TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Abbie Whitlock]

Does anybody know if DLA Piper sponsors visa's for trainees in their Birmingham officer?

From their website, it states that they are unable to sponsor visa's for their summer internship programme. However, they state that they will sponsor you for a visa if you are successful in receiving an offer to join as a trainee solicitor.

As this doesn't specify that this is exclusively for London, I would assume that this applies across their offices. However, it might be worth emailing the early careers team to confirm

 

[c3alg]

Has anyone not heard from Sidley yet (WVS)?

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Does anyone have any tips on how to deeper research firms? I cant seem to find much apart from whats on their webiste etc

Hi @Kakaboo !

I completely understand what you mean - it can be difficult to know where to get information from, as a lot of it seems surface-level. A few things that I used to help me dig deeper are:

• Legal News Sites (Legal Cheek, The Lawyer, Law.com, RollOnFriday) - they often cover deals, cases, or firm culture that you won't necessarily find on the official site.
• Chambers Student / Lex 100 Profiles - these are great for hearing what trainees actually say about their experiences.
• Press Releases and Client News - most firms will announce big transactions and cases that they are involved with, as well as strategic moves that they are making to remain competitive. This is great for giving you a sense of the sectors that they are active and leading in.
• LinkedIn - following the firm and its lawyers is great for spotting what they're proud of and how they position themselves. If you are researching for an interview / AC, it might be appropriate to reach out to a trainee or future trainee to see if they can offer any advice.
• Podcasts, webinars, and open days - a lot of firms will host these now (either in-person or online), and they give you more information on a firm's culture and priorities.
• Networking - if you can, reach out to current trainees and attend virtual law fairs. Hearing personal experiences gives you insights that you might not find online.
• AI (within reason) - it can be a useful starting point for researching a firm, as it can quickly pull together relevant resources. Always make sure to double-check the information (by finding the information on a reputable source afterwards) before relying on it to make sure it is accurate and relevant.

The trick is to combine what the firm says about itself (i.e. on its website) with how it is perceived in the market and what their people are talking about!

 

[Vakil]

Has anyone not heard from Sidley yet (WVS)?

🙋‍♂️

 

[aspringlawyer25]

Application to the Gibson Dunn Summer Vacation Scheme 2026 - Capptivate Law Assessment On Hold". Thank you for your application for a place on the Gibson Dunn Vacation Scheme 2026 and for completing our Capptivate Law Assessment. Please note, you should have already received your feedback report following the completion of your assessment. We just wanted to let you know that we will be reviewing your application and assessment results and will be in touch as soon as we have further update. As you are aware our programmes are highly competitive so please do bear with us. Thank you for your patience. ​

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Did anyone else just receive this from Gibson Dunn? Haven't gotten any feedback report. Has anyone gotten theirs?

 

[Chriss]

Application to the Gibson Dunn Summer Vacation Scheme 2026 - Capptivate Law Assessment On Hold". Thank you for your application for a place on the Gibson Dunn Vacation Scheme 2026 and for completing our Capptivate Law Assessment. Please note, you should have already received your feedback report following the completion of your assessment. We just wanted to let you know that we will be reviewing your application and assessment results and will be in touch as soon as we have further update. As you are aware our programmes are highly competitive so please do bear with us. Thank you for your patience.​

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Did anyone else just receive this from Gibson Dunn? Haven't gotten any feedback report. Has anyone gotten theirs?

yeah i just got it and i also got no feedback report

 

[applicant457]

Guys is it worth applying for the Macfarlanes dinner given applications are rolling for the vac scheme anyway?

 

[c.t.tc]

Has anyone had the Taylor Wessing test meant to be sent today come through yet?

 

[Shahenshah]

Application to the Gibson Dunn Summer Vacation Scheme 2026 - Capptivate Law Assessment On Hold". Thank you for your application for a place on the Gibson Dunn Vacation Scheme 2026 and for completing our Capptivate Law Assessment. Please note, you should have already received your feedback report following the completion of your assessment. We just wanted to let you know that we will be reviewing your application and assessment results and will be in touch as soon as we have further update. As you are aware our programmes are highly competitive so please do bear with us. Thank you for your patience.​

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Did anyone else just receive this from Gibson Dunn? Haven't gotten any feedback report. Has anyone gotten theirs?

Yes, same, no feedback report