TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[c.t.tc]

Is the Taylor Wessing test automatic? If yes, when do they send it?

Not automatic! They review applications and decide whether to send the test

 

[applicant457]

fieldfisher telephone interview!! any tips?

Congrats! is this for direct tc? they dont recruit on a rolling basis so kinda weird?

 

[user55998384]

fieldfisher telephone interview!! any tips?

well done!! when did you apply?

 

[Ronaldo04]

Hi @Ronaldo04 I would advise you to read my Competency Interviews Preparation Guide and follow the step-by-step preparation method I set out there; it is somewhat more comprehensive than you may need at this stage (as I wrote it primarily with final stage interviews in mind) so you no not necessarily need to practice answering that wide of a range of questions. Thus, I would focus on the getting really good at answering the most common types of interview questions such as the ones I will list bellow, as it is unlikely you will be asked something very different from that at this stage:

• The big three motivational questions: why commercial law, why you, why the firm; but be prepared to also answer different iterations of such questions - i.e. "Why do you want to be a solicitor, and what other careers have you considered?" "Why the firm rather than our rivals, and what makes you a great fit?" etc.
• Usual skills/competencies questions: Tell me about a time you demonstrated teamwork, resilience, problem-solving skills etc.
• Scenario-based questions: How would you deal with a situation in which you had competing deadlines, had a difficult work relationship etc
• Classic commercial questions: Tell me about a news story you have been following, how it impacts our clients, something that represents a challenge/opportunity for the firm

Besides this, I would advise you to construct answers in a very structured and easy to follow manner, and to focus on being crystal-clear in the way you articulate them when you practice - since during a phone interview the recruiter does not have any helpful visual input and neither do you (in terms of noticing if there is anything you would need to explain in more detail or go over again), the risk that you may lose the focus of your audience is a lot greater. Also, I think you should try to be extra enthusiastic and friendly, as the nature of the format already makes it difficult to truly connect and build rapport.

Thank you so much!

 

[pfoapplicant]

Hi guys - I'm currently doing the cover letter for the Taylor Wessing application, and I had a couple of quick questions - if anyone has any advice, I'd be massively grateful!

1. On the application form, it says that candidates' cover letters must provide "details on your skills and why you have applied for the scheme". With this in mind, does a typical cover letter structure of why commercial law/why Taylor Wessing/why you sound okay?

2. I can't find anything on the Taylor Wessing website suggesting who the cover letter should be addressed to, but lawcareers.net suggests it should be addressed to Jasmine Hepple. I know that Jasmine Hepple works in Taylor Wessing's recruitment team; would it be a good idea to address it to her, or is it preferable to just put "Dear Sir/Madam?"

Apologies if these questions are a bit stupid; it's my first time writing in a cover letter in a while!

 

[AMullin]

Im pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the Mishcon test.

Glad to hear you enjoyed it! Out of interest how long did you have to wait for a test invite after the ChatBot interview?

 

[Bob142]

Anyone heard anything from Slaughters after DTC interview last week?

 

[Prudentia]

Does anyone know if the Clifford Chance team reviews our first or latest submitted application when we make changes to the DTC application (the portal is still open and the page allows changing inputs and saving new inputs)

I didn’t know you could change applications! I submitted mine and didn’t realise the last sentence of my motivation response had been cut. I’ve quickly gone and edited it. They don’t review the applications under after you’ve passed the WG test anyway. So if you can edit it now go ahead and do it.

 

[AMullin]

Hi guys - I'm currently doing the cover letter for the Taylor Wessing application, and I had a couple of quick questions - if anyone has any advice, I'd be massively grateful!

1. On the application form, it says that candidates' cover letters must provide "details on your skills and why you have applied for the scheme". With this in mind, does a typical cover letter structure of why commercial law/why Taylor Wessing/why you sound okay?

2. I can't find anything on the Taylor Wessing website suggesting who the cover letter should be addressed to, but lawcareers.net suggests it should be addressed to Jasmine Hepple. I know that Jasmine Hepple works in Taylor Wessing's recruitment team; would it be a good idea to address it to her, or is it preferable to just put "Dear Sir/Madam?"

Apologies if these questions are a bit stupid; it's my first time writing in a cover letter in a while!

Hi!

So I have an application in for Taylor Wessing, not sure whether they invite everyone for the online test or review applications first but I had a test invite and I followed a similar why law/why TW/why me structure and addressed it Dear Graduate Recruitment Team.

As I said, I'm not sure if a human has actually looked at it yet so take that with a pinch of salt.

 

[Goodbyetc]

Has anyone had a dla telephone interview and wouldn’t mind sharing any tips

 

[Ferran_]

has anyone head from slaughters summer vs

 

[safari3]

Has anyone had a dla telephone interview and wouldn’t mind sharing any tips

Hi! When did you receive confirmation that you passed the WG?

 

[Goodbyetc]

Hi! When did you receive confirmation that you passed the WG?

I got it the day after I’d done the test

 

[safari3]

I got it the day after I’d done the test

Sorry, I meant how long did you wait between receiving confirmation that you passed and being invited to a TI

 

[Goodbyetc]

Sorry, I meant how long did you wait between receiving confirmation that you passed and being invited to a TI

Around two weeks I think

 

[Amgrad]

Hi guys - I'm currently doing the cover letter for the Taylor Wessing application, and I had a couple of quick questions - if anyone has any advice, I'd be massively grateful!

1. On the application form, it says that candidates' cover letters must provide "details on your skills and why you have applied for the scheme". With this in mind, does a typical cover letter structure of why commercial law/why Taylor Wessing/why you sound okay?

2. I can't find anything on the Taylor Wessing website suggesting who the cover letter should be addressed to, but lawcareers.net suggests it should be addressed to Jasmine Hepple. I know that Jasmine Hepple works in Taylor Wessing's recruitment team; would it be a good idea to address it to her, or is it preferable to just put "Dear Sir/Madam?"

Apologies if these questions are a bit stupid; it's my first time writing in a cover letter in a while!

1. Yes, you can showcase whatever you think TW is peculiar in some way that is unlike any other firms. Also include its strong reason, not generic and not covered in your 2 essays.

2. Yep, she's so affable. I met her on the Open Day, you definitely can contact her by email, but sometimes it might be taking a while, if it's not replied you can go to TW online booth at Legal Cheek Virtual Law fair next Tuesday which was scheduled due to yesterday's cloudflare outage.

 

[BobThebIlly]

Does anyone know where to input university module grades on the Gowling DTC app? I'm really confused

 

[giuliarossi1610]

Around two weeks I think

When did you send your application if you don't mind me asking?

 

[abc124]

What is the deadline for the Mishcon test? They kind of give two deadlines in the email??

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi guys - I'm currently doing the cover letter for the Taylor Wessing application, and I had a couple of quick questions - if anyone has any advice, I'd be massively grateful!

1. On the application form, it says that candidates' cover letters must provide "details on your skills and why you have applied for the scheme". With this in mind, does a typical cover letter structure of why commercial law/why Taylor Wessing/why you sound okay?

2. I can't find anything on the Taylor Wessing website suggesting who the cover letter should be addressed to, but lawcareers.net suggests it should be addressed to Jasmine Hepple. I know that Jasmine Hepple works in Taylor Wessing's recruitment team; would it be a good idea to address it to her, or is it preferable to just put "Dear Sir/Madam?"

Apologies if these questions are a bit stupid; it's my first time writing in a cover letter in a while!

Hello!

No worries at all - these are not stupid questions!

A typical structure of “why commercial law / why Taylor Wessing / why you” works perfectly for your cover letter. The key is to keep it concise and to clearly link your skills and experiences to what the firm values. It’s a great place to highlight your transferable skills like teamwork, communication, or decision-making under pressure, using concrete examples from your past experiences that show why you’d be a strong candidate. Just make sure to outline ‘why this scheme’ in the ‘why TW’ part of your cover letter, and discuss what attracts you about the vacation scheme in particular

As for who to address it to, if you know that Jasmine Hepple works in the graduate recruitment team, it’s usually better to address it to her rather than “Dear Sir/Madam”, as it makes the letter more personal and shows you’ve done your research. Just double-check her role and the spelling of her name to be safe. If you’re not completely sure, “Dear Graduate Recruitment Team” is also a perfectly acceptable option.

It definitely sounds like you are approaching it the right way - just make sure to keep it focused, clear and use your examples to show how you demonstrate the skills needed

I hope that helps, and best of luck with your application!