TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2026-27

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

Do firms actually care if you do their forage course?

Hi, I don't want to guide anyone down the wrong path so do take this with a pinch of salt as I'm not certain as to what goes behind decision making processes.

My general take on forage courses is that, it is a good way to learn about common trainee tasks (which can be useful for determining whether the career is for you, interviews, written exercises and actual work on the vacation scheme).

Furthermore, it can be good evidence of your motivations for the firm.

However, I do not think it has much sway either way over decision making. I personally only ever completed one forage course and I don't think I even included it anywhere in my application to that firm. Whenever a firm does include a question as to whether you completed it, I think it is more so for their internal statistics and other data-gathering information. I may be wrong though!

 

[Saul_specter]

for people hearing back for Jones Day vac scheme apps, is that for winter, or for spring and summer too

 

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

Reed Smith allow one application per academic year. I applied to the direct TC in the May/June 2026 period. Does anyone know if I would I be eligible to apply to the vacation scheme 2026 that opened today or would that count as an application made within the same academic year?

Hi! I think you would be able to apply for this because the DTC (I assume) would count as part of the last application cycle as it's pre-August. However, if you want to be sure, I would recommend emailing Graduate Recruitment

 

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

I really want to know! I’m going to South America next week and wanted to do the tests before I go… should I email grad recruitment and ask them to expedite the tests??

I don't think it would hurt to email Graduate Recruitment and explain your situation. I'm sure they'll be very receptive . Have fun in South America!!!

 

[user55998384]

when do we think paul weiss will respond re insight day next week?

 

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

Hii! I have a question regarding the work experience section.

- If I am gonna do it in prose, what would the optimal structure for it? For example, I developed what skills by doing what; I did what, which enhanced my skills etc.
- what degree of details are expected. would it be better to include what are the research topics you did / what specific risks you mitigated? Or it is better to just briefly mention the types of tasks you completed? I am worried if it is too long, the grad recruitment might lose interests.

Thanks

Hi, Nova gave some great advice, using a structure which I think is pretty good, quite similar to what I did. Nevertheless, I'll give my take to your questions now.


1) I personally did (250 Words)

• Paragraph 1:
  • Brief overview of the company (if it isn't an obvious company, like a known law firm for instance)
  • Brief overview of my broader general tasks that I did (good to quantify: how many of any such thing did you do for instance
• Paragraph 2:
  • A STAR/CAR-Styled paragraph that goes over a crucial competency.
  • It's best to make it quite visual and detailed in regards to what you did so the recruiter can feel immersed in the story.

That was the structure I did for most of my experiences, however there were 1-2 that I wrote differently because it didn't fully fit for it.

I tried focusing on a different core skill for each, however from memory, there were multiple that were about proactivity/taking initiative. But that's because that was strategically my main selling point of myself.



2) I think most of the detail should be in that hypothetical second paragraph, because it can showcase your thought process and also make your story sound much more believable and engaging. However when it comes to things that could, for any reason be private/confidential make sure to talk more broadly (I mean this more so for the part you say you mitigated risks).

3) I included around 9-10 experiences, all of which were 250 words and Graduate Recruitment did not get too bored (I hope haha).

 

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

I know it wasn't specifically asked for but here is a sample of one of my entries. Hope it helps people !

[XYZ} is one of [XYZ] largest investment fund managers, with over £3.5bn in assets across over 100 funds. Following a two-stage interview process, I was selected as the sole intern in the legal team. There, I amended over X fund agreements, annexes, prospectuses and status documents, which developed my legal writing and analytical skills. As the sole native English speaker, I also handled the final proofreading of X+ English documents for international clients.

As a result of intersecting with English law, I assisted on a project that involved striking off a [XYZ] company from Companies House. My task was to prepare a researched memo on how this can be achieved. Firstly, I conducted extensive research using the Companies Act 2006, along with guidance from UK government and third-party websites. Subsequently, I compiled the information into a document, structuring it from the perspective of what would be most helpful to the client. For example, outlining the step-by-step process and potential risks. Additionally, I went beyond my original task by creating two versions of the memo. One included technical legal aspects to be sent to the team and the second was more compact and commercially focused for non-legal professionals. As a result, I was commended for my clarity and initiative, with my memos being circulated and used as a guide. This experience, besides improving my research and drafting skills, taught me the importance of proactively seeking opportunities to help.