Vacation Scheme Applications: Unlock the Path to Your Legal Career!
The legal job market is fiercely competitive, and a perfect academic track might not suffice. Many recruiters actively look among the large pool of eager applicants for more than just good grades.
Nowadays, nothing shows an impressive commitment to your legal career than participating in a vacation scheme instead of relaxing during the holidays.
In short, your safest bet to impress recruiters looking for the most qualified candidates is to participate in a vacation scheme.
Vacation schemes provide firsthand legal experience that allows you to sample the daily realities of a law firm's practice. Therefore, a vacation scheme is not only an insightful practical quest but a strategic step in your journey toward a successful legal career.
What Is a Vacation Scheme?
A vacation scheme is a brief but intense internship/work experience during the holidays for one or a maximum of four weeks. Participants generally receive monetary remuneration, even if their tasks are mostly introductory, such as shadowing solicitors, attending meetings, or performing simple legal work.
Vacation Scheme Benefits:
- Both participants and law firms benefit by allowing a more straightforward process for both parties to get to know each other.
- Some firms have started selecting potential candidates from successful vacation scheme participants, skipping traditional training contracts and recruiting processes.
To secure a vacation scheme, a strategic and focused approach is necessary to tackle rigorous recruitment processes and challenging assessments. Participating in a vacation scheme significantly enhances the prospects of securing a training contract, marking the initial stride towards a successful legal career.
When Do Vacation Schemes Happen, and When to Apply?
Almost every legal firm, especially highly renowned ones like the Magic Circle firms, offers attractive Training Contracts and Vacation Scheme opportunities.
A vacation scheme is an ideal opportunity to maximize holiday time and choose the law firm that best suits individual preferences.
Law firms strategically organize summer, winter, and spring vacation schemes as an integral part of their broader training contract recruitment process. It's crucial to apply as early as possible for the following reasons:
- Rolling Basis: Many firms recruit on a rolling basis, going through applications in batches. Applying early reduces competition.
- Competition: Spring and summer vacation scheme applications typically open in October. Applying early means less competition.
- Rolling Review: Some firms adopt a rolling review process, emphasizing the importance of submitting applications well before the official deadline.
Specific timeframes for each Magic Circle firm's offerings are provided in the table below.
| ✻ Summer Vacation Scheme | |
| ✻ Winter Vacation Scheme | |
| ✻ Spring Vacation Scheme | |
| ✻ Training Contract |
Note: dates may vary, and checking the official site of the desired law firm is recommended.
How Can You Prepare to Apply for a Law Vacation Scheme?
Highly competitive law firms have distinctive and specific recruitment processes to find and welcome talented individuals to the prestigious realm of international corporate law. Despite differences, they share significant similarities:
Online Application Submission
The first step to enter a vacation scheme involves submitting an online application form tailored to each firm's requirements. Diligent research is crucial to tailor applications to each firm's specific requirements, highlighting passion for commercial law, attention to detail, and relevant work experience.
Cognitive Assessments
Following a successful application, be prepared for specific aptitude assessments such as the Watson Glaser Test or the Situational Judgement Test. These evaluations assess critical thinking skills, decision-making abilities, and problem-solving under time pressure and challenging scenarios.
|
Tests |
Exercises |
|
Situational Judgment Test |
Group exercises |
|
Critical/Logical Thinking Test (Watson Glaser) |
Case Study Exercises |
|
Verbal Reasoning Test |
Drafting exercises |
|
Numerical Reasoning Test |
Intray Exercises |
|
Personality Test |
Presentation Exercises |
Assessment Day Experience
Progressing to the Assessment Centre is a pivotal stage. The immersive experience includes:
- Case Study: Navigate through real-world scenarios, proving analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Group Interviews: Showcase interpersonal skills aligned with the firm's values.
- Written Exercises: Articulate thoughts in writing, displaying communication skills and legal expertise.
Competing candidates will likely be well-prepared, so confirm specific tests and exercises for your assessment to face the competition well-prepared. Avoid procrastination for a smoother selection process.
Vacation Schemes Assessments Sample Questions (With Solutions)
Situational Judgment Test: These are popular psychological tools that evaluate your behavioural and cognitive abilities when presented with hypothetical work-related situations.
The tests measure your fit for a company and role based on cognitive abilities, personality traits, and social skills, which makes them ideal tools to sort out ideal legal candidates.
Top law firms that are known to use SJTs during their recruitment processes are Allen & Overy and Linklaters, among others.
Want to put it into practice? Try the following Situational Judgement Test sample question:
SJT Sample Question
You and Travis from the sales department have been working on a presentation about a large and important client due by the end of the week.
Your superior will present your work to the board of directors. Travis is responsible for gathering data related to the customer, while you are responsible for transforming his data into presentation slides. Accidentally, Travis has collected the data from a wrong document - which caused you to produce 30 inaccurate slides. Your manager is counting on the presentation to be ready on time for the weekend meeting.
What is the most effective response?
- Explain to the supervisor that Travis has made an error gathering the data, which can cause a delay in the presentation. Ask Travis politely if he could amend the mistake, as it was mostly his doing.
- Tell the supervisor that you and Travis made an error while building the presentation from the data. Modify the inaccurate slides accordingly with the help of Travis.
- Don't tell the supervisor about the mistake. Hand him notes with some corrections to include while presenting the presentation.
- No need to bother the supervisor with this. You should talk to Travis about modifying the inaccurate slides as soon as possible.
Primary Competency: Teamwork, responsibility Secondary
Competencies: Problem-solving; working under supervision; integrity; thoroughness/attention to detail.
Correct response: 2
Response (2) employs the practice of admitting mistakes and sharing responsibility. Although Travis played a larger role in committing the mistake while gathering the data, by sharing the responsibility for the mistake, you are showing that you are a team player (teamwork). By telling the supervisor that both of you have made an error you are showing that you are responsible and have the integrity of admitting your mistakes – thus allowing your supervisor to take the possibility of being late for the deadline into account. By working together to amend the mistake – your team has the potential to solve the task effectively by the deadline.
You can also explore free sample Situational Judgment Test (SJT) questions from one of our Free SJT Practice Questions Page for additional practice, feedback, and tips.
Critical/Logical Thinking Test: Many law firms, including Clifford Chance and Hogan Lovells, among others, use the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test.
This test is widely considered to be among the most challenging employment tests, as it contains rather specific rules and often requires counterintuitive solving methods.
Want to put it into practice? Try the following Watson Glaser sample question:
Watson Glaser Sample Question
The marked advantage of virtual employee hiring is the ability to benefit from the output of unsociable employees without involving them in face-to-face interactions.
- True
- Probably True
- Insufficient Data
- Probably False
- False
The correct answer is 'False'.
The words “marked advantage” insinuate that the ability to benefit from unsociable employees is the most significant advantage. However, that advantage is not even mentioned in the text. That means that the answer is either False or Probably False.
The text specifically mentions the benefits of face-to-face meetings on social interaction: “A workplace with virtual employees might entail miscommunication and less camaraderie and can be more time-consuming than face-to-face interaction”.
The conclusion, however, refers to the problems it creates, which is negated by the general message of the passage.
You can access additional Watson Glaser Test sample questions and full-length practice tests.
Verbal Reasoning Test: Some law firms, such as Simmons & Simmons, and Herbert Smith Freehills, among others, also utilize verbal reasoning tests as a common type of aptitude tests or psychometric tests for recruitment.
They are mainly used to measure your ability to understand, analyse, and interpret written information. The information is given in the form of short passages, followed by statements with three possible answers - true, false, or cannot say, also known as TFC.
Want to put it into practice? Try the following TFC sample question:
Verbal Reasoning Sample Question
A dependable state of peace between two populaces sharing the same region does not imply that the average life expectancy of humans will remain constant.
On the other hand, epidemics, natural disasters, and unstable weather, particularly in response to the 'greenhouse effect' and the subsequent cooling and warming of affected regions, generate oscillations in mean life expectancy and lead populations to increase or decrease their average age.
Natural disasters are the indisputable cause of life expectancy oscillations.
The statement following the passage is:
- True
- False
- Cannot say
The correct answer is 'False'.
According to the text, epidemics, natural disasters, and unstable weather are all responsible for oscillations in mean life expectancy. Therefore, this is not a unique attribute of natural disasters.
There is a difference between stating "an indisputable cause" and "the indisputable cause". The first option implies that it is one factor among a few that affects mean life expectancy, while the second option implies a unique attribute. Also, the word "indisputable" serves as another distracter, making us focus on the adjective, while it is not the main issue here.
You can also prepare for verbal reasoning tests with our Verbal Reasoning Test Practice Page.
Numerical Reasoning Test: While numerical reasoning tests are more typical in accountancy, some law firms, such as Withers, include them in their assessment centres.
Basically, Numerical Reasoning Tests are ubiquitous and challenging tasks taken by job candidates for organisations across diverse fields: the civil service, engineering, banking, finance, and more.
Want to put it into practice? Try the following Numerical Reasoning sample question:
Numerical Reasoning Sample Question
if
what is the value of y?
2
2.5
5
5.5
This numerical reasoning question has two important lessons: taking out the common factor and using the multiple-choice answers to your advantage.
To solve this problem, take out the common factor in the numerator and in the denominator in order to simplify the expression.
The result is:
You know that
thus
Multiply both sides by 2y and get 5=2y, which is reducible to y=2.5.
While this is a straightforward solution, taking a glance at the possible answers before solving can expedite the process even further. After taking out the common factor, a sharp eye could have noticed that the ratio between the numerator and the denominator is 2.5:y. This is easier to notice if you already know that 2.5 is one of the answers. Looking at the answers can be a helpful tool during numerical reasoning tests.
You can practice numerical reasoning tests and get feedback on our Numerical Reasoning Test Page.
Personality Test: Certain firms, including Herbert Smith Freehills and Latham & Watkins, use personality tests for candidate screening to examines their candidates’ traits, motivations, interests, and preferences.
In recent years, pre-employment personality assessments have gained popularity with employers, as they help recruiters take a deeper look into the candidates' work attitude, professional persona, and suitability for the role and the organisation's culture.
Want to put it into practice? Try the following Personality Test sample question:
Personality Test Sample Question
Please choose one statement that best describes you, and one that least describes you.
- I like to analyse and evaluate information.
- I am an effective negotiator.
- I strive to be in a position of power.
- I always plan my expenses in advance.
Each of the statements above represents one or two work-related competencies.
Let's evaluate what those competencies are:
- I like to analyse and evaluate information – Analytical Skills
- I am an effective negotiator – Deliberation, Dominance
- I strive to be in a position of power – Achievement Striving, Self-Confidence
- I always plan my expenses in advance – Forward Thinking, Planning
Remember that the correct choice on questions like these isn't fixed, but rather depends on the specific job you're after. The best course of action is to mark as "Most" the statement that represents the most critical competencies for that role and as "Least" the statement that expresses those less desirable for the role.
Therefore, if you've applied for a managerial position, you should emphasize your leadership, dominance, and problem-solving competencies by choosing the statement “I am an effective negotiator” as your “Most.” While self-confidence and achievement striving are essential competencies for a manager, a statement like “I strive to be in a position of power” can come across as aggressive and subversive and thus should be your “Least.”
You can have a look at additional resources on our Free Personality Test Page.
What Can You Expect from a Vacation Scheme?
A vacation scheme will provide you with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the daily life of a law firm of your choosing. Typically happening during the holidays, these opportunities are brief but intense experiences that last between one and four weeks. During this time, among other things, you can:
- Obtain firsthand experience via work shadowing from a prospective day-to-day legal practice
- Delve into the firm's key legal practice areas and understand its client base
- Familiarise yourself with the tasks expected of a trainee solicitor
- Absorb the culture and work ethic of the law firm
- Determine your suitability for a future career in law
In short, you can consider vacation schemes as an incredible 3-for-1 deal. You can enhance your CV, you sharpen your legal skills and get a firsthand look into your preferred law firm's environment for a short holiday commitment.
And while the legal community often prioritises securing a training contract for full-time employment, vacation schemes are gaining prominence as the key pathway to such opportunities. In essence, they are just as vital!
Additional Practice
Securing a position amid such a large number of firms offering vacation schemes may pose challenges, but thorough research and preparation can substantially diminish uncertainty and enhance your skills.
While procrastination may be tempting, resist the urge to delay until the last minute! If you are looking to deepen your knowledge in the aptitude tests world, or you crave additional practice, you need not look further.
Have a look at the following free practice tests:
Free Personality Test | Free Aptitude Test | Free Psychometric Test | Free Watson Glaser Test | Free SHL Test