❄ Vacation scheme deadlines are being announced!

Winter Schemes
- Sidley Austin – Deadline: 12 September 2025 (Opens 1 August 2025)
- Paul, Weiss – Deadline: 28 September 2025 (Opens 4 September 2025)
Spring Schemes
- Willkie – Deadline: 10 December 2025 at midday (Opens 1 September 2025)
- BCLP – Deadline: 12 December 2025 (Opens 1 September 2025)
Summer Schemes
- BCLP – Deadline: 16 January 2026 (Opens 1 September 2025)
Our full thread launching this week. Stay tuned!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ram Sabaratnam" data-source="post: 214637" data-attributes="member: 36738">Hiya [USER=41250]@Anjolao[/USER] Welcome to the forum, and lovely to see another Canadian here! I'm also originally from Canada  <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> You're absolutely right to start thinking about training contract applications now. To answer your question: while grades are important, I don't think it would be accurate to say they carry most of the weight. In many cases, what really matters is demonstrating your understanding of commercial and corporate law, your awareness of the London legal market, and (perhaps most importantly) drafting a well-researched, well-written application that shows you genuinely understand the firm you’re applying to. It's often easy for grad rec to tell when an applicant hasn’t done much research into a firm.One of the best ways to improve your application writing/research is simply to start making applications. You’ve got time over the summer, so I’d encourage you to aim for 5-7 by the end of September if you can. I'd recommend you start with firms whose application questions don’t change much year to year (e.g. Freshfields, Jones Day, Travers Smith, etc). You can draft those early and use them to practice your application writing. In terms of the number of applications you write, I think this is ultimately dependant on what's feasible for you. Some people do 510 apps total and do just fine in the application process. In my case, I found success doing well over 30 applications. It really depends on what works for you, but the most important thing is to ensure that every application is as tailored to each firm as possible. Wishing you the very best of luck in the upcoming cycle, and feel free to tag me or any of the community assistance if you have any follow-up questions.</blockquote>

Verification: Our company is called, "The Corporate ___ Academy". What is the missing word here?

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❄ Vacation scheme deadlines are being announced!

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