First Steps Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the insight- the opportunity to immerse myself into a firm of CMS' size and stature was invaluable, and very education about how a large commercial firm operates. I experienced a variety of aspects of daily life as a commercial lawyer: research, client meeting, tender discussions and even a completion!

I felt fairly valued during my time at the firm. Most staff were helpful and engaged with me, assisting me with any difficulty I had, and giving me ample work to undertake. Some of the work I did was time filler, but I feel that was more of a case of the work available rather than a case of not being valued by the firm.

I received a great deal of guidance and support during the insight, but I was also given freedom to undertake tasks and was not micro-managed. At small intervals I was unsure what exactly was expected of me, but 95% of the time there was clear tasks to do, with support available. The nature of the firm's layout (with partners, associates and trainees all sitting together) meant I could bounce questions off of the most junior and most senior members.

The information I received did not directly assist me in my degree studies- most of the matters were beyond my comprehension, but as I have only done basics of most courses, this is to be expected. It did help to contextualise parts of my modules however. The skills I developed will assist me in my degree studies due to this contextualisation, but as a week long insight there was not too a huge amount of development of skills.

The insight was very well structured: the first day saw an informal setting to meet the rest of the team, with workshops teaching skills that are vital for commercial law setting that proved invaluable throughout the rest of the week. The structure of days beyond this were set by the department itself rather than the programme organisers, but the scope of work in the department meant I saw a clear structure.

The atmosphere was good during the insight; the staff were professional but also were friendly and good to chat to. The social events organised by the firm saw an enjoyable atmosphere, and day to day office work created an expected atmosphere of professionalism but not dull. A commercial law firm is a serious setting, but I did not feel uncomfortable or bored during the placement.

The workshops demonstrated training commitments by the firm, but the nature of the programme (a 1 week insight programme) meant that the firm did not have much opportunity to train and develop me.

The content of the day was valuable as it meant I could see how commercial law firms actually worked and guided me as to whether a career in the sector is suited for me. This was one of the main things I took away from the week, and proved invaluable.

The pay was more than adequate- I did not expect there to be payment for the week, so the pay was more than adequate.

The networking and social event opps. were good- a cocktail making class and dinner with trainees was insightful, and the firm organised a couple of trainee panel lunches on top of this. As a law student not yet in my final nor penultimate year, there is difficulty networking, but other associates and partners did converse with me, which was enjoyable and educational.

The cocktail making class and dinner was very enjoyable- the firm clearly spent money on a quality venue and activity, which made myself and other participants feel valued. The lunches with trainees were useful for bombarding trainees with questions about their law degree experience, traineeship thoughts and general opinions on working with CMS.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend (one who is considering a career in commercial firm). Unlike other programmes, this First Steps programme allows you to actually gain a real understanding of how the firm operates, and gives great potential career opportunities. The work was interesting, and the reimbursement makes it economically attractive as well.