Vacation Scheme Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the vacation scheme. It was great to get to sit in two departments in my time at the firm as this meant that I got to do two different types of work, and meet and work with two different teams of people. A week and a half spent in each department was also enough time to get stuck into the work and learn some of the basic concepts, as well as get a concept of the 'bigger picture' of what the team does. There were also presentations organised from the three central departments, which was a good way to get an overview (especially if you had not sat in that department) and also a good opportunity to ask questions. As well as this there were social events which were fun, and a good way to get to know trainees and other the other students on the scheme.

I felt valued when the work that I was given to do actually contributed to the work being done by the team. Even if it was only a small task such as document management or proof management, it was still a task that otherwise would have been done by another member of the team. I felt particularly valued when I got feedback on the work I did, telling me what I had done well and what I could improve.

Graduate recruitment were very supportive. I felt like I could go to them with any questions, and they regularly emailed us or met up with us to check that we were doing ok. The trainee buddy system worked particularly well as a support mechanism as we had met our buddies on a day prior to the scheme, and then met with them regularly throughout the scheme for informal chats. It was certainly useful to have someone to ask questions to and get honest answers. The supervisors being very busy had less opportunity to provide support in the way of explaining things or checking up on us, but this role was adequately filled by the trainees in the teams we were sat in.

The skills I developed will certainly assist me in my future career as I would like to pursue a career at a commercial law firm. Therefore, knowing how a law firm operates, and gaining more knowledge about the type of work they do and how they do it is very valuable. In terms of specific skills that I used whilst on the scheme, I think that data analysis, proof reading, and research will be helpful in my degree studies as I am studying law.

On the first day we received a timetable of everything that would be going on during the three weeks from graduate recruitment. That was useful in order to plan travel arrangements as I was commuting from a fair distance each day. it was also nice to know in advance when the formally assessed exercises were - we did a group presentation mid-way through the scheme and had an interview at the end. The social events were well organised and appropriate for getting to know new people. In terms of the work, I found that I had to go out and source the work for myself, whereas others were given work to do by their supervisors. Perhaps a more consistent approach would be a fairer way of structuring the allocation of work.

The atmosphere was friendly throughout the vacation scheme. The teams were in both cases very welcoming, and it helped that our trainee buddies introduced us to everyone in the team on the first day. I really liked the fact that doors to people's offices were open whenever they could be, and the fact that people were constantly going into each other's offices to ask for advice, work together, or just to have a chat.

We had a presentation skills session which was aimed at helping us to be more confident and creative with public speaking and presenting, which would be useful in a commercial legal career for pitching to clients. We also had networking events which helped to develop networking skills. Other than that, the sessions we had were more about getting to know the firm and what they do as opposed to developing individual skills. However, the work that I was given to do over the three weeks did get me using a range of skills, and the fact that I had to go looking for work developed a skill in itself. So I would say that the firm did give me the opportunity to develop skills, but largely not as a formal training exercise.

The vacation scheme certainly helped to understand what it would be like to have a full time role within the firm. The most valuable sources of information as to what working life would be like at the firm were the trainees, who answered any question we had very honestly. Although, there were also opportunities to talk to more senior members of staff about how their careers have progressed within the firm, and the opportunities they have had, such as going abroad or on a client secondment.

In terms of understanding the firm's culture, the vacation scheme was extremely helpful. We got to meet people from many areas of the firm at different stages in their career, which gave us a sense of the overall culture of the firm as opposed to just one element of it, and three weeks was a good amount of time to get a good insight into the culture.

The content of the vacation scheme was extremely valuable in helping me decide on my future career path. not only has it convinced me that I want to pursue a career in commercial law, but also informed me as to the type of firm that I would want such a career at, and even the type of work that I might be interested in doing within a commercial law firm.

I was paid £350 per week, for each of the three weeks that I spent on the vacation scheme. I was not reimbursed for my travel expenses, which were significantly higher than anyone else's because I did not have anywhere to stay in London and so was commuting from a fair distance every day. All if the social events on the scheme were paid for, including food and travel.

There were plenty of opportunities to meet with and network with other employees of the firm. We had several evening networking drinks/dinner events, as well as presentations followed by question and answer sessions. The trainee buddy system also meant that we all had someone as a point of contact throughout the scheme who could direct us to people that we might want to meet, for example another trainee in a department of particular interest to us.

The networking opportunities were good. We had several evening networking drinks/dinner events, as well as presentations followed by question and answer sessions. The social event opportunities were also good; not to many or too few. We had in an escape room, a cooking class, two dinners, and some drinks evenings.

I did find out about activities that employees get involved in outside of work, such as the firm's sports teams, choir, language classes, music classes, and other societies. Although, it may have been nice to have the opportunity to attend one of these activities to see what it is like in practice as opposed to just hearing about it.

I would definitely recommend this vacation scheme to anyone interested in pursuing a career in a city commercial law firm. The scheme offers a good insight into what life would be like working at the firm, both as a trainee and further down the career path. It also provided an opportunity to ask questions about every aspect of the firm, as well as a legal career in general. Also, it was fun!