TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[floral.tcla]

not an expert at all, but i'd say that the controversy around london as an attractive venue for stock exchange listings is a good topic to have in the back of your head. recent cyber attacks on large UK companies like Jaguar Land Rover, M&S etc. recent high profile merger between anglo-american and teck and its impact on the energy sector. AI of course. ESG vs Trump, is ESG becoming less important? hope this helps.

ah thank you so much!!

 

[floral.tcla]

I would also brush up on:

• Recent developments concerning the US-led trade wars, as after a period when things appeared to be settling down, tensions with China in particular are rising again;
• Positive outlook for dealmaking and financial markets activity - in the last few months we have seen both falling interest rates and increased investor confidence (despite all the uncertainty created by tariff threats) in the background of a still unexpectedly resilient US economy (which grew by an incredible 3.8% in Q2 2025);
• Trump's Gaza Peace Plan: while this is still very recent news, I would want to have an idea what the plan entails and how it may affect geopolitics and the global economy if successfully implemented (i.e. look at things such as impact on oil prices, which have been falling recently).

cheers, will do thank you Andrei!!

 

[floral.tcla]

Happy Monday!

Just to add to the above (which are all topics I would look over!), I would also have a look at a few broader areas such as:

• Interest rates and inflation: how the Bank of England's recent decisions are affecting businesses, investments, and consumer spending.
• Energy transition & ESG: the shift towards renewables, how firms are adapting to net zero targets, and the regulatory / compliance side.
• Geopolitical risks: especially UK-China and UK-US trade dynamics, and how ongoing conflicts (Ukraine, Middle East) impact global markets.
• M&A and Private Equity trends: who's buying what, and how deal volumes are recovering post-interest rate hikes.
• Sector-specific news: I would have a look and focus on industries that the firm you are interviewing at specialises in, and read about up-to-date topics in those sectors!

Don't worry about knowing everything - it's more about being able to discuss a few topics in depth and link them back to the legal / commercial implications. I would make sure that you have a rough idea of the main commercial factors that are affecting the specific firm's clients, as this shows that you have tailored your commercial research to the firm.

Best of luck with your interview!

Thank you so much Abbie, appreciate it a lot!

 

[johnsmith]

How many days do we have to complete the test?

No indication and logging in to AllHires there is only a date of issue.

NRF on another batch of rejections - not quick enough at pressing buttons over here

 

[Bbhu19]

Has anyone applied to white and case winter vac and any response?

 

[routetotrainingcontract]

Is it worth applying to Dechert WVS now (my application is ready) as they recruit on a rolling basis and the deadline is the 17/10 or should I just apply for spring/summer? - anyone have any idea of how seriously they their rolling recruitment?

Not to scare you from applying as we all have different situations and luck but i attended one of their open days and the recruiter said it'll be better to apply for the spring/summer as they have progressed a lot of people so if i want increase my chances, its better i apply for spring or summer. i dont have the best grades so i took that advice! as the others have said, if you have good grades and you feel your application is strong then its worth the shot!

 

[routetotrainingcontract]

Did anyone apply to covington for any of their legal horizon programme and received a reply?

 

[tjeya26]

Hi everyone, I have a quick question about the Hogan Lovells application, if anyone is able to help @Andrei Radu . When they ask “Tell us about experiences outside of your work and study that have allowed you to develop skills relevant to this role,” can I mention previous work experiences like vacation schemes or legal/non-legal internships that are outside my degree?

 

[Amgrad]

Anyone heard back from PW?

I am waiting for their PFOs. Some asked about the outcome of the open day last week, but nobody replied.

No one shared invites here, though their open day is within 2 days.

 

[mg42guy32]

How many days do we have to complete the test?

It’s a week I believe

 

[Bread]

I am waiting for their PFOs. Some asked about the outcome of the open day last week, but nobody replied.

No one shared invites here, though their open day is within 2 days.

I saw someone receive an open day invite ages ago

 

[Amgrad]

I saw someone receive an open day invite ages ago

Really For October? I guess it was September lol.

I didn't apply to their open day, only VS but i've heard last year was quick, they came back in the promised timeline, within couple of weeks.

Maybe for this cycle is couple of weeks of business days? Then it should be Wed/Thu this week.

I came across their LinkedIn post the deadline, they were busy creating reels and new dedicated page for European office. Wondering it has resulted in slow respond.

 

[User2640]

For app forms that include only a Work Experiece / Work History section, do I have to tailor the description of each work experience to the specific firm? Or they will assess the why firm question on the vi stage and we don't have to include these in the Work Experience section. Additionally, is there any general tips for writing the Work Experience section? Beyond skills, what else should I include, and how should I structure it under different word limits (250 words vs 50 words)? Any advice would truly be much appreciated!!

 

[Bread]

Really For October? I guess it was September lol.

I didn't apply to their open day, only VS but i've heard last year was quick, they came back in the promised timeline, within couple of weeks.

Maybe for this cycle is couple of weeks of business days? Then it should be Wed/Thu this week.

I came across their LinkedIn post the deadline, they were busy creating reels and new dedicated page for European office. Wondering it has resulted in slow respond.

It might have been October, deffo was not September
I think the fact that they’ve removed SJT might mean they’ll take longer to shortlist people to interview for VS

 

[Amgrad]

From what I understand from last years process, invites to interview and rejections were sent out 2 weeks after apps closed

Yep, that was I meant, now it's already 2 weeks after the deadline, it should be last night, fingers crossed!

 

[htrizzy100]

Is anyone else having a problem with freshfields app - it only lets me input 3 classes per year in the education section??

 

[Amgrad]

I’d imagine it might be slightly delayed this year bcus there is no additional test between application and interview! Grad team will have to narrow it down themselves. Hope we hear back end of this week, as I’d imagine things need to get moving soon.

Wew. I do agree. They don't get used to it to screen candidates without test or VI like Sidley. I appreciate their turns as transitioning to simplify the recruitment process is not that easy, especially when most firms doing the other way around.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi everyone, I have a quick question about the Hogan Lovells application, if anyone is able to help @Andrei Radu . When they ask “Tell us about experiences outside of your work and study that have allowed you to develop skills relevant to this role,” can I mention previous work experiences like vacation schemes or legal/non-legal internships that are outside my degree?

Unfortunately since the firm specifies "outside of your work", any paid positions will be automatically excluded from the scope of the question. As such, I would advise you not to include any vacation schemes or paid internships. Even unpaid internships would be in a somewhat of a grey area, as some recruiters may interpret any role in the context of a workplace as constituting work experience. To be on the safe side, I would likely only include extracurricular activities and hobbies here.

 

[Amgrad]

Happy Monday!

Just to add to the above (which are all topics I would look over!), I would also have a look at a few broader areas such as:

• Interest rates and inflation: how the Bank of England's recent decisions are affecting businesses, investments, and consumer spending.
• Energy transition & ESG: the shift towards renewables, how firms are adapting to net zero targets, and the regulatory / compliance side.
• Geopolitical risks: especially UK-China and UK-US trade dynamics, and how ongoing conflicts (Ukraine, Middle East) impact global markets.
• M&A and Private Equity trends: who's buying what, and how deal volumes are recovering post-interest rate hikes.
• Sector-specific news: I would have a look and focus on industries that the firm you are interviewing at specialises in, and read about up-to-date topics in those sectors!

Don't worry about knowing everything - it's more about being able to discuss a few topics in depth and link them back to the legal / commercial implications. I would make sure that you have a rough idea of the main commercial factors that are affecting the specific firm's clients, as this shows that you have tailored your commercial research to the firm.

Best of luck with your interview!

I'd add UK's recent HNWI reforms as well, where affluents global net worth are taking account into UK tax systems. Dovetailing to educational tax for elite schools and stricter investment/asset policy for anti laundering practice.

 

[Andrei Radu]

For app forms that include only a Work Experiece / Work History section, do I have to tailor the description of each work experience to the specific firm? Or they will assess the why firm question on the vi stage and we don't have to include these in the Work Experience section. Additionally, is there any general tips for writing the Work Experience section? Beyond skills, what else should I include, and how should I structure it under different word limits (250 words vs 50 words)? Any advice would truly be much appreciated!!

Hi @User2640 for the first question, I do not think you need to tailor each work experience to the specific firm. If the firm wanted a "why the firm" answer, they would have asked that in the application form. The fact that this question was not included at this stage reflects the firm's conscious decision to assess you on different criteria. As such, I would just focus on having well-written descriptions of your work, and only draw links to the specific law firm if there is a clear and very direct point of connection - i.e. say if you have completed some corporate M&A related work experience and are applying to Skadden, it could make sense to have a short concluding remark that the experience confirmed your interest in this practice area and thus motivated your application to the firm (which is know as a global market leader in the field).

As for general tips for writing the work experience section, for dealing with different word count limit, and what to include beyond skills, I would say the following:

• If you have a very restrictive word count limit, focus on what were exactly your tasks and how you went about completing them. Importantly, the focus should be on what you did as an individual, rather than on what the team you were part of did.
• If you have more space, describe your work experience using a full STAR structure, providing more context as to how you ended up in the respective role in the first place, background to your tasks and how they fitted in with the team's broader work, and details of any concrete results and feedback you received. Nonetheless, you should still ensure you write in a very concise, structured, and to-the-point manner, as recruiters will still assess your writing skills and penalise you if they find it verbose.
• Beyond skills, you can draw links to practicer area/sector interests and also to any connections to a broader interest in commercial law. That said, such links should be drawn sparingly (to avoid seeming like you are answering a different question than the one you were in fact asked) and only when the connection is clear and direct.