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Training Contracts 2014

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So are people gonna apply for vac schemes for this summer again...or just apply straight for TCs? A lot of the firm websites say that summer vac schemes are just for penultimate year law students so i dont know what the chances are of securing one in your final year??

Reply 21

Spyro91

Original post by shadow SJ

I know people who were graduates (well third years when they applied) who got VS at: Skadden, Jones Day, Herbert Smith, Eversheds, BLG and Hill Dickinson so you can still get them in your final year. It depends on the firm whether they are worth applying for but considering Herbert Smith recruit heavily from their VS then I'd say it is worth applying. Best of luck :smile:

Reply 22

scribble_girl

I graduated non-law in 2010 and I'm going to give VSs a shot, for the exact reason as Spyro says, that a lot of firms recruit from the VS. As such I'm going to apply for VSs at my 'Tier 1*' TC targets.

*I am a sad human being who has designed my shortlist in the style of Chambers and Partners..... I'll get my coat :colondollar:

Reply 23

beepbeeprichie

Eurgh another year of rejection

Reply 24

shadow SJ

Original post by beepbeeprichie

Eurgh another year of rejection

Noo! Im sure this year we'll be more successful. Well i hope anyway :/ .

Last year i went for the few, but "good quality" apps, this year i think im just going to try and do as many vac scheme apps as i can really. Hopefully law of probabilities means something will work out. How about you guys?

Original post by Spyro91

Thanks Spyro!

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 25

Frances99

Original post by shadow SJ

Providing you are organised (and you must be to be considering your training contract applications now) there is no reason why you can't do a significant number of good quality applications. It's not as if you can either employ a wildcard, scattergun, devil-may-care approach or do a few good quality applications -- there is a large area in between! If you're thinking about vacation schemes and training contracts now, you will be in an excellent position to apply to plenty of them.

Reply 26

beepbeeprichie

Yeh I'm going for the 'law of probabilities approach' as well.

Anyone know if there is any truth in the rumour that the earlier you apply for VCs the higher your chances are (for at least some firms)?

Reply 27

shadow SJ

Original post by beepbeeprichie

I think this is true of some firms. I had some friends from my course who applied to Freshfields pretty early and i believe they all got interviewed!

Original post by Frances99

Yes, im hoping to do them all of a decent standard...just afraid that once term starts i won't have enough time to devote to them to do them all justice. Fingers crossed! Are you applying again this year?

Reply 28

Frances99

Original post by shadow SJ

No, I managed to secure a training contract at the start of July.

While I had a 'good' degree from a 'good' university and a range of extracurricular activities/non-legal work experience, I had no legal work experience when I started applying (for vacation schemes - I managed to get a place on one before I began applying for training contracts in April). I found this forum really useful as it was nice to benefit from other people's experiences of the application process.

Reply 29

prettyprettygood

I couldn't disagree more with the law of probabilities approach (as I've said many times in various topics), but good luck to all of you employing that strategy.

Reply 30

colly6191

Do many of the regional firms allow final year students to apply for VS? Can't bring myself to look just yet..

Reply 31

xElliex

I have a feeling I am going to be spending quite a lot of time in this thread!

I think I am going to apply for a mixture of VS and TC's and just see what happens! I'm a bit late in the process as I have just completed the GDL but due to personal issues I have yet to start applying for training contracts until now! The problem I have is narrowing down which firms I want to apply to, anyone else having the same problem?

Reply 32

cocacola2

Original post by avocat

preetty much...haha

to be fair, i didn't really try as hard as i should last year/left everything way too late. HOW do you guys manage to apply for/obtain TCs in your final year?! i found it basically impossible with dissertation/all the other crap i had to do.

Same situation here. This year though I'm going to be a bit more clinical with the firms I choose. Going to start early and submit as early as possible, try to get a winter/spring VS too if I can.

Wish me luck :smile:

I also need to up the amount of apps I submit. In this last cycle it was no more than 8 at the most, including applications for VSs from January time which I go rejected for and told that my app would be reconsidered for a TC in Summer.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 33

avocat

Original post by scribble_girl

fellow non law grad :smile:

this is my strategy also. this way hopefully won't be waiting an entire year or more to find out if i've got a TC..it's gonna be a looong year. have you done/are you on the GDL?

Reply 34

scribble_girl

Original post by avocat

fellow non law grad :smile:

this is my strategy also. this way hopefully won't be waiting an entire year or more to find out if i've got a TC..it's gonna be a looong year. have you done/are you on the GDL?

Just about to start GDL - however I'm doing it over 2 years part time (currently work as a legal assistant which according to BPP makes me a 'career enhancer' rather than a grad...) hence the 2014 TC aim. Definitely agree - I want to find out whether I've got a TC sooner rather than later! (and if nothing else a VS will give me something to keep focused with).

How about you, are you on/done with the GDL?

Reply 35

avocat

Original post by scribble_girl

aah, that is good. i have graduated this year, considered but decided against the GDL this year- mainly for financial reasons. trying to find a basic legal job instead of the rubbbish job i am currently in but is proving a difficult and depressing task...

has anyone applied/done/heard back for slaughters winter open day?

Reply 36

cej

Subscribing to this thread.

I'm trying to finalise my list of TC applications - I'm a final year non-law so most of the applications open on Oct 1st, that's going to be a stressful day!!

I'm applying to some regional firms and a variety of firms in London. Also, applying for winter workshops/vac schemes specific to final non-laws.

Applying for GDL at CoL Bristol and will go straight into LPC.

Feels exciting that it's all starting now but feeling so nervous about all of these applications! Good luck everyone!!

Reply 37

Clip

Original post by hmaus

Do you mean the locker on lawcareers that saves all your info e.g. module results and copies it straight into the apply4law application forms? I found this really useful and a big time saver. It is definitely worth using.

Anyway good luck guys. Hope it won't be a sisyphean task for any of you :wink:

I think a Sisyphean task would be if one didn't use LCN, as everytime one filled in the form and sent it, you'd have to start all over again with the next one.

Original post by scribble_girl

Ah no - I signed up for that the other day but still haven't got around to investigating! I mean the LCN "My Firms" thing where you pull a shortlist together with deadlines and the links...

Will definitely look into the 'locker' thing though!

And thanks - nice theme we have here! :wink:

It got sold to me by the guy that made it. He came to a lecture for hasbeens that were looking to get into law (that's me) and droned on and on about LCN. I got home and tried it, and found it was so much better than the way the guy presented it. Sure, you can just use paper and a diary instead - and the coloured personal spec thing is kind of bogus - but I like it, and the locker is pretty much essential.

I think there are two major gangs of that - the apply4law, and the CVmail one. If you're on both, you should have most bases covered.

I, too like the Classical theme - but be careful. I've had warning points in the past from over zealous philistine TSR mods for posting in latin. Apparently the ToS state that any "foreign" text must include a translation - although in the Classics Society threads they seem to ignore those rules with gay abandon.

Reply 38

Paranoid Kid

I'm sure you people are all very up on the game, but if anyone wants advice on being a non-law applicant or applying to regional/national (particularly Bristol) firms, then feel free to PM me.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 39

alawhisp

Hello everyone :smile:

I thought I'd register at last and get involved in this thread as I am going to be applying for 2014 TCs and probably for some 2012 vacation schemes.

I'm doing an LLB with the Open Uni at the moment, been trying to fit in my research for the TCs and VS with my final assignment (for this course) and exam revision for October! Bit of a challenge, but there's time yet :h: