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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

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Hi everyone! Does anyone have any advice on how best to answer this question or what things I could focus on as I am struggling to think of ideas:

If you were to create a new law, what would it be and why? (250)

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
 

JasmineM9

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I wouldn’t worry too much. Sometimes progression emails or next stage invites can be delayed for all sorts of reasons, especially around capacity or internal scheduling. It’s not always a reflection of how you’ve done.

In the meantime, I’d really recommend using this period to keep building on key skills that will help you regardless of what happens next. For example, brushing up on commercial awareness, practising your interview skills, or even doing mock case study exercises. These will not only prep you for an AC if it comes, but also sharpen you for future applications down the line. Also, don’t underestimate how helpful it can be to reach out to trainees and lawyers at firms you’re interested in/even outside the firm. Their insight can really shape how you approach interviews and give you a more rounded view of the industry. It’s such an underrated part of preparation that often makes a huge difference.

You’re doing all the right things by staying proactive. Keep going…things often fall into place when you least expect it.
Thank you Amma for the detailed response! I am a currently subscribed to Little Law, and the Morning Brew! I started small by picking one article a week to analyse in detail. I will definitely start to create some sort of index with terminology just so I can understand everything better. My biggest pitfall is lack of consistency, I could be doing well for one week then stop for months 😭 I will try and do better!
 

trainee4u

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Hi everyone! Does anyone have any advice on how best to answer this question or what things I could focus on as I am struggling to think of ideas:

If you were to create a new law, what would it be and why? (250)

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

It might depend on the firm. I think there are any number of things you could go for, and the question can show both commercial awareness and wider legal knowledge.

For example, GenAI is very controversial with issues like the "Studio Ghibli image generator", and here the government has made statements about its plans, so for this you could look at how other countries are managing AI and where the balance might be between protecting creative industries and enabling tech.

Similarly you could look to solve problems in society, e.g., https://www.macfarlanes.com/what-we...veroo-drivers-not-workers-says-supreme-court/ the SC decided Deliveroo drivers are not workers, which means that Deliveroo (et al) are not responsible for illegal immigration offences and don't have to provide employment benefits to staff. A law could change this.

You could talk about proposed legislation too - for example there is the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which imo is not a new law, but a whole raft of them, but in that context you could propose a specific planning reform that are not in the bill, but has been suggested by others, on the basis that your particular law would enable more economic growth/housing/whatever.

If you look at the Law Commission and others, there are proposals for law reform that are made and perhaps you think are great, but haven't been implemented, and you could look at those.
 

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Does anyone know which London law firms offer paralegal positions? Thank you
I would say most firms have some paralegals. Few have dedicated recruitment programmes for them though - most firms will just recruit paralegals on a on-demand basis for individual departments, especially within London.
 

billyonthespeeddial

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It might depend on the firm. I think there are any number of things you could go for, and the question can show both commercial awareness and wider legal knowledge.

For example, GenAI is very controversial with issues like the "Studio Ghibli image generator", and here the government has made statements about its plans, so for this you could look at how other countries are managing AI and where the balance might be between protecting creative industries and enabling tech.

Similarly you could look to solve problems in society, e.g., https://www.macfarlanes.com/what-we...veroo-drivers-not-workers-says-supreme-court/ the SC decided Deliveroo drivers are not workers, which means that Deliveroo (et al) are not responsible for illegal immigration offences and don't have to provide employment benefits to staff. A law could change this.

You could talk about proposed legislation too - for example there is the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which imo is not a new law, but a whole raft of them, but in that context you could propose a specific planning reform that are not in the bill, but has been suggested by others, on the basis that your particular law would enable more economic growth/housing/whatever.

If you look at the Law Commission and others, there are proposals for law reform that are made and perhaps you think are great, but haven't been implemented, and you could look at those.
Thank you so much, your suggestions are really helpful
 
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Andrei Radu

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Thank you Amma for the detailed response! I am a currently subscribed to Little Law, and the Morning Brew! I started small by picking one article a week to analyse in detail. I will definitely start to create some sort of index with terminology just so I can understand everything better. My biggest pitfall is lack of consistency, I could be doing well for one week then stop for months 😭 I will try and do better!
Hi @JasmineM9 I am not sure if this was mentioned before, but for the purpose of creating an index of terminology, one resource I found really helpful was Investopedia. You can look up almost any finance-related jargon term and you will find one of the most comprehensive explanations available online. The really useful thing about it is also the fact that when further jargon terms are used to define/explain the initial one, there will always be a link sending you to a new page with its explanation. This was great for me because every time I went on it and was searching for a term I actually ended up learning the and meanings connections between of 5-6 different concepts instead.

If you choose to use this, or just generally when creating the index, I think your primary goal should be to learn how to unpack each concept in very simple layman terms - ie not having to rely on any further complex terms you cannot precisely explain. As the rather cliche test of whether you have really understood something puts it - you need to think whether you could explain it in such a way that even a kid could understand given enough time and attention. For the purposes of an interview this is essential, because if you use a jargon term and are then asked to unpack it, partners will insist you use very simple language and will easily catch out any ambiguities in your response.
 

Andrei Radu

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Hi, I reached the VI stage for Willkie but did not realise that we could ask for feedback at that stage and did not. Is it too late to ask now / will it reflect badly on me?
If you explain that you have only realised it now and politely ask whether you could still receive feedback (but also saying you understand if this is no longer possible), I cannot imagine this will in any way influence your chances of progressing with future applications.
 
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