Vacation Scheme Review

A really enjoyable experience. Activities, talks and socials were perfectly spaced, giving a good level of structure to the Vacation Scheme without getting in the way of experiencing life at the firm. Mentors/Supervisors were extremely welcoming and friendly, as were all the staff I met over the two week period. Never made to feel like an inconvenience (although I'm sure there were times where we were!) and was provided with a range of interesting work.

Because I was able to help in various (if very basic) ways during the two weeks, with staff going out of their way to find actual work appropriate for our level, I did feel extremely valued by the firm and the teams. The lengths the firm went to in order to encourrage us to network with and get to know members of the Shearman team (Dinners/Drinks/Pasta Making etc.) also made it feel like the firm did really care about making sure we all had a great, and informative, two weeks.

Lots of support - the mentor/supervisor system was extremely useful for this. Having a trainee mentor helped to reassure me that I could raise any questions I had with someone, but providing a supervisor also provided a useful first point of contact among a more senior member of the department.

I think they will prove exceptionally useful. If I am lucky enough to be offered a training contract then the experience will have provided an insight into what I can expect upon joinging the firm. If not, I have still acquired a valuable perspective on what commercial law is and the firms that operate within it.

Extemely well structured - from the first day we knew exactly what we would be doing for the two weeks and this changed very little (if at all) so felt very comfortable in what I was doing with my time at the firm.

Fantastic. HR have clearly done a great job of identifying the type of people that would fit in at Shearman, as I immediately connected with the other participants. This immediately put me at ease, and I only became more comfortable as I got to know my mentors and the other members of the departments where I worked. I feel that the decision to have trainees join us on our social nights was also a very good idea, allowing us to chat with members of the Shearman team in a less formal setting.

Extensively - The firm not only ensured that we received training specific to our placement upon arrival, so that could confidently 'dive in' right away, we were also able to attend additional training sessions held for the entire firm on a wide range of issues, from the legal technicalities of state sovereignty to the implications of Brexit. Lawyers also took the time to show us how to complete certain tasks, use various systems, and teach us about new areas of law, despite only being in each department for a week.

Extremely useful. In terms of the everyday work undertaken by solicitors at the firm, the experience provided ample opportunity to observe and help with an array of routine tasks. This also included sitting in on meetings and conference calls, providing a well rounded experience. While the experience imparted a good idea of the type of work undertaken, it could not, for obvious reasons, emulate the actual pressures and hours of a full time position at a City law firm. However, I do not believe this reflects in any way on the placement - it seems to me that this would be impossible to impart on interns in a way that was not also irresponsible and ethically questionable. The array of late night socials helped to give an idea of these demands nonetheless - getting home late as a result helped to mimic the long hours (if not the stresses) of City law.

Moving through different departments and having the opportunity to speak with employees - from legal secretaries and trainees up to the managing partner - in both formal and informal settings, I feel I got a brilliant feel for the firm and its culture. Because we were invited to an array of training sessions targeted at practicing employees, able to observe during meetings and conference calls concerning live client matters, and because the placement happened to overlap with the firm's summer party, we were given ample opportunity to compare what we had heard about the firm to the day-to-day realities.

Extremely helpful. First, the placement was so comprehensive that I did not come away feeling as though I still lacked any particular piece of experience. The placement successfully affirmed my professional aspirations in the legal sector. Second, my time at the firm was extremely helpful in identifying the type of firm I wished to work for. The placement offered ample insight for comparison against other experiences I had undertaken, allowing me to better understand the differences between various types and sizes of firm and the advantages and disadvantages that go with them.

Payment was more than adequate. The firm pays its vacation scheme students £330 per week (£660 for the entire placement). This was more than sufficient to cover the expenses of attending.

The firm had organised a fantastic array of opportunities to meet and talk with employees of the firm. Each participant was assigned a trainee mentor to look after them during their time in the department, who was always on hand and happy to talk about the firm and their experiences. We were also each assigned a supervisor in each department, who was at associate level and therefore able to offer alternative perspectives die to their seniority. As you rotated to a new department in your second week, you were assigned a new mentor and supervisor, broadening further the network of people you could speak to about the firm. We were not only able to speak during the day at work, but were also taken to lunch by our mentor and supervisor on each of the two weeks, allowing us to discuss much more informally the realities of the role and the firm as an employer. Socials were organised throughout the week after work, to which trainee mentors were also invited. Again, these provided a highly informal (and boozy) atmosphere to ask anything you wanted of those at the firm. Finally, we were fully included in the firm's summer party, providing a great opportunity to network with people from across the firm and at various levels of seniority.

Fantastic! We were taken out around half a dozen times over the 10 days we were at the firm. The opportunities ranged from posh dinners to pasta making classes. These provided an opportunity to network (as discussed above) but also proved extremely effective as a bonding exercise for the vacation scheme participants. The itinerary for social events was clear, varied and well organised. We were not simply shepherded around by graduate recruitment either - conscious that participants may want some social opportunities in which they did not feel like they might still be judged/observed, the firm even set up a tab for us at a local bar one night so that the participants could unwind.

Yes. The firm had an array of activities for staff to partake in - although not the most extensive I had seen it was, nonetheless, impressive for a firm of its size (hence an 8/10). Activities ranged from sports clubs to department ski trips, as well as other opportunities. The firm did also have an incredible array of Pro Bono work available too, with a dedicated Pro Bono practice to oversee the hugely extensive portfolio of work undertaken.

Absolutely. The insight was extremely useful as someone who was interested in a career in law. But there were also numerous people on the placement who had not done law degrees and who seemed to be considering a number of options and, as Shearman was such a friendly and inviting firm, and given how informative the placement was, I am certain that it would prove just as valuable to someone still exploring their career options. The firm presented no barriers to those from law/non-law degrees, and remuneration was extremely generous, so background should also be no bar to someone considering an application to the firm.