Vacation Scheme Attendee Review

I very much enjoyed my experience at Shoosmiths. My supervisor was very approachable and answered all my questions to the best of his knowledge quickly and thoroughly. I was encouraged to ask as many questions as I liked and not to shy away from asking anything I felt I should not ask. There was an openness about the office that was comfortable and encouraging. The employees were willing to give up their time to talk to you and offer advice. I was given real work to do which was often challenging but very useful for my personal development.

I felt very valued even if the work I did was not always top-flight work (understandable for a one week vacation scheme). My opinion was valued despite my lack of a legal education and my thoughts were taken on board and my work was given proper consideration. I was included in all events and very well taken care of by my supervisor who frequently made sure I was busy and happy with the work I was doing. I was also introduced to everyone in the office and taken by my supervisor to meet the teams and specialists who I specifically wanted to talk with.

I received a lot of guidance from my supervisor and he supported my work throughout my time at the firm. I had my work evaluated in one to one sessions by associates and my supervisor for half hour to an hour periods and explanations and answers were explained to me thoroughly. I was given full explanations for points of law and the reasons behind practical legal decisions without feeling like I was being talked down to. Overall my legal knowledge improved greatly as a result of the vacation scheme and the support I received.

I was presented with legal tasks that I had never encountered before and tasked with working on them independently. This helped improve my confidence in tackling legal problems and dealing with legal documents (e.g. drafting leases) and this is valuable experience I can build upon in the future. When I go on to do the LPC next year I will have a good grounding in practical legal work.

The insight was fairly well-structured however pieces of work throughout the office would be available on an inconsistent basis. Four days out of five, work would come in ebbs and flows so at times I would have multiple things to do at once and other times would be asking around for work with no luck. This was frustrating at times and perhaps the firm should think more about structuring the scheme to give trainees a steady stream of work. However the work available was interesting and engaging.

The atmosphere was welcoming and encouraging and supportive. People did not mind me asking questions when relevant and people were more than happy to have serious discussions about applications and careers as well as more relaxed small talk. Partners were as approachable as trainees and paralegals and there was a refreshing lack of hierarchy that made you feel as though you were in an environment where you could learn from everyone. Having access to partners especially in this way is incredibly useful for my personal development.

The firm made a real effort to give me work that would give me real insight into the work that the real estate department did. They were concerned with providing me with work from live deals and took time to instruct me properly on how to perform tasks and to sit down and explain things thoroughly.

I was given ample experience in and out of the office and given real work to work on. I had close contact with lawyers from across Shoosmiths' practice areas and got to see what their working practices were like as well as seeing what work they did on a day to day basis.

The complete experience of the vacation scheme meant that I had a very thorough insight into Shoosmiths' culture. The openness of Shoosmith's professionals showed me that the firm valued inclusiveness and went the extra mile to ensure all members of the team at every level felt valued. I now have a complete understanding of Shoosmiths' culture.

Very valuable. It has made me more certain that I want to work for a firm like Shoosmiths and that Shoosmiths offers the full service of practice areas that can give a trainee a well-rounded experience, providing a good basis for a legal career. The exposure to the work that Shoosmiths solicitors do on a daily basis has helped me to see that I will enjoy doing this type of work.

I was paid more than adequately for this experience. Expenses were also covered for the day trip to Birmingham and a free lunch was provided at Five Guys as a treat. Overall I am very happy with the payment provided by the firm. I was paid promptly as well which reflected on Shoosmiths well.

There was a day when we were invited along with all trainees and vacation scheme attendees across the country to go to the Birmingham Office for a day promoting 'well-being' within the firm. The day was a great opportunity to network with other Shoosmiths employees from across the country and provided a great opportunity to compare experiences form across the firms many offices.

There were good opportunities for networking on the one day that we went to the Birmingham office. Around teh office people were willing to give up their time on the otehr four days to talk with you and there were opportunities at lunch to network and talk to the other trainees and paralegals in the firm.

Yes I accompanied some trainees on a drinks event and heard about other extra curricular activities that the trainees had taken part in in the last year. I was also told about the opportunities for pro bono work and the emphasis that Shoosmiths places on doing charity work outside the office which is heavily encouraged amongst Shoosmiths' trainees.

Absolutely considering that whether you have a positive or negative experience, the exposure to the inner workings of a major law firm like Shoosmiths can help you make the decision as to whether a career as a solicitor is really for you. A vacation scheme like this is the only way to establish with certainty the type of firm you want to work for as well as the area of law that you want to practice in.