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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
Take your annual leave. I’d recommend against telling them you have a vac scheme, it’s against the terms of some employment contracts to undertake work whilst employed elsewhere and they may not let you do the scheme.
Hi @Abbie Whitlock I have a question about Stephenson Harwood's application. In Q3, it says "In up to 350 words, please outline a challenge that you think Stephenson Harwood will face over the next five years. You should draw on your current awareness and your commercial awareness to answer this question." In my answer, I first outlined the challenge the firm will face, and then stated how the firm is well positioned to face the challenge with its expertise. May I know if the structure is fine? Thank you
i have seen a few PFOs on here for London so it might be good news. Can I ask when you did your AC?
Am leaving it alone bc I would think it won’t be til end of this week-ish depending on how long they gave ppl who got offers end of last week to accept them—what do I know, but I would think they’d want to see if they could give any more offers without having to tell people they got it late bc they were reserve
I hope so, it's been so long I really want to find out now ahah. My AC was 4th Feb so nearly six weeks ago, when was yours?
Hey!
In general, what I found most helpful when revising (both in my undergrad, and for SQE1) was to make sure that I actually understood the concept and didn't just remember the wording of it. By approaching it that way, even if they tested a slightly different variation of the topic, I could usually figure out how the law would still be applied (rather than panicking!). I also found it helpful to condense my notes into shorter summaries or mind maps so that I could see the structure of a specific topic, and visualise how the cases and principles worked together. As I understood the concept, rather than memorising the wording of the textbook, this meant that I had to go over it less - even if the initial step of ensuring I understood it took slightly longer!
For closed book exams, active recall really helped me for the memorisation side of things too (+ it is what I'm currently using for SQE2). For example, I use Quizlet a lot to test myself on key principles and cases, and they have a great Learn feature that I thought was a great way to switch up the way I was learning (alongside the flashcards). Additionally, one of the best ways to remember topics is to teach it to a friend or course mate, as explaining it out loud usually makes it very clear what you actually understand and what you still need to go over. Over time, this made the volume feel a lot more manageable as I could focus on the areas that I knew I was weaker in.
Wishing you the best of luck with your exams - I'm sure you'll smash it!!
yep, i did mine 6th feb, and my Associate interview on the 16th feb. I did reach out to EC and she said that they aim to provide an outcome by Mid march.. so I imagine it will be this week.
Hey!
These two are definitely quite similar, but I would approach them slightly differently.
For the first question, I would focus more broadly on the skills that make a successful solicitor in general (e.g. commercial awareness, communication, attention to detail, teamwork, resilience, etc.). I don't think you necessarily need to go fully evidence-based here, but it could be helpful to briefly reference your past experiences to show that you understand what these skills look like in practice!
For the second question, this is where I would take a more evidence-based approach. You should focus on a few key skills / attributes that you have, support them with examples from your past experiences, and then link them back to why they would make you a good trainee at Paul Hastings specifically. Therefore, I'd have a look at their unique features and think about the skills that might be more applicable to those. The "why should we offer you a training contract" element is really about demonstrating that you fit with the firm and can show the value that you would bring.
To summarise, I'd split it into:
1. Q1: broader discussion of the skills that make a successful solicitor
2. Q2: your skills + evidence of them + clear link to why you would succeed at Paul Hastings as a trainee
Best of luck with your application!
Hello!
Yes, that structure sounds good to me! I'd say that outlining the challenge first and then discussing why Stephenson Harwood is well position to deal with it is a good way to approach the question, as it shows both your commercial awareness and that you have thought about the firm specifically.
If you have the space / word count, it can also be helpful to briefly mention why the challenge is particularly relevant to Stephenson Harwood (e.g. linking it to their key sectors, offices, or recent work). This way, you're not just identifying a general industry challenge but also showing that you understand how it could impact the firm and how its strengths position it to respond.
Overall, though, I'd say your structure sounds like the correct approach! Best of luck with your application
Thank you very much for your detailed response!Hello!
Yes, that structure sounds good to me! I'd say that outlining the challenge first and then discussing why Stephenson Harwood is well position to deal with it is a good way to approach the question, as it shows both your commercial awareness and that you have thought about the firm specifically.
If you have the space / word count, it can also be helpful to briefly mention why the challenge is particularly relevant to Stephenson Harwood (e.g. linking it to their key sectors, offices, or recent work). This way, you're not just identifying a general industry challenge but also showing that you understand how it could impact the firm and how its strengths position it to respond.
Overall, though, I'd say your structure sounds like the correct approach! Best of luck with your application
Getting kind of worries about the radio silence from K&L Gates, been almost three weeks since the holding email and I applied deadline day last Jan. Anyone heard anything recently?
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