Vacation Scheme Student Review

I really enjoyed my time at Linklaters - it was good to get a real insight into the way the firm was structured, and see first hand how a legal transaction works. Sitting in two different practice areas allowed me to compare and contrast advisory work with transactional work, and also appreciate the wide range of work big commercial firms do.

There was lots of support provided. Everyone around the firm was super friendly, and always open to being asked any questions. The formal structures in place were also helpful - sitting in the same office as my principals meant that I could always get guidance and advice without even leaving my desk. Having a trainee buddy too also provided a more informal port of call, and I found it useful to have both.

Working on a client alert allowed me to practice the skill of writing with concision, and adopt a reader-led style of writing. This is important in both academic and professional writing, as it is important to write clearly and succinctly. I also got better at working as part of a team, when conducting research tasks for different members of the group.

It was great to get involved with real work, and be conducting tasks that were genuinely of use to the firm at large. This gave me a real flavour of the type of deals and transactions that Linklaters assist with, and that I would be involved with as a trainee solicitor. The hours I worked on the scheme were a little unrepresentative of real trainee working hours, but this was stressed throughout, so that we were not under false pretences.

Spending time in the firm is the only real way, I think, that one can understand a company culture. Lots of the big City law firms claim to be friendly and collegiate, but spending time in the offices of Linklaters allowed me to truly experience that first hand. It was nice to be greeted with a smile by most people around the firm, and even more surprising to me was how willing every body (from partner to support staff) was to help if I had any queries/questions.

As well as getting involved with the more formal presentations and work that the firm does, there was a vast programme of social events where we could get to know other people at the firm, and other vacation scheme students. These were all very fun and well varied, ranging from speeding boating down the Thames to cooking ravioli in the canteen. A personal highlight for me was being invited to a cricket match between Linklaters and Deutsche Bank, and being able to informally chat with partners from the Banking practice during intervals.