Official Vacation Scheme Thread 2013 GET ON IT EARLY!!!

Cheers Caroline for the reply! What you wrote sounds very logical but I just have a few concerns about research.
Most people are going to be using the same resources, mainly the brochures, the websites and publications like lex100 and chambers guide. But is tht actually enough? Ive also tried stuff like reading law news on legalweek etc. If everyone is using the same resources then arent the applications all going to be realy similar?

And when i look at stuff like its training programme for different firms they all seem incredibly similar. And tbh how they structure stuff like that doesnt really affect whether or not ill apply lol.

But what i really want to know is what else can I do to research a firm without actually knowing the intricacies of the deals they do. How can I show a firm that im interested with a few limited resources that everyone can have access to? Im not sure if i've articulated this well enough xD Soz.

Cheers Caroline for the reply! What you wrote sounds very logical but I just have a few concerns about research.
Most people are going to be using the same resources, mainly the brochures, the websites and publications like lex100 and chambers guide. But is tht actually enough? Ive also tried stuff like reading law news on legalweek etc. If everyone is using the same resources then arent the applications all going to be realy similar?

And when i look at stuff like its training programme for different firms they all seem incredibly similar. And tbh how they structure stuff like that doesnt really affect whether or not ill apply lol.

But what i really want to know is what else can I do to research a firm without actually knowing the intricacies of the deals they do. How can I show a firm that im interested with a few limited resources that everyone can have access to? Im not sure if i've articulated this well enough xD Soz.

Cheers Caroline for the reply! What you wrote sounds very logical but I just have a few concerns about research.
Most people are going to be using the same resources, mainly the brochures, the websites and publications like lex100 and chambers guide. But is tht actually enough? Ive also tried stuff like reading law news on legalweek etc. If everyone is using the same resources then arent the applications all going to be realy similar?

And when i look at stuff like its training programme for different firms they all seem incredibly similar. And tbh how they structure stuff like that doesnt really affect whether or not ill apply lol.

But what i really want to know is what else can I do to research a firm without actually knowing the intricacies of the deals they do. How can I show a firm that im interested with a few limited resources that everyone can have access to? Im not sure if i've articulated this well enough xD Soz.

Looks like Jones Day will be tough this year. Got a rejection today. Applied last week.

For reference:
Academics: Durham (law) with a 2:1 so far. A-level equivalents were equivalent to AAAA.
Work experience: Law-related internships every summer since 13 (including commercial real estate, civil litigation, and personal injury). Also did a vacation scheme at a top city firm this year, 6 months as a legal assistant, and was most recently a summer analyst for an investment bank (M&A advisory).
Extracurriculars: Tons of extracurriculars, with 3 strong leadership roles and tons of volunteering.

On top of that, had ties to Jones Day and have American citizenship.

Ah, sorry to hear that!

If you don't mind me asking, did you get an email from them saying that they'd asked for an academic reference?

Thanks!

Nope. But I do recall listing one in the application.

Hmm, ok, thanks.

I submitted my application last Friday and got an email from them today saying that they'd asked for an academic reference. Which I suppose is probably a good sign. Hopefully.

Hmm, ok, thanks.

I submitted my application last Friday and got an email from them today saying that they'd asked for an academic reference. Which I suppose is probably a good sign. Hopefully.

I think that probably is good news!
By last Friday do you mean 21st?

Did you include one in your initial application?

Yep



I did. Presumably they've emailed my Tutor about it today. I've got a meeting with him tomorrow morning so I guess I'll find out.

Yep

I did. Presumably they've emailed my Tutor about it today. I've got a meeting with him tomorrow morning so I guess I'll find out.

Hi there, 3rd year (scots) law student. Ahhhh. I nearly burst out crying realising I only have one more year after this one of uni.

I don't want to be a grown up. But anyway, I'm going to start applying for summer 13 vac schemes. Everywhere I'm looking seems to be opening their applications in oct/nov. So I have exactly a month to get as much work experience as humanly possible. Fun.

A Scots student. I was feeling slightly outnumbered by our dear English counterparts.

Have you made a decision on what firms you'll be aiming for?

So your question is, since everyone is exactly the same, how can I be better?

First, be aware that a lot of people rush through the application forms, so even by writing here and thinking from now about apps, you're already doing something extra.

About research, of course the best thing would be meeting people from grad recruitment or trainees at the firm and getting information from them.

I found very useful watching videos from the websites with interviews of different partners and trainees...You can also just type the name of the firm in google and look for interviews given for other websites. I stumbled upon a couple of these and found them helpful.
My advice would be: find something different about each firm and then don't simply repeat it but try to relate it to yourself and why you would be a good fit. For example, it can be strength of a particular practice group which you find interesting or office location in a country with which you have some connection.

Yeah, so basically what Im asking is: what can I actually do to stand out rather than just give a generic and boring answer xDDD Time is running out lol. Only a few days to go before vac scheme applications open! eeeekkkk.