Spring Vacation Scheme Student Review

The week which I spent with Allen & Overy on their vacation scheme was incredibly enjoyable in all respects. I know that the majority of law firms will claim that they have the nicest staff, but I can honestly say that the staff at Allen & Overy were the most friendly, helpful, selfless people that I have ever met.

I felt very valued during my two weeks at the firm. The HR team did an amazing job in welcoming us all and making us comfortable and ensuring that we were happy throughout and checked if there was anything that we wanted to change or needed their help with. I was given high quality work throughout and definitely felt valued when I returned the work as it seemed that it was genuinely helpful to the partners and associates.

We received a huge amount of guidance and support during the scheme. The HR team frequently checked on us to ensure that we had work to do and if there was anything that we needed their help with. In terms of the work that I was given to complete by associates and partners, they made it very clear what was expected of me, and they were also on hand if I had to check anything before sending the work off. Also, we were given Trainee Buddies who supporting us during our scheme and they were on hand for support and if we had any questions.

The skills that I have learnt during my two weeks at Allen & Overy will definitely be skills that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. I was lucky enough to go to court, and so I have learnt skills surrounding litigation work and how cases will proceed to court and onwards. Also I have further improved upon my time management skills as I was careful only to accept work that I knew I could complete to a high standard. Throughout the fortnight we also went to many presentations and completed a presentation ourselves, which has further increased my communication and presentation skills.

The insight was incredibly well structured. The first day mainly involved admin, ice-breakers, and getting introduced to various people throughout the firm who would be key figures during our vacation scheme. Throughout the two weeks that I have spent at Allen & Overy we have had numerous talks and presentations, social, opportunities to get involved in pro-bono work, and opportunities to arrange chats with associates or trainees from other practice areas to learn more about the firm.

The general atmosphere during the vacation scheme was amazing. At the start we were told that we were not in direct competition with each other and that there were potentially enough training contract offers for all of us, and this helped to create a friendly atmosphere between the vacation scheme students as we were not constantly looking to outshine each other. Also the social events which punctuated the vacation scheme helped to keep the mood light even if we had had a busy day of work. Even despite some long hours everyone was always very approachable and happy to chat.

The firm invested in us all to a huge extent in terms of personal training and development. We were all given iPads to use for the week on which we could access our timetable and other key documents. The firm hosted a number of information sessions, giving information about the training contract and secondments, as well as practical training involving presentation skills and business development. We also received IT and diversity and inclusion training, both of which were incredibly useful and interesting.

Definitely having a trainee buddy was very important in this regard as it provided us with someone that we could contact and ask candid questions and receive honest answers. The work that I was given seemed to be representative of the work carried out by the firm, including the fact that I was able to go to court which gave an insight into the litigation side of law.

Absolutely every single person that I interacted with during my time on the vacation scheme was very friendly and charming, and willing to give up their valuable time to help me and answer my questions. Allen & Overy is definitely the most friendly firm that I have ever worked in, and despite the great number of lawyers in the building, everyone would always smile in the lifts or when passing in the corridor, and partners were very approachable if you had questions.

The time that I spent with Allen & Overy has definitely made me decide that I want to work there in the future. I loved the department that I sat in during my vacation scheme and I will try and sit there again during my training contract. We had a module fair which gave us information about the other practice areas in Allen & Overy which has given me ideas of other practice areas that I would like to try out.

We were paid a very good amount of money for both weeks. I am an international student and the money comfortably covered my flights and tube expenses for the two weeks. I also understand that Allen & Overy are able to provide accommodation for international students, and that this can be reimbursed in certain circumstances where a student is in receipt of additional grants at university.

There were many networking opportunities for us during our two week vacation scheme at Allen & Overy. We had an innovation learn and lunch, and a women's network event, and at both of these events we were able to freely talk to partners and other employees of Allen & Overy, asking them questions and learning from them. We were also encouraged to organise our own meetings if we had specific interests within the firm, and the other employees were very receptive to this.

There were many networking opportunities for us during our two week vacation scheme at Allen & Overy. We had an innovation learn and lunch, and a women's network event, and at both of these events we were able to freely talk to partners and other employees of Allen & Overy, asking them questions and learning from them. We were also encouraged to organise our own meetings if we had specific interests within the firm, and the other employees were very receptive to this.

We were encouraged to make meetings regarding particular extra-curricular activities and pro-bono activities that Allen & Overy offer. We were given a list of relevant names and encouraged to reach out to these people, and everyone that I contacted was very happy to meet with me. We had a presentation on pro-bono initiatives and we were invited to volunteer at an event.

I would have absolutely no reservations about recommending this experience to a friend. There is absolutely nothing that I would change. The work was interesting, I felt valued, the people were lovely, the social events were fun, the vacation scheme students all got on really well, and we all thoroughly enjoyed our time at the firm. I hope that I get a training contract offer and can qualify into Allen & Overy in the not too distant future!