Anyone else feel that the competition this year must be so high (every PFO mentioning high volumes of qualified candidates) that anyone with mitigating circumstances doesn't stand a chance?
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
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Im curious if AI supported applications have started reaching critical mass.
It's a vicious cycle because every high quality, targeted application to a dream firm that rejects post-app fuels the pressure to apply to two more firms with less tailored applications at the risk of wasting an application cycle
My perspective has changed a bit on AI, and I saw a good quote on a Youtube about it "if you can't be bothered to express your thoughts in your own words, I can't be bothered to listen to it".
As such if I was a recruiter and saw any kind of AI tropes at all, I'd be hitting the reject button so fast I'd not read the rest of the app.
This reflects (personally speaking) seeing all these AI slop posts on X and LinkedIn, and even now AI-generated music on Youtube doing big numbers over people who actually put in effort. Also every time I open FB there's some AI slop video that people are commenting on, and I have to hit "do not show me this", but the people at FB and Youtube and so on don't see a problem with this disgusting AI slop because it's increasing viewer minutes and ad impressions and so on and the average person is fooled so why not (from their perspective) obliterate all art and human expression and replace it with worthless slop - the slop keeps coming no matter how many times I try to block it.
If you only use AI for limited typo checks, then it will only help, but I have a suspicion that AI will have made the average application worse, at least assuming that the average recruiter is as allergic to any hint of AI generation as I now am.
I 100% agree, but I worry that the response to recieving a higher proportion of AI slop apps for recruiters as not been to reject based on AI, but to increase the score thresholds one must achieve to get progressed and not read as many applications at all
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I agree that the common use of AI is sloppy but in my opinion if your able to use AI as a tool just like you would use Google or grammarly rather than use it to offload your thinking, it’s much more efficient then using your brain on its own, leading to some people being able to apply to 12 firms pass 9 first stage and get 4AC whilst some apply to 5 and get 4 pfo post app (hypothetically)
Sadly, there's no surefire way to do so accurately though. I would imagine your instinct as to hitting the reject button quickly is rather accurate, but no doubt they get it wrong A LOT. All that has happened with AI usage is that more applications are being pumped out that are of a decent quality, which means people who actually try are getting pushed out of the process.
It just means the better AI gets, and the more applicants there are, the more luck you need to get through this process. From day one, my only thought has been "it does not matter how good you are, it matters how lucky you are". Which is twofold - keep going as you may get lucky, or give up because it was never about your skill in the first place.
I personally prefer the mentality of the former.
For AC’s, group presentation- does it matter if you are 4 people in a group, whether you speak first, or second or last? For example, how can I make sure that I will be able to speak the second? I don’t wanna be last.. cause it looks bad doesn’t it? Does anyone have any insight on this?
I’m very pleased to announce that after waiting an incredible 30 days, I’ve finally received the long-awaited PFO from Covington at 11:32am today.
Unfortunately this means Covington has failed to make it past 4th place on the league tables. I wish them the best of luck in the next cycle.
Anyway as it stands now this is the league table:
1st place - Milbank (38 days) - RECORD HOLDER
2nd place - Freshfields (38 days) - CAUGHT UP
3rd place - Sidley (37 days) - RUNNER UP??!!
4th place - Travers (33 days) - HURRY UP??!!
I saw that the ultimate record holders on the forum are Gibson (165 days), Simmons (100-120 days) and Slaughters (80-90 days)…
Unfortunately this means Covington has failed to make it past 4th place on the league tables. I wish them the best of luck in the next cycle.
Anyway as it stands now this is the league table:
1st place - Milbank (38 days) - RECORD HOLDER
2nd place - Freshfields (38 days) - CAUGHT UP
3rd place - Sidley (37 days) - RUNNER UP??!!
4th place - Travers (33 days) - HURRY UP??!!
I saw that the ultimate record holders on the forum are Gibson (165 days), Simmons (100-120 days) and Slaughters (80-90 days)…
Does anyone have any insights into SPB VI- London office? Happy to trade for info on other firms, I have HSF (AC +VS), White & Case (AC + VS), Weil (AC), Slaughters (AC), WFW (AC) and many other VIs
I did HSF and White & Case last year, for reference
I did HSF and White & Case last year, for reference
imagine my shock being at the gym scrolling through tiktok after my set and see a Covington PFO. I was having a lovely and productive Sunday morning. Who emails people on a Sunday 🤣🤣
Hey!
In this sort of exercise, it is likely that they are testing how you think rather than your memory. Therefore, while reading, I would focus on structure and commercial impact rather than trying to memorise every detail.
Questions that they could potentially ask includes:
- Can you summarise the article in 1-2 minutes?
- What is the key commercial issue?
- Who are the main stakeholders and how are they affected?
- What risks and opportunities arise?
- How might this impact a law firm and its clients?
- What would you advise a client to consider and prioritise?
- Do you agree with the decision or trend outlined?
- What further information would you want to make X decision?
Therefore, when reading through it, I would make notes on:
- The core issue (i.e. what is actually happening)
- The parties involved
- The commercial driver (i.e. why is this happening - what changes in the market have caused this)
- The legal angle (i.e. regulatory changes, litigation risks, compliance, etc.)
- The wider impact (i.e. short term vs long term consequences)
- Any uncertainties or missing information that you can ask about in order to make a decision.
I hope that assists as a starting point!
Hello!Any advice on how to approach either of these questions? Struggling to think of a recent development that's not generic and unsure on how to go about the second.
- The legal industry is constantly evolving, shaped by changes in technology, regulation, client needs and global events. Can you tell us about a recent development that you think will have an impact on the future of legal practice? How might this effect the way law firms work or the services they offer to clients?
- It is important for lawyers to understand a client's business and industry in which they operate. What do you do to stay commercially aware, and can you provide an example of how you have developed / demonstrated this in a real-world setting?
I would say that for the first question, they're not looking for you to identify the "perfect" trend - instead, they want you to show commercial thinking in a structured way. I would avoid something that might be viewed as generic, such as "technology is changing the law", unless you can narrow it down slightly.
You could approach it as:
- Pick one specific, recent development at is affecting the future of legal practice (e.g. increased ESG disclosure requirements, integration of generative AI tools into professional services, etc.)
- Briefly explain what is happening and why it is happening now
- Discuss and analyse the impact on clients (e.g. cost pressure, regulatory risk, reputational concerns, etc.)
- Then, explain how this changes: how law firms operate, the skills that lawyers need, and the types of services that firms can expand into.
For the second question, they're testing that you understand how a business operates, rather than whether you read the news. I would structure it as:
- Briefly explain how you stay commercially aware (this could be FT, podcasts, firm insights, LinkedIn, etc.)
- Show how you read these sources - do you ask yourself about the opportunities and risks, and do you think about the regulatory / financial / reputational implications?
- Lastly, give one clear example of where you have applied this in practice (e.g. an interview, during work experience, within an extra-curricular activity, etc.)
I hope that assists!
not sure if i am being rlly stupid but cant find Kingsley Napley's values - anyone have any guidance on this @Abbie Whitlock would be super greatful for any opinions
Hey!
This is completely normal - they are definitely harder to predict, so it can be difficult to prepare for them! The key is remembering that they are not testing whether you "get it right", but whether you can analyse the case study in a structured and commercial way.
I wouldn't explicitly use the SWOT/PESTLE framework when answering, but instead use them as mental checklists to ensure that you cover everything.
WIth SWOT, it might help to quickly think:
- What are the client's key strengths and weaknesses?
- Where is the main opportunity in the scenario?
- What is the biggest threat (e.g. regulatory, financial, reputational)?
With PESTLE, I would use it to ensure that you haven't missed a big external factor (e.g. economic pressure, regulatory change, tech disruption). You won't necessarily need every category if it is not relevant. I'd say that the partners are looking to see the following:
- Can you identify the core commercial issue(s)?
- Can you prioritise risks?
- Can you give balanced advice?
- Do you understand how a lawyer adds value in a transaction?
I hope that assists!
Definitely if you understand it very well, you can use it to generate more quality applications in less time.
However, my feeling is that the amount of very obvious (to me) slop you see on places like LinkedIn suggests that the average person doesn't use it well at all. I have done a lot of applications this year and last, and while AI has got much better since last year, it took me a while to realise that a lot of the stuff it was creating was formulaic and likely to be blindingly obvious to a person reviewing 2000 applications to a firm.
Some of the ways it works well is basic spag (without tone changes), asking it to check facts, perform research and provide sources and ideas, but on the whole the majority of people are going to use it to create slop.
Hi!
From what I can see on their website, it looks like their values are:
- Teamwork & Respect
- Integrity & Fairness
- Understanding
- Commitment
Honestly, you’d think it would produce a very strong application answer, then when you realise how it works and what it produces, you can spot when it’s been used a mile off.
Another question because I’m not sure how to post. So I’m a premium member does anyone have any insight how to find stuff about a client expanding his business in a different jurisdiction? So not M&A, just business expansion- like legal, commercial risk. Should this be in the premium forum about commercial awareness? Thanks 😊
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