TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[hanahana]

Bird & Bird AC!!!

 

[BobThebIlly]

Hi Andrei Radu, I hope you’re well. I had a question for you as a future trainee at Davis Polk regarding their cover letter. The cover letter has an 800-word limit and asks applicants to address: why you are specifically interested in Davis Polk, why you are attracted to the work that the firm carries out, and the skills you have developed that would contribute to your success in the role.

I’m not sure how to structure this. Should I split it roughly 50/50 — for example, around 400 words on why Davis Polk and their work, and 400 words on my skills and attributes? Or would it be better to merge these sections? For instance, I plan to discuss a four-week internship as part of the “why Davis Polk” section, but that experience also helped me develop relevant skills. I’m a bit unsure how to balance this, so any guidance would be appreciated!

 

[Trophy]

People that got Pinset AC, please PM me if you are interested in Intray exercise practice. I learnt that it constitutes a huge chunk of their AC! I will create a group chat and we can meet maybe once a week virtually to practice? (No need to turn your cameras on , you can stay anonymous)

I have been to their AC before and can confirm it is heavily weighed.

I passed every component of their AC but did not finish the intray due to strict timings. I was told if I had finished that it would’ve been a different outcome.

Partner interview is pretty easy… why the firm, why London. It is a very rigid format everyone is asked the same exact questions across all offices. They will ask you a commercial question. I can’t remember it.it is one partner in the interview 1 partner in the commercial case study. They will mostly be looking down taking notes so don’t be too nervous. Friendly firm for sure. I know someone who got a TC offer from a VS AC as they were very good and passed all aspects of the AC.

Please don’t send me lots of messages asking for tips just giving my two pence above 🫡

 

[Kirsty Wilkins]

Has anybody heard back from Weil or Willkie yet who applied in November? Been almost 3 weeks since I applied to Weil and over a week since I’ve sent off my Willkie application.​

Hi @Harvey Specter

We have received hundreds of applications so far this month, so we are reading through each of them one by one and will get back to you. As a reminder the Willkie Grad Rec 'Team' is just one person, so it does take a long time to read each of them fully and get back to everyone.

Thanks!

Kirsty

 

[Diana54]

Is the Pinsent Masons London scheme closed? - Their website shows the scheme as closed but according to other websites, it should still be open

 

[i-want-a-tc]

Is the Pinsent Masons London scheme closed? - Their website shows the scheme as closed but according to other websites, it should still be open

Closed on 5th November

 

[Chelsea101]

Is the Pinsent Masons London scheme closed? - Their website shows the scheme as closed but according to other websites, it should still be open

closed 5th nov

 

[Kirsty Wilkins]

Has anyone heard from Willkie in a while?

Hi @Goodbyetc

I'm making my way through all applications received one by one, so you will hear from us.

Thanks,

Kirsty

 

[yk1906]

TW test invite!! Was a bit stressed it wasn’t coming in

 

[Donuttime]

is there anywhere i can find imminent deadlines for law firm applications?

 

[Lawlawland]

is there anywhere i can find imminent deadlines for law firm applications?

Legalcheek deadline tracker and TCLA deadline Calander have almost everything you wanna track.

 

[Donuttime]

Any tips for the Weil SJT? does anyone know how many questions are in the VI element?

 

[Lawlawland]

How long does the Freshfields WGT take?

How many questions, and does the time we take to complete the test matter here?

 

[DavidJC]

How long does the Freshfields WGT take?

How many questions, and does the time we take to complete the test matter here?

it's the same as HL Stage 2 if you've done that, really didn't actually take as long as I'd thought it might, I finished the entire Stage 2 test in just over 60 minutes with maybe 20-25 mins on the WGT (assuming approx 1 min per question, each of which has 4 sub-questions like in the practice assessment)

 

[Jennifer2003]

Bird and Bird AC!

 

[YS391]

Hey guys, whats the time limit to answer each video interview quesion in the Simmons & Simmons assessment. It doesn't tell you how long next to the first question. Thanks!

 

[Snickerdoodlesolicitor]

For Mayer Brown is a 7/7/4/7 with high verbal intellect and mid numerical intellect good enough to get past? I also did relatively well in the VIs

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi Andrei Radu, I hope you’re well. I had a question for you as a future trainee at Davis Polk regarding their cover letter. The cover letter has an 800-word limit and asks applicants to address: why you are specifically interested in Davis Polk, why you are attracted to the work that the firm carries out, and the skills you have developed that would contribute to your success in the role.

I’m not sure how to structure this. Should I split it roughly 50/50 — for example, around 400 words on why Davis Polk and their work, and 400 words on my skills and attributes? Or would it be better to merge these sections? For instance, I plan to discuss a four-week internship as part of the “why Davis Polk” section, but that experience also helped me develop relevant skills. I’m a bit unsure how to balance this, so any guidance would be appreciated!

Hi @BobThebIlly I do not think the firm has any strict view as to how the response to this question should be structured. As such, I think your overriding principle when determining your approach should be to have an answer that is clear, well-put together, and easy to read and navigate, while also developing your analysis of the substantive points in the most convincing and nuanced manner possible. For me personally, this often led to splitting answers roughly 50/50 if I had two main elements to address, as I generally found combining them would make the connection between the different elements be somewhat hard to see on a quick read. Thus, if I were writing an answer to this question right now, this is the default approach I would consider going for.

That said, I have seen answers that combine the two work really well, particularly if there was a large overlap in terms of claimed interests/claimed skills and the experiences used to showcase these interests and skills. If you can ensure you can avoid sounding repetitive and that it will be clear when you are addressing which part of the question, I think you could try this out. For instance, your structure could look like this:

1. Paragraph 1 (250-300 words): Explain a relevant experience using a STAR structure in 100ish words, explain how this makes you interested in the firm's work in another 100ish words, and then explain how it demonstrates you are a good fit in terms of skillset is another 50-100.
2. Repeat this for Paragraph 2 and 3, but with different experiences, firm interests, and claimed skills.

 

[c.t.tc]

Absolutely thrilled for everyone that got Bird & Bird ACs! Just feeling a bit demoralised as it definitely means I’m not getting an invite - knew already as felt it was a bit all over the place in terms of VI but just stings a bit more to have gotten so close. Anyways onwards and upwards and good luck to everyone!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Does it make sense to apply for Latham even without attending their Open Day?

Yes - while it seems like Latham places more weigh on open day attendance than other firms, I have heard of many people getting to the AC without it. This also makes sense from a recruitment policy perspective, as the firm would lose out on a huge talent pool by restricting their consideration to people who attended an open day.