any tips on how to talk about previous vac schemes in work experience sections
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
I think one mark won’t hinder you since you’re very close to the A levels minimum + very strong undergrad performance
Do we know if they wanna see a high 2.1 or a lower 2.1 might suffice?
I think we can still apply if we submit in the few next days - last year, I didn't hear back until 30 October even though I submitted 16 August (deadline was mid September like this year).
I spoke to grad rec and they confirmed this but said that extenuating circumstances are considered
Hi, I am a 2025 graduate from a RG university having studied law. I am applying to VS now and often times, the applications ask me about whether I am intending to take the SQE and when I am intending to take the SQE. I am so confused about this. What year would I be intending to take the SQE? The goal is to have a TC by next september, ideally through a return offer. I don't intend on self-funding the SQE. Should I put SQE in 2026 then? Any advice?
Does anyone know if firms dislike it if you apply to their vac scheme without attending an open day? I want to apply for the Paul, Weiss winter vac scheme but I haven't been to any of their open days and as they are competitive, am unsure if I will gain a place before I apply. Any advice appreciated!!
Hey, I completed the SQE prior to gaining my tc and no firm I applied to held it against me. In fact my firm gave me a much earlier start date than the one I applied for because I had completed it and was ready to start!
Hi @emily3827,
First, I want to say that completing a vacation scheme is a HUGE achievement, and you should be really proud of yourself!
I also want to note that talking about past vacation schemes will not put you at a disadvantage when applying. If anything, it will demonstrate your commitment to the profession and illuminate the skills and knowledge that you gained. You can even use past vacation scheme experiences to substantiate and evidence your motivations for commercial law, specific sectors and practice areas in your application answers.
When it comes to work experience sections specifically, here's my advice:
1. First things first, don't avoid talking about past vacation schemes in your application. Some people worry that an unsuccessful vacation scheme with one law firm will negatively alter other firms' perception of them as an applicant. This is not true! The reality of not getting a TC offer is much more nuanced, and firms understand that.
2. Focus on skills and knowledge that you gained during the scheme. A vacation scheme is arguably one of the best ways to prove your commitment to commercial law. You've literally experienced the day-to-day life of a commercial lawyer!
What specific tasks did you complete? What did you learn about the role of a commercial lawyer through those tasks? Did you get the opportunity to network with lawyers in different practice areas? Try and be as detailed as possible in your descriptions while adhering to confidentiality rules and appropriately anonymising any sensitive information.
3. Don't feel the need to justify why you didn't convert the scheme into a TC offer (if that was the case!) in the work experience section. While this will most likely come up at the interview stage, I would personally consider keeping the work experience section action-focused. Show the law firm that you took the vacation scheme seriously, reflected on the skills and understanding that you acquired, and further developed your interest in commercial law as a career.
I hope this helps!
Hey, has anyone had a look at the Pinsent Masons application form yet? They just opened today and it looks like there is no section for long written answers (Why Commercial Law/PM? style). The form only has sections for academic history and relevant experiences and after that it goes straight to the blended assessment (case study, SJT, and VI). Did they remove the written application element this year or am I missing something?
Hi Will! Welcome to the forum!
That is an excellent question, and I know many career changers have similar worries about whether their background will prejudice the firms they are applying to, as they may not align with what is considered “standard” for a trainee solicitor.
Firstly, I would like to emphasise that there is no single “type” of trainee that firms want to hire. I have met many trainees at various types of firms who came from very different careers and were successfully able to make use of their past experiences during their training contracts. In fact, two partners at a US firm once told me that they can always tell when a trainee is a career changer, as they bring a lot of valuable real-life experience that fresh graduates have not yet built up. Therefore, if your worries relate to your GCSEs, A-Levels and your undergraduate degree not being relevant to legal practice, do not worry; firms will take into account the value of all kinds of experience, and it will not matter whether the experience is legal or not.
Secondly, as you say, it is still vital that you submit your GCSEs, A-Levels and undergraduate studies as part of your applications where the application form asks for this information. Firms often have minimum requirements for all of these (for example, several firms ask for an AAB or an ABB at A-Level, and a 2:1 or above in your undergraduate degree). If you do not meet a firm’s minimum requirements, I’d advise you to contact the firm’s graduate recruitment team, briefly outlining your background, including, for example, your PhD, and ask whether the benchmark would still apply in your case.
You have already stated that you have developed a compelling narrative explaining the reason for your career change. This tells me that you’re on the right track, as a true motivation to start a career in legal practice is what firms often look for in career changers.
Best of luck!
Hi @Bhavana!
It is often difficult to navigate the work experience section in law firm applications, and there is no single way to do it. For the types of experiences you have mentioned, and similar experiences, I would suggest the following approach:
- Especially for Open Days, check if the firm that you’re applying to has already specified whether there is any particular way they would like you to list these experiences. Often, right above the work experience section, there is a brief note on what type of experiences should be included. For example, if the firm has suggested that you should list all types of experiences here, “including Open Days”, I would advise you to list all Open Days separately.
- If there is no concrete guidance, I would combine Open Days into one entry, especially if you will also include multiple First Year Schemes. The advantage of doing this would be to have the opportunity to mention similar components of each Open Day to avoid repeating yourself. For example, you may want to mention a dispute resolution exercise at Firm A and a mediation workshop at Firm B together, and then explain how these experiences together introduced you to the role of a dispute resolution lawyer at a commercial firm! However, it is generally perfectly acceptable to have a separate entry for each of your Open Days.
- While you did not mention these, I want to briefly note (as it is a similar and common question) that I would also combine Virtual Internships, such as those on Forage, into one entry. You can then write a few sentences for each virtual experience programme, explaining the details of this experience and how it motivated you to pursue a career in commercial law.
- However, without any explicit guidance against it, I would list each First Year Scheme individually. Often, First Year Schemes offer comprehensive insight and experience, as they last for multiple days or even a whole week. I believe that it is important to have the space to explain your experience on a First Year Scheme in detail.
Lastly, I just wanted to say congratulations on having attended multiple Open Days/First Year Schemes! I know how competitive they can be, and I’m sure they must have been very valuable. Best of luck!
After reading about A&OS' grades requirements, I was wondering if my high variance in grades will effect my applications? I averaged a 2:1, but I achieved it through getting both high firsts and 2:2s (mainly 2:1s, but the variation does exist).
Will this pattern of grades automatically disqualify me from a lot of firms who put a hard limit on no grades lower than 2:1 in a module?
Will this pattern of grades automatically disqualify me from a lot of firms who put a hard limit on no grades lower than 2:1 in a module?
Hi @a1024 !
This is a very interesting question, and I believe that it is one of the most difficult questions that I have seen!
I believe it is very difficult to tie questions like this to the firm's practice area or work, so I would not worry about this. Firms often ask questions like this not to assess a candidate's motivation or experience, but to see whether they can write succinctly while explaining their reasoning clearly and answering all aspects of the question.
Therefore, I believe you can pick any event and it does not have to be tied to the firm, or even the work of a commercial lawyer generally.
When structuring your answer, I would advise you to pay attention to the following aspects:
- Clearly identify and state which event you would want to witness, ideally in your first sentence: This may seem obvious, but I think it is important to be really clear as to what the particular event you would want to witness is, and when it was/is/will be.
- Explain any important details about the event: If there are any significant details about this event which may not have been clear from your initial description, you should do this next. However, I would not spend too much of your limited word count in explaining what the event is; certainly not more than 100 words, as the more significant aspect of the question, to me, appears to be the question "why?".
- Explain why you would like to witness this event: This is the most important part of the question and, in my opinion, should be the majority of your answer. Offer ideally two or three reasons outlining why this event would be particularly interesting to witness. Pay attention, in particular, to what insight you might gain by witnessing this event, rather than reading about it online. Also, don't be afraid to explain why the event is interesting to you in particular! It is always good to be able to tie your answer to such questions to your personality, background and other experiences!
Good luck!
Hi @Linus!
Firstly, congratulations on obtaining a 2:1 degree!
According to A&O Shearman's website, the following is their academic benchmark:
"Our academic requirements are AAB (136 UCAS points) or equivalent at A-Level and on track for/achieved a 2:1 undergraduate degree. We also require 7 GCSEs at grade 6 or above (including Maths and English). We do take into account mitigating circumstances."
I understand your worry; I am aware that some firms, in reality, look for 2:1s across all modules. However, in my experience, these firms are rare, and often they will make this clear by stating that they are looking (for example) for a "consistent" 2:1. In any case, having also received First Class marks will be a factor in your favour!
Based on this information, I would definitely apply to A&O Shearman if they are a firm you are interested in!
With other firms, I would similarly check the application requirements section on their websites. However, keep in mind that (a) you are eligible for a majority of firms; and (b) if in doubt, you can always email their Graduate Recruitment Team to ask whether having individual 2:2s will disadvantage you.
Best of luck!
Hey! I don't think it is necessary to attend an open day, so I'd absolutely still apply!
For context, I applied for the Paul, Weiss vac scheme last cycle, and I got invited to the final stage interview without attending an open day at the firm. I also completed 3 vacation schemes and got a TC through a DTC application, and I only attended an open day at one of the VS firms.
It is, of course, an advantage to attend open days if you can, as it can help you write a stronger application with stronger motivations, but it's definitely not essential
(p.s. happy to chat through your PW application if needed, just give me a shout!)
Hi @whywhy88!
No, you generally do not need to have attended an Open Day at a firm you are applying to in order to be successful. Open Days are very useful for candidates to get to know both the unique selling points of the firm they are attending an Open Day at, and gain an insight into life as a trainee solicitor and as a commercial lawyer in general. However, they are not necessary, and no firm will disadvantage you in their application process for not having attended (or indeed applied for) an Open Day with them!
I would advise you to make sure that you can clearly articulate why you want to work at the firm, here Paul, Weiss. There are many resources you can rely on to understand a firm, such as virtual law fairs, TCLA, Chambers Student, and Legal Cheek! It is also very useful to read the practice area entries of the firm on Legal 500.
I also found it useful to message current trainees on LinkedIn with any specific questions that I may have about the firm that only someone who is working there may know.
Best of luck!
Hi @whywhy88,
This is a very good question!
Having reviewed 200+ applications during my time at TCLA, I believe that, in terms of usefulness for applications, an Open Day is only as good as the reflections that you draw from it. Let me explain:
Imagine two applicants.
Applicant 1 has attended an Open Day with [X law firm]. They didn't take any notes, asked generic questions to future trainees and associates, and the only way they used their Open Day experience in the application was by simply stating that they attended it.
Applicant 2 did not attend any Open Days with [X law firm], as it was impossible for them to travel to London. However, they kept track of the firm's thought leadership, such as articles, reports, and interviews; spoke with future and current trainees, asking them specific questions about the law firm based on previous in-depth research; and worked on making really convincing, detailed connections between the aspects of the firm and their own academic and work experiences to justify their interest in the firm and create strong arguments.
In my experience, Applicant 2 will write a much more convincing and impactful application without attending the Open Day than Applicant 1.
It also means that it is definitely possible to write a strong application that will go through to the next stage of a law firm's process without attending an Open Day - I was able to do that with at least three or four firms when I was applying.
The main benefit of attending an Open Day is discovering more nuanced and detailed information about the law firm that you would not be able to get by, say, glossing over the firm's website. However, you can achieve this depth by other means, too. Here are some of my suggestions:
1. Follow the firm's partners and associates on LinkedIn. Partners often go into a greater degree of detail when announcing a deal or speaking about a case online - this is one of the best ways to refine your knowledge of the firm's deals!
2. Read the firms' annual industry reports, track new hires and partnerships. This will give you a better idea of the firm's strategy moving forward. What sectors is the firm hiring in? How does this relate to global commercial and financial news?
3. Interact with the firm's current trainees and associates by asking brief, specific questions - each of your questions should serve a purpose on your application.
4. Contextualise your research. It's very easy to spread yourself too thin and spend hours researching unnecessary firm information that you won't even use on your application. To avoid this, you need to first ask yourself - what exact question am I trying to find the answer to?
I hope this helps!
Gibsons Vac Scheme opened today, the deadline is on 16th January, but their Open Day is on 4th December. However, the Vac Scheme is on a rolling basis, so I wonder why they would hold their Open Day so late. Surely, by then, most of their Vac Scheme places are gonna be gone....Likewise, Wilkie and Latham are smart enough to have their Open Days next month, given the fact that the Vac Scheme deadline is in December, and it's on a Non-Rolling basis as well
Yep! I was wondering about this too. Anyone know whether you should wait for Gibson Dunn's open day and whether the firm will still be reading applications submitted in December?
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