TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2026-27

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread for the 2026-2027 application cycle.

This thread is for all discussions relating to vacation scheme applications throughout the year. Whether you are looking for advice on submitting written applications, online assessments, interviews, assessment centres, or simply want to share updates on your progress, feel free to post here!

As always, this thread is a space to ask questions, exchange insights, discuss firm processes, and support fellow applicants. The recruitment process can be both exciting and challenging, and we hope that this community continues to be a helpful resource for everyone navigating the cycle. Please remember to keep discussions respectful and constructive, and where possible, share information that may benefit other applicants.

If you want a clear way to organise your own applications, you can save firms, research them and track your progress through each stage in the free TCLA Workspace.

To assist you with your applications, we also have the Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer Vacation Scheme Deadlines 2026-27 thread, and the Open Day and Insight Scheme Deadlines 2026-27 thread.

Finally, last year's thread can be found here: TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26.

Wishing the best of luck to everyone applying this year! We look forward to following your journeys and celebrating your successes along the way

Abbie

 

[Harvey Specter - Presiding Partner]

First post on the new thread letsgooo!!

 

[StudentWP]

anyone heard from Perkins coie?

 

[mintgecko]

Anyone heard back from Bird & Bird re their 2026 Flying Start Programme?

 

[helenaskelton]

Hi there! Has anyone heard from Kingsley Napley post-WE?

 

[174Tess9y3]

Does anyone know if FF will be sending more first-round invites?

 

[rjn]

Hi : ) I wanted to ask if anyone has any advice on preparing for a vac scheme (Forsters). Particularly assessed written tasks and assessed presentations. If anyone completed a previous scheme and has any advice, let me know : )

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi : ) I wanted to ask if anyone has any advice on preparing for a vac scheme (Forsters). Particularly assessed written tasks and assessed presentations. If anyone completed a previous scheme and has any advice, let me know : )

Hey!

Congratulations on the vacation scheme - that is amazing news!

I have previously made a few more general posts on written exercises and presentations, so I have quoted those below. I hope they are useful for your preparation!

Wishing you the best of luck - I'm sure you'll do great!

Hi!

Congratulations on getting to the interview stage - that's a fantastic achievement!! Presentations can feel daunting at first, and as someone who has always been nervous when it comes to public speaking, I used to dread them! However, they're really just a chance to show how clearly you can communicate and structure your thoughts. I found that taking the time to prepare in advance and practicing a couple times really helped to calm my nerves, and I got a lot better at them over time

Once you get your topic, I would start by planning a simple structure - an introduction, two or three main points, and a clear conclusion or recommendation. Make sure that everything links back to your main message / overall theme so it feels focused and logical.

I would also try to practice delivering it out loud (and timing yourself can help), and try to sound confident and conversational rather than overly scripted. If visuals are allowed, I would keep these simple and easy to follow as the focus should be in the information that you are delivering.

It also might be worth preparing for one or two follow-up questions, as interviewers often want to see how you think on your feet. I would avoid trying to prepare for every follow-up question possible - as long as you have a good understanding of the topic itself, and take a moment to clear your thoughts, you should be able to tackle any question they throw your way!

You've got this - with a clear structure and a few practice runs, you'll definitely come across polished and confident!

Hey!

It is completely normal to be nervous before an AC, especially your first one! I'm happy to offer some pointers on how I would approach each task below

Written Task and Presentation

I would try to focus on using a clear structure and showing well-reasoned judgement, rather than trying to give a "perfect" answer.

For the written task, try to:
1. Start with a clear recommendation
2. Support this with 2-3 key reasons
3. Flag any main risks, and explain how you would mitigate these

Overall, aim to keep it concise and commercial-focused - it can be easy to slip into "essay-style" writing, but avoid this where possible!

For the presentation, you won't be expected to repeat what you wrote word for word. I would use the presentation to explain why you took that approach and the trade-offs that you considered. You should aim to show your thought-process, and any relevant factors or considerations that you took into account. This could also involve flagging areas where you might need more information before making a definitive decision, or practical steps that could be taken.

If challenged (which happens most of the time, so don't panic that they're doing it because your answer is "wrong"), make sure to talk through your reasoning calmly - it is absolutely fine not to know everything, but talking the assessor through what you are thinking helps a lot.

Group Exercise

This is usually much more about how you work with others, rather than the overall final answer. The assessors will usually be looking for collaborative behaviour and clear contributions to the group - however, this doesn't mean that you have to talk the most! I always aimed to be neither the quietest or the loudest in the room, and found that a middle ground struck the right balance. You could contribute by helping the group stay structured and on time, and helping track the progress as you go along.

It can be difficult to prepare for a group exercise and written task, but you could practise summarising lots of information quickly (e.g. by reading a commercial news story and creating a brief summary), as well as practise explaining your thinking out loud to others (e.g. your friends or family).

Overall, I'd try to go into the AC with the mindset of being a good future colleague, rather than trying to be the perfect candidate. Best of luck, and I'm sure you'll do great!!

Hello!

I have quoted a few different posts on written exercises below, which I hope you find useful! In my past experience with written exercises on vacation schemes, they have usually involved being given a small booklet of information which you use to write a report or email to a client. Therefore, I'd definitely make sure that you have a good understanding of the structure of these and what you need to include (e.g. formalities, headings, etc.).

Don't underestimate time management as well - give yourself some time to read the materials and plan what you want to write, but don't put off the actual writing for too long as otherwise you might have to rush! I am someone that usually has additional time left at the end of assessments, but I have nearly ran out of time in a few written exercises as there is quite a lot to get through.

Best of luck!!

 

[tosin4774]

For Skadden's 'Why the firm' question, is the maximum word count 300 or 350 words?

 

[p2bv]

doing a vac scheme now, was given a task by my supervisor and completed it but I got a bit of feedback I got the wrong part of a contract, I tried to amend it but ending up getting it wrong again? Everything else was alright, would this be fatal?

 

[TortillaTC]

Hi everyone! Those who applied for the Disney Legal Graduate internship and did the online test, what results did you achieve? I have a hard time interpreting mine...

I got clear strength for Cognitive Verbal and relative strength for Cognitive Inductive, so I think that should be fine (?). However, I got 6 clear strenghts, 4 relative strengths, 6 average and 2 weak skills for the personality test - are they looking for more strengths overall? I don't know how these results compare to scoring in Amberjack for example.

Also any idea how they assess our application holisitically? We submitted a cover letter and CV already, so is there a benchmark on the online test for our application to be considered?

Based on the 'Understanding Your Assessment Report' page they linked to the report, there are 4 categories for every skill (and Verbal and Inductive are measured as two separate skills):

• "Strength": Very strong level of skill compared to other professionals at your level
• "Relative strength": Better performance than most professionals at your level
• "As skilled as most others": Consistent with the majority of professionals at this level
• "Development area": An opportunity for growth

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

doing a vac scheme now, was given a task by my supervisor and completed it but I got a bit of feedback I got the wrong part of a contract, I tried to amend it but ending up getting it wrong again? Everything else was alright, would this be fatal?

Hey!

I doubt it would be fatal! From my experience, supervisors are usually much more interested in how you respond to feedback than whether you get everything right first time.

I think it is important to remember that everyone makes mistakes, especially on a vacation scheme when you are dealing with unfamiliar documents and processes. If everything else was good, I don't think getting the wrong clause twice is automatically fatal. What is more important is showing that you took the feedback on board, asked questions if something wasn't clear, and made a genuine effort to improve.

A lot of supervisors will be assessing things like your attitude, attention to feedback, and willingness to learn, rather than expecting perfection from day one. The legal knowledge can be taught and developed over time, so firms tend to look more for people who are coachable and willing to learn from feedback

 

[cookedlawstudent]

Hi guys, I have a vac scheme coming up next month and I just found out I'll be sitting in Restructuring & Insolvency. As this wasn't my first choice, there's not much I know about the area, but I'm currently doing my research through job sims/firm specific info. I would appreciate some insight from others into what the area is about as well as any current events I should be aware of as a vac schemer. Thank you!

 

[WillKitchen]

Hi guys, I have a vac scheme coming up next month and I just found out I'll be sitting in Restructuring & Insolvency. As this wasn't my first choice, there's not much I know about the area, but I'm currently doing my research through job sims/firm specific info. I would appreciate some insight from others into what the area is about as well as any current events I should be aware of as a vac schemer. Thank you!

Best of luck on the VS!

Perhaps this site will have links to some useful resources: https://www.ilauk.com/

 

[lawyersum]

Hey guys, I have a dilemma which I thought the forum might be able to help with.

I have a final training contract interview for a firm (Firm A) in the last week of June. However, during the same week I have been selected for another firm's VS (Firm B), and the day of my final TC interview for Firm A is on the last day (the afternoon specifically) of Firm B's vac scheme. I flagged this with Firm B and they have given me permission to attend Firm A's final interview as well as attend their own VS. However, Firm B also has a final TC interview that same morning, as well as a heavily assessed vacation scheme with a task I have to present on the final day too.

Firm A is my top top choice. But, I am a bit apprehensive of tiring myself too much out on Firm B's vac scheme and trying to manage all the assessed tasks, presentation, Firm B interview AND commute to Firm A's office all on the same day. I'm worried it will ultimately affect my performance in Firm A's final interview which I cannot risk happening. I really don't know what to do - I'm considering politely telling Firm B that I cannot make the VS....Advice would be much appreciated! @Abbie Whitlock @Jaysen

 

[Futuretrainee002]

Hey guys, I have a dilemma which I thought the forum might be able to help with.

I have a final training contract interview for a firm (Firm A) in the last week of June. However, during the same week I have been selected for another firm's VS (Firm B), and the day of my final TC interview for Firm A is on the last day (the afternoon specifically) of Firm B's vac scheme. I flagged this with Firm B and they have given me permission to attend Firm A's final interview as well as attend their own VS. However, Firm B also has a final TC interview that same morning, as well as a heavily assessed vacation scheme with a task I have to present on the final day too.

Firm A is my top top choice. But, I am a bit apprehensive of tiring myself too much out on Firm B's vac scheme and trying to manage all the assessed tasks, presentation, Firm B interview AND commute to Firm A's office all on the same day. I'm worried it will ultimately affect my performance in Firm A's final interview which I cannot risk happening. I really don't know what to do - I'm considering politely telling Firm B that I cannot make the VS....Advice would be much appreciated! @Abbie Whitlock @Jaysen

Ask firm A to move you to the Monday? They realistically will not be making decisions or assessing candidates on that same Friday afternoon so I dont see why it wouldn’t be allowed and you’ll be able to fully do the vac scheme and have the weekend to rest and prepare for firm A’s interview.

If they say no then, ultimately you know your body and your capabilities best and if you know you will choose firm A over B then in order to perform your best you might want to step out of the Vac scheme but definitely think on it and maybe even ask firm B if they’d be willing to move the interview to the following week as they seem willing to accommodate.

 

[StudentWP]

has anyone heard from Perkins, taking so long

 

[Kaitlout]

Has anyone heard back from L’Oréal for the legal internship

 

[Futuretrainee002]

has anyone heard from Perkins, taking so long

I saw someone on LinkedIn with an offer

 

[rachl_shep]

Really random but on the actual application form does Linklaters ask questions like 'why law' 'why us' and those sort of 300 word ish questions? seen conflicting posts about whether they ask those or if the original applications is heavily psychometric test weighted