TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Gr33n]

I swear some of these TikTok influencers give such conflicting advice. Some say to apply to loads of firms and some say to do 5 or 6? Idrk who to believe

 

[yk1906]

I swear some of these TikTok influencers give such conflicting advice. Some say to apply to loads of firms and some say to do 5 or 6? Idrk who to believe

I would say trust your own gut. For example, last year I only applied to a handful of law firms (like 5), as I was busy with uni. This year, I am on a gap year, so I have plenty of time to make as many high-quality applications as possible.

 

[Harvey Specter]

Should we include ODs and extracurriculars like mooting, etc. in Skadden's work section?

There is an app question (additional 4) which asks for hobbies, interests and achievements, so it could be better to include extracurriculars in that part of the form. If you have quite a few insight days, I think you could amalgamate them into a single work experience entry. I asked grad rec at their open evening about adding open days or Forage and they said have one entry each and then put them all in, as opposed to having one entry each open day and internship. Not sure if the form has a maximum work entry limit though.​

 

[yellowbirds008]

freshfields svs ac!!

 

[yk1906]

There is an app question (additional 4) which asks for hobbies, interests and achievements, so it could be better to include extracurriculars in that part of the form. If you have quite a few insight days, I think you could amalgamate them into a single work experience entry. I asked grad rec at their open evening about adding open days or Forage and they said have one entry each and then put them all in, as opposed to having one entry each open day and internship. Not sure if the form has a maximum work entry limit though.​

Thanks, yeah, I did put all of the ODs in one entry.

 

[user55998384]

freshfields svs ac!!

congrats!!!! when did you apply

 

[yellowbirds008]

congrats!!!! when did you apply

i applied the day it opened i believe!

 

[Goodbyetc]

How long does dla piper take to get back after telephone interview?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Please can someone clarify some issues about the budget: @Ram Sabaratnam @Abbie Whitlock @Andrei Radu

Government borrowing is going to be higher than expected over the next 3 years (although promised to decrease in 2029-30 - unsure if this will materialise), is this likely to put pressure on yields and interest rates (despite the fall in yields after the budget announcement + interest rate cut expected in December)? Will it increase borrowing costs? Overall, how does this affect deal activity keeping private credit in mind?

Hi @badmintonflyinginsect I think the effects you mentioned are natural consequences of increased government borrowing. Increased borrowing firstly means an increase in demand for government bonds, which, in the absence of a proportionate increase in supply, results in a decrease in bond price, which leads to an increase in yields. Secondly, increased government borrowing comes with increased defaulting risk, which bond markets price by demanding higher yields as compensation.

On the general interest rate side, an increase of government borrowing can firstly lead to increased government spending, which can be inflationary and thus lead to central banks increasing interest rates. Secondly, rising government borrowing can theoretically have a "crowding out" effect: because of its size, it can absorb a large portion of the economy's lending capacity, potentially leading to higher interest rates across the entire economy, including for private sector businesses and individuals.

Nonetheless, while these consequences follow from an economic theory perspective if you look at this point of fiscal policy in isolation, I do not actullay expect them to end up materialising in practice (at least in a very strong and impactful sense). Firstly, on the yields side: modern governments rise and fall on the reaction of bond markets, as seen with Liz Truss' disastrous mini budget, and this Labour government is very unlikely to take the risk of a similar situation occurring. If there is any wind of a negative outlook as to the country's defaulting risk, this will likely result in further tax rises. Secondly, on the interest rate side, I would not expect this crowding out effect to occur, simply because the UK government has access to immense pools of international public and private capital; and following this post-Covid inflationary period, I think government spending is something that will be a lot more tightly controlled.

 

[p2bv]

How long does dla piper take to get back after telephone interview?

I got an email saying I passed around two weeks after

 

[Goodbyetc]

I got an email saying I passed around two weeks after

Thanks! I heard we will hear about ACs next week but idk if that’s true

 

[p2bv]

Thanks! I heard we will hear about ACs next week but idk if that’s true

Have you heard back yet? I wasn't sure if I was put on some sort of reserve list because my email said I passed the TI but only being considered for an AC after everyone has completed their TI

 

[Goodbyetc]

Have you heard back yet? I wasn't sure if I was put on some sort of reserve list because my email said I passed the TI but only being considered for an AC after everyone has completed their TI

I had mine today so idk if maybe im one of the last interviews? I was told that we’d probably hear in the next week for ACs which are in December/jan

 

[Someoneinlaw]

CMS Next day rejection is crazyyyyyy. Like did you even read my application at all😂😂😂😂
To be fair , their deadline is today or tomorrow I think and I applied yesterday .

 

[user55998384]

is it worth applying to FF is ac offers r being sent out?

 

[Lizardlaw]

I had mine today so idk if maybe im one of the last interviews? I was told that we’d probably hear in the next week for ACs which are in December/jan

How soon after submitting your initial application did you get an invite to the WG? I submitted my application a couple days ago and when I go back to the application portal it says, "Thank you for your interest in DLA Piper. Please complete your assessments as soon as possible." But I haven't received an email from them yet.

Last year when I passed the phone interview round but instead of being invited to the AC, I was told they had just filled all the slots. So this year I have applied earlier and I'm concerned i'm already too late again unless they send out the WG and Phone interview rounds pretty quickly after completion?

 

[Donuttime]

is it worth applying to FF is ac offers r being sent out?

still worth it imo

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hello @Andrei Radu
I just read your post above - I was wondering, how can we best research particular sub-areas of a practice/sector. For example, I'm interested in Clifford Chance's M&A practice - but I'm really struggling to differentiate it from other similar law firms, particularly as the websites look very similar. Also, is there a way to determine which clients go to which firm the most - because most firm's clients are banks, large businesses?

Thank you

Hi @flower1 I would recommend the following resources here:

1. Chambers practice descriptions/practitioner rankings: while the general Chambers ranking will not tell you anything about its subareas of particular expertise, if you click on the firm's practice profile, sometimes that provides you with really valuable information. Furthermore, you should look to see if the firm has ranked practitioners, as those will generally be the leaders of the firm's practice and some of the best practitioners in the field; if it does, they will have an individual profile and description, where their specialties will be described; you can then infer a firm's strengths in various subareas from the reputation of their leading partners.
2. Legal 500 rankings and description: while perhaps not quite and reputable as Chambers, one big advantage of Legal 500 is their more granular approach to dividing practices and sectors, which can give you a lot more information in regards to subareas of particular strength.
3. Firm's website and LinkedIn: Here, you should have a look at the firm's listed expertise in terms of big mandates they worked on recently, and see if there are any discernible recurring common features (such as deals in a particular sector, or of a particular geographic spread, etc). You can then infer strength in that subarea. You can also discern who the firm's biggest clients may be in this way.
4. TCLA's Law Firm Profiles: in most of our profiles, these are exactly the distinguishing features we aim to identify, so have a look of our analysis of the firm's practice (as even if a given sub-speciality is not advertised in the big USP title in the profile, it may still be explained in the main text).
5. The broader legal press (The Global Legal Post, The Lawyer, Law.com, etc): to the extent you can use these resources (the first I recommended is free, the others require individual/organisational subscriptions), look up the firm you are interested in using their search bar and skim through the articles you find. At times, you will find great articles analysing a firm's practice and contrasting it to the practices of its rivals.

To give a more concrete example, and also address your question about Clifford Chance: the firm has one of the best generalist M&A practices in the country, arguably only rivalled by the rest of the MC firms. To individualise it compared to the rest of the MC, you might mention how CC arguably has the best expertise in corporate M&A in the banking & financial services sector (owing to its banking & finance focused roots and its core clientele in this area) and how it also arguably has the leading London PE practice of a UK-based law firm, owing again partly to its banking roots (as the firm can offer market leading leveraged finance and DCM expertise for a seamless service) and its lateral hiring policy (having recently hired some of the best partners in the field, including the ex head of M&A at Freshfields).

 

[maylawwww]

Should I give up ab DLA piper? I have seen people be rejected who took the WG after me which could be a sign I'll be progressed but I passed the WG on the 30th of Oct-- they might have just forgotten ab me lol

 

[ttlaw12344]

Should I assume DLA PFO if I passed WG almost 2 weeks ago and still haven't heard about telephone call?