• Get Everything You Need to Secure a Training Contract
    Now half the price. Join TCLA Premium for £30/month and get step-by-step application support, daily commercial awareness practice, and 700+ successful examples of past applications and interview experiences. Plus so much more.
    Join Premium →
  • Office Hours with BCLP (Live Q&A)
    17 December 2025 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm (UK) Hosted on TCLA TV
    Join Isabel Elsey, Legal Recruitment Manager at BCLP, for a live Q&A session. Get details on secondments, innovation, growth areas, and everything else you’ve wanted to ask about life at BCLP!

    📺 View Event →

Work Experience in Finance or Legal firm?

Yash_9211

New Member
Feb 23, 2023
1
0
Hi everyone,

I have a specific question regarding my circumstances. I started late in this year's application cycle, so I was not able to secure a vacation scheme. I am from Dubai, and I have been trying to obtain some work experience back home. I might be able to secure a work placement at a Magic Circle firm for 2 weeks to a month during the summer, but I also may be getting offered a 3 month Finance internship at a global digital payments technology company. I believe I would learn a lot more from the latter and it would help me stand out, but however this would mean I have no legal experience. I am heading into my final year as a law undergraduate (I want to try and secure a TC next year) and I was looking for advice regarding which should I opt for as they both overlap.

I would appreciate any and all help with this!
 

miachaniev

Active Member
Apr 2, 2023
10
0
Hi everyone,

I have a specific question regarding my circumstances. I started late in this year's application cycle, so I was not able to secure a vacation scheme. I am from Dubai, and I have been trying to obtain some work experience back home. I might be able to secure a work placement at a Magic Circle firm for 2 weeks to a month during the summer, but I also may be getting offered a 3 month Finance internship at a global digital payments technology company. I believe I would learn a lot more from the latter and it would help me stand out, but however this would mean I have no legal experience. I am heading into my final year as a law undergraduate (I want to try and secure a TC next year) and I was looking for advice regarding which should I opt for as they both overlap.

I would appreciate any and all help with this!
The latter sounds like a sensible choice - I am still doing my undergraduate degree (Oxbridge), but last year took on an internship at a city (finance) firm and - through it - my interest in Law was sparked. I believe it will provide numerous discussion points as I move through conversion and hopefully into a TC
 

About Us

The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

Get Our 2026 Vacation Scheme Guide

Nail your vacation scheme applications this year with our latest guide, with sample answers to law firm questions.