TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[Andrei Radu]

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

No worries! For the types of transactional-focused firms you mentioned, the information relating to the practices you mentioned covers the core of what you will need to know. Besides that, I think you should just aim to be able to explain in laymen terms some more basic business and commercial law concepts, such as:

1. Fundamental company law & company organisation matters, such as the different roles of shareholders vs directors, role of articles of association, concept of limited liability and separate legal personality, differences between companies and partnerships, etc.
2. The different economic sectors: you should be able to categorise an companies according to the sectors they operate in, and to have a general understanding of how the sectors work (ie what are the final products and services, how do their supply chains operate, who are the biggest players in the market)
3. Types of institutions in financial markets and their different roles: corporates, investment banks, PE funds, hedge funds, venture capital funds, asset managers, private credit funds, etc.
4. The different types of legal services offered to these clients by different practice areas of a law firm, particularly in relation to what teams come into a transaction at different times (ie you should be able to explain what antitrust, employment, data & privacy, disputes, tax, IP and other teams do and how they contribute to successfully representing a client in an M&A or finance mandate).
5. A basic understanding of the differences between dispute resolution methods: you should be able to explain what litigation, arbitration, mediation, and negotiated settlement are and when each of those may be most appropriate.

 

[Andrei Radu]

How many achievements/positions of responsibility did you discuss on Willkie's application given the 500 word limit? Gemma said 3 should be fine but firms usually have 300 words for this question not 500.

I think what matters more here is how you go about discussing achievements or positions of responsibility rather than how many of them you discuss. You want each of your points to be properly contextualised and to be very specific about what you exactly did and accomplished, but at the same time to be concise and to stick to what is truly important. For a 500-word answer, I think anything in the range of 3-5 separate experiences to discuss would be considered acceptable.

 

[Deleted member 43292]

Hi!

This can vary between firms, but it's often possible! After securing a Summer VS, I contacted the early careers team at another firm I had to applied to for a Summer VS and asked whether I could switch to the Spring scheme instead. They agreed, and I ultimately received a Spring VS offer from them (so it isn't going to negatively impact your application!).

If you're considering doing the same, just make sure you reach out as early as possible as it makes the process much easier for them to accommodate. A polite email explaining your situation and asking whether a switch is possible is completely acceptable

Thank you!! I've emailed them now - the deadline for the scheme is tonight, so hopefully I am early enough!

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi @Andrei Radu @Abbie Whitlock please can I ask during a 2 minute video interview response, if I talked about all important points and got cut off when I was trying to end the whole answer with a nice conclusion sentence, does that automatically mean failing the video interview question?

Not at all - I was progressed to the AC stage following two different VI experiences where I had failed to properly conclude my point and got cut off in at least one answer. I think recruiters generally care a lot more about your substantive points and about how you went about expressing them than about whether you stuck very strictly to the intended format, to the extent that they can easily overlook issues with the latter if they are quite happy with how you handled the former.

 

[TortillaTC]

I think what matters more here is how you go about discussing achievements or positions of responsibility rather than how many of them you discuss. You want each of your points to be properly contextualised and to be very specific about what you exactly did and accomplished, but at the same time to be concise and to stick to what is truly important. For a 500-word answer, I think anything in the range of 3-5 separate experiences to discuss would be considered acceptable.

Thank you, I was thinking 4! Would you recommend highlighting exact skills developed and connecting them back to the role of a trainee solicitor? (The original question is: "Please tell us about your achievements and positions of responsibility.") Their grad rec said no skills under the work experience section but this is a supporting question so I'm unsure.

 

[c.t.tc]

Anyone who did the TW written exercise last year and passed it do you have any tips at all? I would be super grateful!

 

[abc124]

Is Latham very strict on grades? Not sure if it's worth it to submit a last minute app

 

[Harvey Specter - Presiding Partner]

How many achievements/positions of responsibility did you discuss on Willkie's application given the 500 word limit? Gemma said 3 should be fine but firms usually have 300 words for this question not 500.

I think I discussed 4, 3 positions of responsibility and 1 achievement. Don’t think you’d need to hit the full word count for it. Depends on the amount of detail you go into for each I guess.​

 

[CharlesT47]

@Abbie Whitlock @Andrei Radu Hi, I've got a VS at Slaughter and May (HK). I'm also applying to VS in London, targetting specifically US firms. Is it worth mentioning this VS despite the fact that it really doesn't fit the profile of the firms I am applying to in London? In other words, is it better to show I am a desirable candidate by mentioning this experience? Or does it actually negatively impact my application because 1) it shows I am not committed to HK and 2) I am not committed to PE/ US firms.

 

[cookedlawstudent]

Is Arnold & Porter strict on grades?

 

[user55998384]

for lathams app - for the work exp section if i am still working there should i leave blank the working up until data?

 

[Harvey Specter - Presiding Partner]

for lathams app - for the work exp section if i am still working there should i leave blank the working up until data?

You could leave it blank or put a rough estimated date as to when your contract will end. Suppose you could also put the current date (Dec 2025), so it signals you are still working there.​

 

[fc.c92]

Is Latham very strict on grades? Not sure if it's worth it to submit a last minute app

I emailed them about this. They said 'our requirements specify a 2:1 average grade. While we understand that some modules may have lower scores, we will consider your application if your overall average meets the 2:1 criteria. However, we do look for consistency in grades across your modules.'

 

[user55998384]

You could leave it blank or put a rough estimated date as to when your contract will end. Suppose you could also put the current date (Dec 2025), so it signals you are still working there.​

thank you

 

[svb risk management intern]

Hi everyone, I just wanted to say that to people struggling with application answers, you should look at the Economical Writing Book by Deirdre McCloskey. The book is really clear in outlining how to argue for your point in economics, and writing in general. You get frameworks to follow when writing and it has been very helpful.

 

[user55998384]

for the latham app for this q: Have you previously applied to Latham & Watkins for any position? - the OD isn't included right?

 

[cheeseontoast]

Hi everyone! I know this is a vacation scheme thread but I just thought maybe i could get some advice or guidance here. I recently applied for a paralegal job and I was invited to do an "NDA Assessment", which is basically a test that requires me to mark-up a mock NDA. Does anyone know how to approach or prepare for this kind of test? I would also be really grateful if @Abbie Whitlock @Andrei Radu can share your advice as well!

 

[Unknowncabbage]

For those who attended one of the Latham OD's, we do just ignore the test invites right? lol

 

[johnsmith]

for the latham app for this q: Have you previously applied to Latham & Watkins for any position? - the OD isn't included right?

I put OD down myself

 

[Bbhu19]

Did anyone do the Weil test and what score did you get?