4u]

Hi all, has anyone done the Pinsent Masons Forage experience/ have any general advice on how to prioritise emails?

I'm prepping for their AC which has an inbox/in-tray exercise. PM's forage has a task where you need to review emails and rank the order you would respond to, so I think assesses similar things to the AC exercise.

The correct answers for how you should prioritise are really different from how I would go about it so I am seriously confused.

E.g. they say to prioritise responding to an email from a partner (sent 4pm the day before) asking for a summary of changes in the legislation in the next few days BEFORE
1) an associate's email saying they need something 'as soon as possible to ensure the bank can fund the deal by 2pm', and
2) an urgent email from your supervisor at 9am saying they need your help summarising something 'sufficiently ahead' of 11am

Am I missing something? I would honestly have put the email from the partner as not that urgent and can be dealt with by the end of the week. Does anyone have any insight as to why this order? @Jessica Booker

I just checked it, it is clearly nonsense/error.

The emails with the 'correct' order

1. a partner at 4pm yesterday (Tuesday) emailed to say they are meeting a client next Tuesday and has asked for a page of bullet points on cost impacts of new building legislation by next Monday midday, latest, to prep for said meeting.
2. you've been asked by an associate at 09:04 to compile a signature pack for a client to fund the deal in advance of 2pm bank closing
3. your supervisor has emailed at 09:01, marked urgent, saying that you need to download property for an unspecified number of titles from the Land Registry, from a spreadsheet, note the charges on those properties, compile this into an email, and send it to them "sufficiently in advance of 11am"
4. a trainee at 08:54 working on a new deal emailed to ask where is a template for property title red flags
5. a paralegal has some signed documents and asked yesterday at 7pm where to send them
6. graduate recruitment emailed yesterday at 5pm asking for a reply to a simple "which career fairs" could you attend by CoB today
7. a client email sent last night at 8pm saying that "following their purchase" last month, they want an email on the law on whether they have a right to drive over neighbouring land to access their property, and will then discuss by phone
8. an HR email to submit seat choices by next Wednesday at 3pm, sent this morning.
9. an HR survey on training effectiveness, specifically stated to take 20 minutes, and required by CoB next Monday, which was sent several weeks ago

Of these:

• item 1 is time-consuming, and not urgent, so is definitely in the wrong place
• items 2 and 3 are very urgent, and are clearly two top priorities. it's not really clear how long these will take, but I think they are in the wrong order, in that "sufficiently in advance" implies that this is not going to take you that long to do.
• items 4, 5, 6 can be answered quickly so should be. The priority order here is roughly correct, in that 4 & 5 might be holding people up.
• item 7 is time-consuming and can come after completing the trivial tasks and the two urgent tasks, and before item 1
• item 8 and 9 are probably in the wrong order? There might be reasons why you have not decided your next seat yet, and it's not clear why you'd answer this before you have to.

Overall it's a poor-quality task, as they don't give any feedback for their order, which I assume is down to a clerical/programming error.

I would go:

3
2
5
4
6
7
1
9
8

 

[NCTC2025]

Has anyone heard from Sidley Summer? Am aware its rolling and applied on deadline so was wondering whether theyd made any offers yet

 

[aphelion]

Does anyone have any tips for calming pre-AC nerves? I have ACs next week and the past few days have been so stressful, I'm trying to prepare as much as possible but there's only so much I can do and I feel like I just need to relax haha

 

[1234578]

Does anyone know if Wedlake Bell are still giving out interview invites?

 

[abbietc03]

Hi! Anyone who has heard from Linklaters so far - did you apply for the Spring or Summer scheme?

I applied for the Winter Vacation scheme and got rejected from it, but graduate recruitment emailed me at the time and asked if I wanted to transfer my application to the Spring / Summer scheme as they thought my application was strong.

Just wondering if there is still any hope for the Summer Scheme (as I've seen most PFOs have been for Spring), or whether a PFO is inevitable 😢 It has been so long since I applied that I've forgotten the contents of my application lol

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Does anyone have any tips for calming pre-AC nerves? I have ACs next week and the past few days have been so stressful, I'm trying to prepare as much as possible but there's only so much I can do and I feel like I just need to relax haha

It’s sounds counter intuitive, but take some time off and away from prepping and go and do something to completely take your mind away from it.

Giving yourself a mental break and refresh can do so much positive things to help you be mentally ready, especially if you have multiple ACs next week

 

[F2020202]

Don't feel disheartened! It's a really though process and acceptance rate at almost every single firm is at 1-3% so it's extremely competitive... It isn't about you specifically, it's just that at the end of the day, we are say 2000 to apply to one firm and they only have 15 spots, even if you made it to the top 16, you wouldn't get a place, so it all goes down to luck sadly... At the end of the day, you only need one firm...

I don't have the answers to all of your questions, but what I do know is that, at least that's what I would do if I don't manage to secure anything, you could apply to University of Law (or BP university) and study their LLM in SQE 1 & 2, and subsequently pass the SQE in order to at least secure that... Now of course, having a training contract would be a lot more advantageous as they would fund your studies, but if you are financially able to, I think me personally that's what I am going to do... Because technically if you apply for a graduate visa (which is two years), it's going to run from the time you graduate from your LLB technically... So if you graduate in 2026, you'll have until 2028 to secure something... On the other hand, if you do the LLM, you 1) would've passed the SQE and 2) can apply at the end of your LLM for the Graduate Visa, so basically until 2029... (BTW SOMEONE CORRECT ME IF I AM MISTAKEN IN THAT REGARD PLEASE, BECAUSE IDK IF IM 100% CORRECT)And then in the meantime, while passing the SQE and LLM, try to apply and also try to refine your applications further! PM me if you want, as I found a technique that really worked for me later on (which I wish I knew sooner and which helped me secure a VS at HFW this summer)...

Again, don't be disheartened, it's really though and really really competitive, so it isn't specifically you! Also, depending on where you are originally from or where you live, perhaps you may also try to apply for some sort of legal experience (depends on where that is though because getting something in Dubai is a lot easier than getting something if you live in Germany or France for instance...)

PM me if you want!

EDIT: also, me personally I would recommend applying to VS instead of DTC unless you really have a lot of legal experience (advice given to me from a 2nd year trainee); unless the firm specifically says that you wouldn't be eligible to apply..

PS. I am re-reading this and realising that it doesn't necessarily make so much sense, so apologies

you do make sense! Thank you for all your advice, it's genuinely helpful, and thank you for being so kind. I was down for a while and all your responses has made me feel less alone and congratulations on your VS!!!

could you elaborate a bit on the work experience bit? do u suggest I reach out informally to law firms in the ME, for example?