Pathfinder Scheme Review

This scheme was extremely useful to gain an idea of the culture at the firm, to find out whether it is somewhere I would like to work, and to learn about the application process and how to prepare for interviews.

I definitely felt valued by the firm during my time there. Many trainees gave up their time to talk to us at the social events, and we also shadowed two different trainees across the two days for three hours each which was a significant amount of time for them to give up to help us learn more about the firm.

There were many opportunities to ask questions during the different sessions, and the workshops which were held during the scheme were very useful for supporting us through the application process for vacation schemes and training contracts.

The workshops were all extremely relevant and will help me in the future. For example, the workshop on commercial awareness will help me when applying to firms for vacation schemes and training contracts in the future. There was also a session on personal branding which was less relevant to a career in commercial law but still useful for a career in the City.

The insight was extremely structured. We were given a timetable at the beginning of the first day and the scheme stuck to these timings throughout which was helpful as it meant that we made the most of our time at the firm.

The atmosphere was good. Everyone from the firm was willing to answer any questions we had, and there was also a good atmosphere between the students on the scheme. People from the firm were also really enthusiastic about the work which they were doing.

Many of the sessions were focused on our personal development - for example, the commercial awareness workshop and the personal branding session. This was great as these sessions didn't necessarily apply just to Linklaters as a firm but would be useful for any job in the City or elsewhere. The firm was also really keen to make sure that all of our questions had been answered.

The opportunity to shadow two trainee solicitors in different departments at the firm across the two days gave me an invaluable insight into what life working at the firm would be like. Speaking to so many trainees allowed me to gain a good understanding of whether or not I would like to work at the firm, and the opportunity to sit in two different practice areas will help me when considering which seats to choose in the future.

Speaking to so many different people on the scheme, from partners and trainees to the graduate recruitment team gave me a clear understanding of the culture at the firm. Being able to have a tour of the office, and to see people at work was also useful.

The scheme helped me to decide that I do want a career in commercial law and it also helped me to be clearer on the type of firm which I would like to work at in the future. The different workshops and sessions which we attended were also definitely focused on helping us to be successful in the future, even if we choose to interview at another firm.

I have not yet asked to have my expenses reimbursed but the firm said that they would do so.

There were many opportunities for networking during the workshops themselves, during the work shadowing and also at the social events in the evenings.

I really enjoyed the networking and social events run by the firm during the scheme. They helped me get to know the other students on the scheme, as well as providing me an opportunity to speak to people working at the firm.

The firm didn't talk about activities that run outside of work, but I was able to learn about this from speaking to trainees and asking them about the activities which they are involved in at the firm.

I would definitely recommend this insight to anyone thinking about a career in commercial law or anyone who thinks they might like to work at Linklaters or a similar firm in the future. It gave me a great understanding of what working at the firm would be like.