TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Andrei Radu]

How would you recommend structuring a cover letter for an open day? Would it be 1. Why the Open Day 2. Why you 3. Why commercial law 4. Why the firm?

Am I missing anything?
Thank you!

I think you are covering everything relevant, but I would switch up the ordering a bit to help it flow more naturally. Thus, my structure would go like this:

1. Why commercial law: starting from the highest level of generality, it makes sense to explain why you are interested in this profession in the first place before discussing your interest in the firm or why you are a good fit, as without an interest in the career it would make no sense to have an interest in the firm or to care about any "fit" in terms of skills and abilities.
2. Why the firm + why the open day: I would discuss these two together, as the "why this open day" part is normally just wanting to learn more about an aspect of the firm that already interests you.
3. Why you: this should come last in my opinion, as once again it only makes sense to discuss your "fit" if your interest in the firm is already established. Furthermore, since this is where you will likely bring in your most impressive skills and achievements, it makes for a good ending note to leave the reader with.

 

[Harvey Specter]

Does anybody know what the email address is to email Hogan Lovells’ early careers? The test was sent by [email protected] but in the email itself, it states if we need to send an email regarding adjustments, we need to email [email protected]. I’m not sure which one is the right one.​

 

[Lawlawland]

Does anybody know what the email address is to email Hogan Lovells’ early careers? The test was sent by [email protected] but in the email itself, it states if we need to send an email regarding adjustments, we will need to email [email protected]. Not sure which one is the right one.​

I've had two way communications with both emails... I send my queries to Earlycareers mail, I received Open day and other events confirmation from gradrec email.

I would prefer Earlycareers mail for clarifying doubts, and gradrec for event related queries.

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi, do you know if there's an overall score cut-off? I think I did okay in the video interview but I scored really poorly in 2 of the pillars so my total is 22 and I'm scared it won't even get watched :')

Hello!

Unfortunately, I'm not too sure on whether there is an overall cut-off - apologies! Even if you believe you scored poorly in 2 of the pillars, I think an overall score of 22 is still strong so I would try not to worry too much

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

What's the etiquette for incoming vacation schemes on the work experience section?
Do applicants generally put 'incoming vacation scheme at X firm' in their work experience section?

Should I;
A) Not include the incoming scheme (as I haven't completed it yet + don't want Y firm to think I prefer X firm, or that I'm more likely to receive/accept a TC at X firm first).
B) Only include the incoming scheme for firms which are very similar to X firm (e.g. they operate in the same key sectors).
C) Include the incoming scheme when applying to all firms.

I'm conscious that for non-CV firms, putting in a blank entry on Candid for an 'incoming scheme' might also seem odd. However, I also recognise just how beneficial it is to have a VS under your belt, and that other law firms might see this incoming VS and think I am a competitive applicant. (Equally they might hate it for reasons outlined above).

Any help will be much appreciated! @Abbie Whitlock eager to hear your thoughts too

Hello!

That's a great question, and something that I also wondered last cycle as well!

When I applied, my approach was to not include my upcoming vacation schemes in my vacation scheme applications, but I did include them in my direct training contract application. My reasoning was that, for a DTC application, it can be useful for graduate recruitment to know that I'll have gained some legal experience before attending their assessment days - whereas for a vacation scheme, that information felt less relevant.

In my application, I phrased it along the lines of: "After a competitive application process, I will be completing a two-week vacation scheme at the firm's office in London in June 2025" and "After placing second place in the British and Irish University Commercial Awareness Competition 2024, I will be completing a two-week vacation scheme at X in July 2025." This gave some context of how I gained the vacation scheme(s), and showed which firms they were with.

Ultimately, it'll really depend on each firm's preference. If you're concerned about it being perceived negatively, you could leave it out - but I honestly can't imagine it would harm your application either way. I'm sure that the graduate recruitment teams see this quite often!

 

[sooae]

Hello! Has anyone heard back from WC for Spring/Summer?

 

[yuhhhh]

Does anybody have insights on Weil's Assessment? More than happy to share tips on other assessments/ACs.

 

[jamsparkle]

is freshfields application process just the online form, then the online assessment (sjt, critical reasoning, & motivation in context) before AC?

app form then OA then if you pass that then OA 2 (job sim inc VIs) then AC

 

[DavidJC]

Curious what everyone's thoughts are but if you've submitted a successful Open Day application with a firm and the VS application asks the exact same question with the same word limit, is there fundamentally anything wrong with resubmitting the exact same answer?

 

[c.t.tc]

Curious what everyone's thoughts are but if you've submitted a successful Open Day application with a firm and the VS application asks the exact same question with the same word limit, is there fundamentally anything wrong with resubmitting the exact same answer?

I think if the questions include elements like ‘why Law’ then those won’t have fundamentally changed since the open day so you could easily reuse those parts. How ever I would really recommend rewriting other parts to include mentioning the Open Day and things you learnt from it and strengthening the application overall - they will probably expect a higher quality application for a Vac Scheme!

 

[Dogecoin GC]

Curious what everyone's thoughts are but if you've submitted a successful Open Day application with a firm and the VS application asks the exact same question with the same word limit, is there fundamentally anything wrong with resubmitting the exact same answer?

No I wouldn't advise doing this.

Write down the application questions beforehand.

Get answers at the open day.

Good luck with your law applications.

Doge.

 

[BuddyingLawyer744]

Has anyone heard back from Freshfields after the second online assessment for the direct TC?

 

[sophiajan.e]

Hey - does anyone have any advice on the Latham VI for the SVS?

I normally don't mind VIs, however I have heard that it's not a typical VI and they give you a case situation instead of skill based. Thank you!!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Do they ever check the work you uploaded to forage? I definitely did not do them to the standard I would have done had I know they checked

I remember a couple of years back a recruiter at the firm said they do not review the answers. I would assume this still holds true simply because it makes sense from a workload management perspective on their side: recruiters at firms like Clifford Chance are absolutely swamped with applications and normally have to make decisions in a matter of mere minutes on whether to progress or reject a candidate. As such, it is very unlikely they could afford to invest what would be a significant amount of time in checking the quality of work in a task ancillary to the application - particularly since such an exercise would require the recruiters to also understand the nature of the legal problems and technical solutions in said tasks, which is something the firm would need to provide them with further training for.

 

[Naskimovski]

Hi everyone!

I’ve just progressed to the second stage of the Freshfields application. This round is a job simulation assessment, which is new to me. From what I understand, it includes at least one written trainee-style task and a few video interview questions (similar to HireVue & Cappfinity).

If anyone has experience with job simulation assessments,not just at Freshfields, but also at firms like Hogan Lovells, Macfarlanes, or others, I’d be really grateful for any insights, tips, or examples of what to expect.

Happy to return the favour by sharing what I know about CMS, A&O, Baker McKenzie, Latham, Weil, Reed Smith, NRF VI, and I’ve attended open days at Weil, Baker McKenzie, and Latham as well.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Future Trainee - 2027 confirmed]

@Abbie Whitlock @Andrei Radu - Could you kindly let me know how to delete my account please? there appears to be no options on settings for this (I may be missing something obvious)

 

[LawAspirer]

DLA piper interview invite

Congrats ! When did you apply if I may ask?

 

[lawstudent2]

How long is the Weil test taking?

 

[Afuturetrainee]

Should we be worried if we haven't heard back from Weil? I submitted my application on the first day it opened last month. Do they have any strict grade requirements? I know they review on a rolling basis.

 

[Lawlawland]

Could someone temme what kind of questions one can anticipate in the Weil VI?

Is it twisted since that's the only part they'll be getting to know us? Or just simple and straightforward?