TCLA's Mastering the City Course

Kickstart your understanding of the financial markets, the City, and the business of law firms

This course is included in our TCLA Premium subscription.

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Welcome to TCLA's Mastering the City Course

Targeted at aspiring lawyers, future trainees and trainees, the ongoing aim of this course is to teach you everything you need to know about the financial markets to excel in your careers.

The goal is to demystify key business and legal topics and provide an overview of how different parts of the City work together.


What does this course cover?

We cover the following topics:

General Commercial Awareness

  • Finance and the Capital Markets
  • The Money Markets
  • The Stock Market, Exchanges, Trading and Clearing Houses
  • Understanding Pensions
  • Understanding Tax

Law Firms

  • Law Firms as a Business
  • Project Finance
  • Financial Crime
  • Partnership Models
  • Cybersecurity in Law Firms
  • The General Data Protection Regulation

What "Commercial Awareness" do I need to show in an interview?

  • Do you have a genuine interest in the commercial world? Does it excite you? Do you have a drive to learn more?
  • Do you understand the basic drivers of business? Do you understand how a law firm makes its money?
  • Can you think on your feet and make commercially-viable judgements? Can you apply your knowledge of the commercial world to answer questions, breaking down your thought process?

In our opinion, that's what commercial awareness is. It's not about learning XYZ or parroting financial terms in an interview. If you have a genuine interest in the financial world, you'll be equipped to answer any commercial question.


How do I develop commercial awareness?


Commercial awareness is not some elusive skill that only the elite students can develop. It's just like any skill, a skill that can be developed through consistent, deliberate practice. Just like playing a sport, an instrument, or developing a creative skill like drawing, you can get better.


So, if you're struggling right now, wondering how you're ever going to master commercial awareness: we want to remind you that anyone can develop commercial awareness.


That includes you.

Course Curriculum


  Finance and the Capital Markets
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  The Money Markets - With Matthew Dow
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  Law Firms As A Business - With Matthew Dow
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  Liquidity - With Matthew Dow
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  EBITDA And Financial Metrics - With Matthew Dow
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  Reading Financial Statements
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  Financial Crime - With Matthew Dow
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  Project Finance - With Matthew Dow
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  Understanding Pensions - With Matthew Dow
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  The Stock Market, Exchanges, Trading and Clearing Houses - With Matthew Dow
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  The US-China Trade War
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  Cybersecurity in law firms
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  Tax - With Matthew Dow
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  Insurance - With Matthew Dow
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  The General Data Protection Regulation
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  Real Estate Investing - With Matthew Dow
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  ESG and Impact Investing - With Matthew Dow
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  Sovereign Wealth Funds - With Matthew Dow
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  Recessions and Financial Crises - Matthew Dow
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  Financial Crises: A Few Lessons From History - With Matthew Dow
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Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How does this course fit in with the monthly classes?
TCLA's Commercial Awareness Course is designed to introduce you to a variety of commercial topics. Our monthly commercial courses dive deeper into interview topics, providing a combination of video tutorials, graded quizzes and case studies to help you learn. We will update this course periodically to reflect developments in the market.
Who is this course for?
This course is ideal for aspiring lawyers who are looking to excel in commercial interviews and case studies. It is tailored to students who already have a basic understanding of the City and are looking to advance their knowledge.

Your Instructor


The TCLA Team
The TCLA Team

This course is closed for enrollment.