Winter Vacation Scheme Review

In December 2015, I took part in Shearman & Sterling's Winter Vacation Scheme. The overall experience was really enjoyable and I would thoroughly recommend the firm to anyone. The week itself was well organised, insightful, and packed full events that allowed me to gain a real insight into the work the firm does and the people within. Everyone I met was really welcoming and was happy to answer any questions I had about the firm, which can sometimes not be the case during a vacation scheme.

During the vacation scheme, I sat in the Projects, Development and Finance (PDF) department which is one of the firm's core practice areas. I was given a steady stream of work, which ranged from conducting a proof-reading task to helping a trainee research some existing case law. These tasks all varied in their degrees of difficulty, but everyone I worked with was more than happy to provide feedback. This really made me feel like a valued member of the PDF team and helped me to develop as the week went on.

The Grad Rec team were really supportive throughout the week, checking up on work loads and just generally making sure I felt comfortable in the work I was doing. Furthermore, as a group we were given talks from all 3 core departments at the firm alongside individual Q&A sessions with smaller advisory seats on offer to trainees. This really helped to further develop an understanding of what work a trainee could get involved in at Shearman & Sterling and help you decide from an early stage, how you would like to shape your Training Contract at the firm. Overall, the whole week enabled me to witness first hand, the really supportive culture that exists right across the firm and anyone is more than willing to help you out should you need any guidance.

I am currently studying my GDL at BPP University, however I would say the skills I developed during the week would be more useful to a trainee at the firm. PDF involves at lot more contract law and is more catered towards understanding and constructing finance than specific legal knowledge. I therefore found the legal knowledge I picked up during the GDL to be of limited use. That being said, when I spoke to a trainee in the Antitrust team, I found myself discussing in great detail some of the knowledge I have picked up from my EU module at BPP (predominantly EU Competition Law).

As I have mentioned earlier, the structure of the scheme itself was a really stand out feature. On the first night, the Grad Rec team organised some drinks for just the vac schemers which enabled us all to get to know each other in a less formal environment. This was followed by an event every evening, ranging from drinks, dinners and even a trip to a local ice-skating rink. All these events were really great as it gave you the chance to meet some trainees outside the office, have some fun and get to know people at the firm a bit more. One word of advice - bring a change of clothes for ice-skating, otherwise you can end up like me, getting your formal attire rather damp following consecutive collisions with fellow ice-skaters. There were also a range of talks from different departments every morning, as well other talks tailored to specific benefits of working at Shearman & Sterling - pro bono/international secondment etc.

As you can imagine from reading my answers above, I felt really relaxed during this scheme which is how I feel these experiences should be. Vacation schemes are about you getting to know the firm as much as it is about them getting to know you. By pressurising you and making you feel like you're constantly being assessed, it can only bread a competitive and uneasy environment. Everyone I met throughout the week were genuine individuals who want you to succeed during your time there. Whilst it is clear that trainees work hard at the firm and you do witness this first hand, this comes part and parcel with the profession itself. What is so credible about the atmosphere at Shearman & Sterling is that even with busy schedules, no one is too busy to stop for a chat and answer any questions you have. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Shearman & Sterling and would recommend it to any students/graduates who are considering applying.

The firm by giving you a variety of talks and giving structured feedback was the real stand-out feature in how they invested in my development.

As mentioned earlier, the numerous talks and tasks I were given were specifically catered to helping me understand what life would be like as a trainee. The talks from differed departments included sections on trainee work, and all those who were leading the talks were happy to provide examples of the work they had been given.

The whole experience was extremely helpful as the various events and talks helped me gauge throughout the week what life would be like working at the firm.

As I have already experienced a vacations scheme at another city law firm, the insight itself only reaffirmed that this is the career path for me. What the experience did help me understand is how US firms differ from UK based firms. The experience however did help me start to think about what seats I would like to pick should I get offered a Training Contract by the firm.

I was paid £325 for the week.

There were numerous events throughout the week which helped to network and meet other employees at the firm. Trainees were also more than willing to go for a coffee should you wish to have a chat about what seat they were in and how they were finding it.

Really insightful, very frequent and not too overwhelming.

All the extra talk focused on these - whether it be pro-bono, sports teams or doing a seat abroad.

Absolutely. The people at the firm combined with the structure of the vacation scheme is the real stand out feature of this whole experience and anyone who is considering applying to a law firm should apply to Shearman & Sterling.