CMS Academy Student Review

I have had such a brilliant time. There have been lots of social events, dinners and good activities. I also got a great insight into CMS and got to do quality work for clients and people in my department. It was really nice to see both the London office for one week on the business of law and also spend my two week internship in Edinburgh.

The people in my department have been extremely friendly and willing to give me interesting tasks. The experience has been really social and I have felt very included from the start. Everyone from trainee to partner level have been willing to talk, discuss and made me feel completely at ease. I felt that my work was appreciated and contributed to the work that my department was doing.

A lot. Continuous feedback was encouraged, particularly during the London week. I have been given a lot of advice and guidance from one of the associates in my department that I think will be very helpful going forward in my career. I think the guidance and support during the vacation scheme has made me feel far more confident and encouraged to commit to a career in law (particularly at CMS).

I think the skills I have gained will help me significantly. I think I feel very prepared to enter my final year of law school as I am far more confident and think that my organisational and analytical skills have improved. I also feel that I have been set up very well for a career in law. The London week was very focused on the business of law, as we gained insight into future trends in the legal field. We participated in a challenging simulation that was very interesting and exciting - with unexpected moments along the way. I also feel like I understand what it takes to be a lawyer and what the everyday work of a solicitor or trainee actually involves from the two week internship in Edinburgh.

Really well structured. We had one week in London with a busy schedule of events for the whole period. Then we had a two week internship in whatever office we had applied to, and I have had various tasks to complete within a set timeframe. I always felt like I knew what was going on and never felt confused about what was coming next.

Excellent. I was so impressed by the effort put in by CMS to make everyone feel included and welcome. So much effort was put into the experience, and everyone was very friendly and open. The students themselves were really nice and it did not have an overly competitive atmosphere.

A lot. The firm spared no expense and I was offered lovely accommodation for the London week. We have been offered psychometric tests to personally assess our own potential career derailers. The panel was extremely impressive as I don't think any other vacation scheme would be able to get speakers of that quality for students that weren't even trainees or associates yet. We had so many opportunities to network and get a broad understanding of the firm and the legal market during the London week. I also think the support has been excellent through having a buddy I can go to for advice.

Very well. I feel that I got a really good taste of the work that my department does, and got a broad range of tasks. I understand the culture of CMS and feel it is very inclusive and client-focused. I also got to see (in my department atleast) that there is a good deal of interaction between the different offices, so even if you work in Scotland or Bristol there is plenty of opportunities to get to know people across the firm. We also got international conference to calls to talk to trainees on secondment in various cities like Dubai and Mexico which demonstrated the opportunities we could have as trainees.

A lot. The London week allowed me to meet people from all the different CMS offices, and everyone seems friendly and welcoming. My department in Edinburgh has been very friendly and chatty which I personally like as a working environment. I think the firm seems willing to invest in trainees and there are lots of opportunities to develop and focus on work you like to do. The firm is also very accommodating and there seems to be opportunities throughout your career.

Very valuable. I really know I want to be a commercial lawyer, probably with an international firm with a Scottish presence. I think I know after the placement that my ideal firm to work for would be CMS or something very similar due to the international opportunities, variety of work and warm culture.

I was paid a good wage and also reimbursed for very nice London accommodation, flights to London and railfare for my commute to Edinburgh every day.

Plenty. We got to meet people in HR, gradrec, trainees, partners and international secondees. We even got to go on client visits. I feel I have a really good understanding of the different levels within the firm and got to meet people at all levels of their career.

Excellent. In London it was very social - we had a charity dinner, a chef's challenge and drinks. There was a lot of opportunities to network - all the summer students across the UK offices were there, so you could meet a lot of poeple you would not normally get the chance to. There were partners, charity partners, clients and trainees to network with which provided very good opportunities. During the 2 week internship, we had cocktails, a dinner, conference calls to trainees on international secondments and lunches with my department.

Yes. There are opportunities for sports, charity events, different interest groups (such as religious or sexual orientation based) and generally it seems like a really fun place to work.

100%. It was great and I have been consistently impressed by the firm and the effort put in to invest in us. I feel really valued and that I have gained a lot of experience. I think this is unique because everyone gets to visit the London office to focus on the business of law to do simulations and visit clients - something that I think no other firm can offer. The firm has been very accommodating and everyone I have spoken to has been encouraging, friendly and welcoming. I have also had some really good work to do and got to gain a very good taste of what my department does. I am really happy I got to participate and I am sad my placement is coming to an end.