Vacation Scheme Review

I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the vacation scheme. The actual work I was given was extremely interesting and gave a great insight into the type of work the firm does and that is expected of trainees. We had lots of talks and presentations throughout the scheme which were really helpful in giving a rounded view of the firm. As well as this, the social side of the vacation scheme was great, giving us not only the opportunity to properly get to know each other but also other members of the firm.

Linklaters were great at making everyone feel valued. The level of supervision by mentors and trainee buddies really indicated how much time everyone was willing to take to explain things and make you feel involved. In terms of the work, I feel that I was given a good amount of responsibility and that the work I was doing actually contributed to the team. Not only that but we were very well looked after throughout the scheme.

I was extremely pleased with the level of support throughout the scheme. We shared an office with a principal who was able to answer any questions and help out. We also got reviews from each of the two principals which was really helpful with development and knowing where we could improve. As well as this we had the support of trainee buddies which was great. Graduate recruitment were also a great source of guidance and they were really supportive throughout the entire scheme.

I feel that I developed a number of really important skills that will particularly help me with my future career and the transition of starting out as a trainee solicitor. The skills I learnt are less applicable to my studies but will certainly be extremely helpful when I start my career, having already been given a thorough introduction into what it is like to work at a city firm.

The vacation scheme was extremely structured. In particular the end of seat reviews were really great in showing us our performance over each of the two weeks and how we could improve. It was a very busy scheme with lots of additional events and talks but these were very well organised and structure, so everyone knew exactly where they had to be. Also it was really useful having an assigned principal and trainee buddy.

Linklaters certainly invested a lot into us. Aside from our two seats which was great in terms of personal training, we had many departmental talks to help us expand our knowledge of different practice groups and the firm as a whole. On a more personal level we had many social events that were great for developing the networking and building relationships with people.

The vacation scheme was really helpful in terms of understanding what it would be like to work at a city firm, and in particular the role of a trainee. We were given a large amount of responsibility in terms of the work we were given which was great but we also got the chance to see the social side of the firm too.

I definitely got a great sense of the firm's culture on my vacation scheme. Not only were we fully immersed in the firm for four weeks but there were many opportunities to meet a variety of people throughout the firm and talk to them about the culture at Linklaters. The culture is definitely a collegiate one and this genuinely came through on the vacation scheme.

There was a great mixture of time spent in the office and also departmental talks. This meant that we were exposed to a large amount of information over the scheme, making it really valuable. The time spent in our seats was great in terms of getting exposure to real work and the realities of that, but as well as this, the talks were useful in giving us the opportunity to see other aspects and perspectives of the firm.

Yes. Spending two weeks in each seat meant that we had a good amount of time to fully get involved in our departments and meet people throughout the group. As well as this, trainees came to all of our social events which was a really great opportunity to talk to them and get their perspectives of the firm. The scheme also gave us a number of opportunities to meet and talk to partners, council and managing associates which was great too.

The social events were the best out of any vacation scheme I have done. They were really imaginative and different and provided great opportunities to work in teams and get to know other vac schemers. Having trainees on most of the socials was also really good for networking as we were given the chance to meet other members of the firm.

There is a free gym at the firm which most of the employees seem to use. As well as that there are lots of sports teams which show that there is a lot to get involved with and socialise with other people at the firm. On my vacation scheme I played for the firm's netball team which was really fun and a great way to meet different people.

Absolutely, I had the best time on the scheme and it was by far my favourite vacation scheme.