TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[wooliewoo]

Do we have to complete the NRF OA before the deadline on the 7th too?

Damn I hope not bcs I just submitted and there's no clear indication of when I'll be getting sent the test lol

 

[ghost08]

Hi!

How would you recommend approaching Paul Weiss' questions?

1) Tell us why you want to join Paul, Weiss (250 words)
2) How do your extra-curricular activities align with a career at Paul, Weiss? (250 words)

 

[Amgrad]

If Legal Cheek will be conducting another virtual Law Fair at 24th March 2026, whilst most participating firms deadline has passed, do they accommodate for the next cycle in 2026/2027 or they will reopen vacancies to fill out the TC intake for this cycle incoming in 2028??? Eg. some candidates decline their offer, or future trainee failed SQE so they need to postpone intake.

I'm wondering if it's possible that more firms would follow Reed Smith's path this cycle to open new TC route like last year, especially those which open through VS route only. Sorry if it sounds silly as this is my first cycle. @Abbie Whitlock

 

[SBD total 1000lbs (and an applicant)]

Just to get a feel for things - if anyone has any previous experience: usually how many rejections can one expect for VS/TC applications per cycle? I think I need to reset my expectations lol

Edit: by rejections, I mean pre-AC rejections

i have applied for solicitor apprenticeships, first year schemes and finally vac schemes this year. i think I have sent off over 60 applications throughout, got to one AC this year and was successful at macfarlanes. the three days before my AC i recieved rejections from S&M, Jones Day, and A&O. reflecting on it all, id say my applications the past two years deserved to get rejected but dont forget just because you get rejected doesnt indicate ur strength as a candidate. its a two way thing as well, you could write the same quality app for two firms and get accepted and rejected by each, because it also depends on general fit.

 

[Lawlawland]

Gotta do my Weil test by today, I would appreciate any insight into the 4 questions... Happy to return the favour with other apps. Please feel free to DM✨

 

[elle woods]

i have applied for solicitor apprenticeships, first year schemes and finally vac schemes this year. i think I have sent off over 60 applications throughout, got to one AC this year and was successful at macfarlanes. the three days before my AC i recieved rejections from S&M, Jones Day, and A&O. reflecting on it all, id say my applications the past two years deserved to get rejected but dont forget just because you get rejected doesnt indicate ur strength as a candidate. its a two way thing as well, you could write the same quality app for two firms and get accepted and rejected by each, because it also depends on general fit.

congratulations on Macfarlanes!! That is very true - sometimes I don't know whether to apply to more just to "up the chances" or to keep the numbers low because of "quality", I guess both could go both ways

 

[elle woods]

All I can say is don't focus on rejections. If you progress to further stages in any of your apps, focus on making it further. It's honestly a big, big luck to receive one interview these days. Of course, it also depends on your educational and professional background, but even for the brightest minds from the best universities, it's still quite hard.

very wise words! though it's definitely hard not to focus on rejections ahha - I've not applied to too many so it hurts to watch your chances and list dwindle down one by one 😂 I'll keep that in mind though, thank you!

 

[Dannie]

Do you think my hsf kramer app is disadvantaged if i didn't mention the merger as a reason to apply?

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hello @Andrei Radu @Abbie Whitlock
I was wondering in terms of pure concepts - what should we know about regarding banking and finance? I know for M&A for example - to know about public/private, deal structure etc but I'm struggling with regard to banking and finance. And also, where to find out about this?

Thank you

Hi @flower1 that is a really good question that I also used to struggle with. Firstly, I will clarify that generally you will not be expected to know as much about finance as you will be expected to know about M&A, so you should not worry a lot simply because your knowledge of finance seems more basic when contrasting it with your knowledge of M&A. Secondly, what you need to know about finance will be highly depended on the firms you are interviewing with - the types of finance matters a firm specialises in should significantly influence the scope of your research while you prepare.

That being said, I think there are a number of basic finance concepts that you should understand irrespective of the particular firms you will have ACs with, in that they are foundational enough to be "fair game" regardless of the particularities of a firm's practice. I will list here the ones the come to mind right now, but this is by no means an exclusive list:

• Equity finance vs debt finance, and the main advantages and disadvantages of each;
• Elaborating on the above, explaining what bonds, loans, and IPOs are;
• Interest rates and how those are impacted by inflation;
• Securitisation (how debt can be packaged to be sold on secondary markets);
• How lenders protect against default risk (securing a debt over fixed/floating assets);
• A basic understanding of how banks work and what their role (and the general role of lending) is in sustaining and contributing to the growth of the global economy;
• The downward spiral risks of financial crises and the fundamental importance of trust in the stability of banks, ensured through financial regulation (ie why are stricter capital and liquidity adequacy requirements necessary, how the banking sector changed post the Global Financial Crisis),
• A basic understanding of how the process of restructuring and insolvency works;
• A very basic understanding of different practice areas within finance (ie you should know how to explain the difference between traditional banking and finance, leveraged finance, project finance, asset finance, DCM, funds finance, and derivatives & structured finance)

 

[CupOfTea17]

Hey guys! Just looking for some advice - how crucial do you think it is to have previous paralegal experience when applying for vacation schemes (in the hope of converting them to training contracts)
When looking at current trainees (at the firms I want to apply to) profiles on Linkedin, I've noticed a lot of them have at least a year of paid paralegal / legal assistant experience. This seems to be more common to for small-mid size firms which is what I am interested in.
Do you think it is necessary to be a paralegal first to secure a TC? (I am still very new to the legal field so just trying to work it all out!)

 

[yk1906]

very wise words! though it's definitely hard not to focus on rejections ahha - I've not applied to too many so it hurts to watch your chances and list dwindle down one by one 😂 I'll keep that in mind though, thank you!

I agree - but I learned how to detach... I mean, if a rejection is too painful, I allow myself one day to reflect and cry, and then I move on! "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you'll find you get what you need" 😀

 

[Andrei Radu]

Thank you Andrei, this has been really helpful. In terms of why this firm? I was talking about a deal which I really liked and cannot find another one in the firm news that mirrors that. Would you recommend changing that still or using the same one but maybe updating it slightly with new legislation or my experiences? Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question

I think it is ok to keep the same deal as long as you update it with mentions of any relevant new legislation and experiences. If you feel like this is still not enough (in terms of the answer looking "new"), you can always look to simply reformulate and restructure some points, changing the manner you express the relevant information rather than changing the information you communicate itself.

 

[elle woods]

I agree - but I learned how to detach... I mean, if a rejection is too painful, I allow myself one day to reflect and cry, and then I move on! "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you'll find you get what you need" 😀

agreed! there's much to learn from rejections also, though feedback would be appreciated at the earlier stages haha...

 

[yk1906]

agreed! there's much to learn from rejections also, though feedback would be appreciated at the earlier stages haha...

You live, and you learn... Don't let pre-AC rejections affect you too much -- sometimes it's as simple as luck that determines our progress with VSs/TCs

 

[bh.sa]

This has probably been asked lots of times now lol, but does the Latham 1st stage assessment have a VI?

 

[flower1]

Hi @flower1 that is a really good question that I also used to struggle with. Firstly, I will clarify that generally you will not be expected to know as much about finance as you will be expected to know about M&A, so you should not worry a lot simply because your knowledge of finance seems more basic when contrasting it with your knowledge of M&A. Secondly, what you need to know about finance will be highly depended on the firms you are interviewing with - the types of finance matters a firm specialises in should significantly influence the scope of your research while you prepare.

That being said, I think there are a number of basic finance concepts that you should understand irrespective of the particular firms you will have ACs with, in that they are foundational enough to be "fair game" regardless of the particularities of a firm's practice. I will list here the ones the come to mind right now, but this is by no means an exclusive list:

• Equity finance vs debt finance, and the main advantages and disadvantages of each;
• Elaborating on the above, explaining what bonds, loans, and IPOs are;
• Interest rates and how those are impacted by inflation;
• Securitisation (how debt can be packaged to be sold on secondary markets);
• How lenders protect against default risk (securing a debt over fixed/floating assets);
• A basic understanding of how banks work and what their role (and the general role of lending) is in sustaining and contributing to the growth of the global economy;
• The downward spiral risks of financial crises and the fundamental importance of trust in the stability of banks, ensured through financial regulation (ie why are stricter capital and liquidity adequacy requirements necessary, how the banking sector changed post the Global Financial Crisis),
• A basic understanding of how the process of restructuring and insolvency works;
• A very basic understanding of different practice areas within finance (ie you should know how to explain the difference between traditional banking and finance, leveraged finance, project finance, asset finance, DCM, funds finance, and derivatives & structured finance)

Thank you @Andrei Radu - this is really helpful. Also, I'm wondering beyond knowing about banking & finance, M&A, and private equity - is there any other concepts regarding practice areas that we need to know. I don't mean like trends or inflation etc, but pure substantive concepts and content. And if so, what exactly should we learn? I hope that makes sense. The US firms I have in mind are strong in corporate, PE, capital markets etc

Thank you

 

[Winter]

This has probably been asked lots of times now lol, but does the Latham 1st stage assessment have a VI?

It doesn't but the second stage does!! Best of luck

 

[legallycurly]

For Latham & Watkins, does the first stage include the pro bono case and a short behavioural assessment, or is there more? I am afraid I ended the assessment prematurely because I did not see any other components.

 

[wooliewoo]

Can someone please confirm if the Latham 1st stage test needs to be sat before the deadline. I know you have 72 hours to sit it but not sure if this needs to be done by today. Thank you!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi!

How would you recommend approaching Paul Weiss' questions?

1) Tell us why you want to join Paul, Weiss (250 words)
2) How do your extra-curricular activities align with a career at Paul, Weiss? (250 words)

Hello!

I'd approach these questions by making your answers targeted, evidence-driven, and personal. I've set out below how I would approach each one - hopefully it helps as a starting point!

1. Why Paul, Weiss?

I'd focus on specificity. Make sure that instead of discussing generic points such as "prestige" or "top-tier private equity", dig into the aspects of the firm that genuinely attract you:

• Practice areas that Paul, Weiss is known for (e.g. private equity, litigation, etc.)
• Big headline matters the firm has handled that particularly resonate with you
• The culture - things such as their diversity values, their training style or the collaborative environment
• Any interactions that you have had with lawyers / trainees (e.g. at open days, networking events, on LinkedIn).

The important part is to connect those features back to you. Explain why they matter to you, with reference to both your past experiences and your future career goals and what you hope to contribute. You should show the graduate recruitment team why you are a good fit for the firm based on those two things.

2. How do your extracurriculars align with a career at Paul, Weiss?

Pick 2-4 extracurriculars that clearly demonstrate relevant skills or qualities. For example, this might look something like:

• Business societies / finance roles / commercial awareness competitions -> private equity or transactional awareness
• Advocacy or debating -> litigation interest and communication skills
• Pro bono / volunteering -> aligns with the firm's strong pro bono culture
• Competitions / sport / leadership -> resilience, teamwork, high performance, etc.

For each activity, I'd briefly describe what you did, then emphasise the skills that you gained and how they translate to a training contract at Paul, Weiss (and why you'd be a good fit!). Make sure to show growth and reflection, and how you made an individual impact.

For example, when I applied to Paul, Weiss last cycle, I discussed my participation in BIUCAC and how this showed an interest in private equity work and developed commercial awareness skills. I could then link this to my motivations for applying to the firm, which helped to create a clear image of how my experiences align with the firm overall.

I hope that helps!