TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[A worried paralegal]

Hey! I think the best way to approach these questions is to treat them like mini personal statements. I would keep them personal and tailored to DLA Piper, and reflective of your own experiences when you can.

Here is how I’d break it down:

Personal Experience and Motivation for Law

This question is asking you to go beyond generic motivations (like problem-solving or liking to debate) and focus on something that genuinely developed your interest. This is ideally something that you personally experienced or were actively involved in.

The typical structure I would follow is:

1. Briefly explain the context - what was the experience, and why was it relevant?
2. Reflect on what you realised from this experience - did it change your perspective? Did it spark an interest in a distinct area, such as regulation?
3. Link this to your long-term career ambitions - how did it lead you to pursue a career in law? Why does DLA Piper align with that?

This doesn’t have to be a legal experience! It could be something like helping someone navigate complex systems, a moment that taught you analytical thinking, or a personal situation with a legal element. The main thing is that you have to clearly link it back to your motivation for law!

DLA Piper Insights Article

This is your opportunity to showcase your commercial awareness and understanding of the firm’s work, and how your interests align.

I would structure my response using the following:

1. Choose an article on a client sector that you find interesting - this should ideally be something that overlaps with your genuine interests and your background (e.g. emerging tech, ESG, healthcare etc.)
2. Summarise the main points of the article in your own words - this should be brief, but show that you understand the commercial and legal implications
3. Explain why this topic resonates with you - what does it tell you about the evolution of the legal industry? What part of it excites you? Does it relate to something you have studied or explored in another setting?
4. Link to DLA Piper - think about the firm’s international reach, sector focus, innovation, or work with leading clients. How does this article show the kind of work that you’d be interested in working in?

I would avoid picking a random article - choose something that you have a genuine interest in, and clearly explain why that is and how it links to your future career.

I know that there aren’t a lot of words available due to the word limit, so you should aim to be as concise as possible. Hope this helps!

I know this is a bit old but I was having a look at DLA's questions.

Would you say that the article for Q2 has to refer to a specific sector or can I pick any article and discuss an industry trend?

 

[A worried paralegal]

For those who progressed to DLA Piper’s TI, how long after being told your application was being considered for the next stage did you get the invite?

Is it not worth applying then or are these TIs just for London?

 

[x_law2004]

anyone heard from pinsent masons or gowling?

 

[CuriousTrainee]

Is it not worth applying then or are these TIs just for London?

I would assume that this is just for London since the deadline was 21st of November. So for regional, would definitely say it's still worth applying

 

[CuriousTrainee]

anyone heard from pinsent masons or gowling?

I thought gowling don't let us know until 12th of Dec? That was in the email after doing the Arctic Shores test.

 

[wooliewoo]

Hi! Does anyone have any insights on Simmons VI / assessment? I am happy to provide insights on other firms like Mayer Brown, Bird & Bird, FF, and A&O AC!

 

[johnsmith]

for the other experiences section can we then just list other experiences in bullet points or pick maybe 2 of those other experiences and have bullet points/prose for each?

I think generally the advise is prose for nearly all firms but sorry I don’t actually remember their personal feelings on this