Linklaters Pathfinder Scheme Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the Pathfinder Scheme. The HR team helped to create a very welcoming atmosphere and gave me a lot of support when needed. I also thought that the scheme was very well structured. In particular, the work shadowing sessions helped to give me a really in-depth insight into the tasks undertaken by trainees and also the challenges faced by commercial lawyers on a day to day basis - this is something that is unique to this scheme, in my opinion. And of course, the cookery session was also a lot of fun!

I felt very valued during my time at Linklaters - it was clear to me that that the firm saw the scheme as the first step in the recruitment pipeline, and not just purely an 'insight' in a sense. You could really tell that the HR team did put a lot of effort into organising the insight, making sure that we were best prepared for future vac scheme/training contract applications to Linklaters.

I received a lot of support from both the HR team, and also from trainees and associates in various different department. Whenever I encountered a problem or something I wasn't sure about, I was always confident that I could find someone for guidance/support.

I thought that the analytical exercise session was particularly useful, as it really allowed me to gain a comprehensive overview of the legal issues that arise during the execution of a cross-border M&A transaction, which I felt was vital preparation for the case study interviews a lot of firms conduct. Most importantly, the graduate recruitment session really helped me to more fully understand the application process, interviews and what recruiters at Linklaters are actually looking for.

I felt that the insight was one of the best structured ones - it was really well-tailored to us as first year students, and gave us concise but in-depth information on topics which we would benefit most from learning about. We were given a clear timetable on the first day which they followed consistently throughout the 2 days.

Very friendly and welcoming.