TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[elle woods]

Guys why was that WE so hard man 😭 making me question whether I'm even skilled enough to be a lawyer dud

 

[Disgruntled SQE Student]

Really rogue question, but when you start the PGDL or SQE, how do people afford to live in London? I’m coming from Leeds and having to move down with my partner and for the life of us cannot see how we will manage it. Those who’ve done the SQE or going to, how do you make it work? Most firms I’m looking at give a 10-15k bursary but I’ve no idea how to make that work :/
- sorry if this is a really daft question, but I’ve tried to do some research and thought maybe this could be a good place to discuss since we will all (or majority) need to move down to London at some point?

It's tricky. Especially without firm sponsorship, which can be helpful but even then not cover your cost of living. In my experience (currently at ULaw Bloomsbury) most people (non-sponsored) will use a combination of the government postgrad grant (they will do either the MA Law or LLM SQE) and savings. There's a lot who straight up live at home outside of london in commuter towns and commute to class 3 days a week.

I myself fell into the first category, having not been sponsored, moved in with my partner and went on the grueling hunt for a flat. The renters rights bill has made that significantly easier nowadays as the expected price hike to compensante for decreased abilities for landlords to force blind bidding and or contract competition. The funny thing is, doing the SQE self-funded has much less of an impact on your quality as a candidate than people think. Most firms throw around the same money they'd spend sponsoring someone to do the entirety of the course + optional extras on the christmas party.

The majority of people self-funding are either living at home and or have been paralegals and have now qualified into their firms (they are either in their 30s or approaching). Living in London without a job is so incredibly difficult that most people's main suggestions given the above would be to do the SQE outside of London then move once you secured a paralegal job. Hiring for paralegals is also different to trainees, they do care if you have sat the SQE or not as this will affect the ability for you to progress through the firm. Especially for smaller firms who are expected to pay more to their trainees than their paralegals, trainees are essentially wasted money if there's no guarantee they will stay on after NQ.

 

[Goingtogetatc]

Does anybody have a list of firms offering DTCs already? I am trying to manage my workload in that sense now

Brightnetwork is useful for this!

 

[nbjani]

Do you guys think there will be more CMS AC offers coming out? Or am I cooked?

Fingers crossed there is, I thought I did well in the vi 🫠

 

[BobThebIlly]

guys how are you passing SJTs? I desperately need help. I was rejected from Freshfields and Latham post stage 1 when I thought I aligned my answers with their values. I never stuck to do the middle of the sliding scale, always spoke to my supervisor first for the ranking questions etc. IDK wham I'm missing and I have Weil's SJT next Tuesday and I really want to pass it!

Any help would really be greatly appreciated

 

[spongebob]

Now that both slots are over, was anyone else disappointed in the Skadden written exercise?
They say not to use AI but it's so easy to in the format they sent it in and I'm sure lots of people will use AI, seriously disadvantaging the candidates who followed the rules. There are so many systems that allow for AI-secure written exercises; it says a lot about the firm that they couldn't be bother to ensure their recruitment process is fair and secure.

Sorry for rant!

Totally agree, hopefully it’ll just be obvious enough to grad rec when people have used it

 

[abc124]

I'm quite stuck with these Akin questions:

What motivates you to pursue a career as a commercial solicitor, and why do you see Akin as the right place to begin that journey?
What are you looking for in your legal career, and how do you see a firm like Akin helping you achieve those goals?

I feel like motivations and career goals overlap - say I'm motivated by complex reasoning. Naturally my career goal may also be to build on that interest and become even better at it? And then I also feel like there's not that many diverse Akin-specific points you can make to support your answers - if I mention Akin's culture in q1 then I shouldn't say the same thing in q2...And I can't really mention wanting to develop my professional interests in the career goals question because that's already covered in another question on which practice area at Akin interests you most.

Idk if that makes sense I think I may be going mad lol

 

[James Wakefield]

guys how are you passing SJTs? I desperately need help. I was rejected from Freshfields and Latham post stage 1 when I thought I aligned my answers with their values. I never stuck to do the middle of the sliding scale, always spoke to my supervisor first for the ranking questions etc. IDK wham I'm missing and I have Weil's SJT next Tuesday and I really want to pass it!

Any help would really be greatly appreciated

One tip- don't always prioritise speaking to your supervisor first.

Showing initiative and giving things a go is quite important in these tests. Going to your supervisor on some things is great, when its needed, but other things you rank first diving straight in.

 

[BobThebIlly]

One tip- don't always prioritise speaking to your supervisor first.

Showing initiative and giving things a go is quite important in these tests. Going to your supervisor on some things is great, when its needed, but other things you rank first diving straight in.

Thanks! How should I tell the difference between when I'm supposed to go to my supervisor vs when not to

 

[c.t.tc]

One tip- don't always prioritise speaking to your supervisor first.

Showing initiative and giving things a go is quite important in these tests. Going to your supervisor on some things is great, when its needed, but other things you rank first diving straight in.

I also really struggle with getting my head around this - how can you know which ones they want you to dive straight in and which you should be asking about first?

 

[yk1906]

Thanks! How should I tell the difference between when I'm supposed to go to my supervisor vs when not to

I've read that it's more suitable to approach a supervisor when you're in your first seat and to show more initiative during your last seat.

 

[BobThebIlly]

I've read that it's more suitable to approach a supervisor when you're in your first seat and to show more initiative during your last seat.

Ooooh that makes a lot of sense, thank you!

 

[Harvey Specter]

Guys why was that WE so hard man 😭 making me question whether I'm even skilled enough to be a lawyer dud

Legit was the worst 1 hr and 15 mins of my life. I defo flopped that so bad lmao. It was hard asf and it’s got me questioning if I’m built for law now. 🫠​

 

[sooae]

Guys why was that WE so hard man 😭 making me question whether I'm even skilled enough to be a lawyer dud

I felt like crying in the middle of it.😭

 

[Harvey Specter]

I'm quite stuck with these Akin questions:

What motivates you to pursue a career as a commercial solicitor, and why do you see Akin as the right place to begin that journey?
What are you looking for in your legal career, and how do you see a firm like Akin helping you achieve those goals?

I feel like motivations and career goals overlap - say I'm motivated by complex reasoning. Naturally my career goal may also be to build on that interest and become even better at it? And then I also feel like there's not that many diverse Akin-specific points you can make to support your answers - if I mention Akin's culture in q1 then I shouldn't say the same thing in q2...And I can't really mention wanting to develop my professional interests in the career goals question because that's already covered in another question on which practice area at Akin interests you most.

Idk if that makes sense I think I may be going mad lol

I was stuck on these questions too and asked on the forum and was given this guidance:
​

Hey!

They do seem similar at first glance, but you can separate them by focusing on motivation vs long-term aspirations.

1. "What motivates you to pursue a career as a commercial solicitor, and why do you see Akin as the right place to begin that journey?"

Here, you want to explain:

• Why commercial law? (e.g. interest in global markets, problem-solving, transactional work, client exposure, fast-paced environments, etc.)
• Your motivation (what sparked your interest and what keeps you driven)
• Why Akin specifically: link your interests to things that Akin is known for, such as: (1) standout practice areas, (2) lean team structure and responsibility early on, (3) international exposure, (4) culture / values you have researched, (5) training approach, (6) pro bono, and (7) recent deals that you have read about.
• Make sure to link the why Akin to your past experiences - essentially answering why you want to pursue commercial law, and why Akin is the space that you particularly want to pursue it.

2. "What are you looking for in your legal career, and how can Akin help you get there?"

This is more forward-looking. I'd focus on:

• What you want from your development as a lawyer during your training contract (e.g. early responsibility, strong training, international work, high-value transactions, supportive culture, client exposure, etc.)
• The kind of lawyer you hope to become (which could potentially link to your motivations to becoming a lawyer)
• How Akin enables that progression: tie specific firm features to your goals (e.g. pro bono opportunities, global platform, small intake, etc.)

I hope that helps!

 

[yk1906]

I felt like crying in the middle of it.😭

What was it about, if I may ask? I'm genuinely curious what they made you guys review/draft 😃

 

[abc124]

I was stuck on these questions too and asked on the forum and was given this guidance:
​

Omg thanks so much!

 

[Harvey Specter]

Thanks! How should I tell the difference between when I'm supposed to go to my supervisor vs when not to

Sometimes it’ll say something like ‘you haven’t done this task before’ or ‘you are unfamiliar with the matter’ vs ‘you think you know xyz’ etc so I’d always assumed that distinction meant when we should approach our supervisor or seek help and when not to and instead show more initiative. Idk if this is the right approach but it’s helped me pass a few SJT tests throughout this cycle so far.​

 

[BobThebIlly]

Sometimes it’ll say something like ‘you haven’t done this task before’ or ‘you are unfamiliar with the matter’ vs ‘you think you know xyz’ etc so I’d always assumed that distinction meant when we should approach our supervisor or seek help and when not to and instead show more initiative. Idk if this is the right approach but it’s helped me pass a few SJT tests throughout this cycle so far.​

thank you so much!

 

[legallybald]

fieldfisher interview invite