Vacation scheme Review

I don’t think I felt as valued as I could have because sometimes the work I was given wasn’t real work e.g. it was a past case and I had to draw up a document for it. However sometimes it is useful to do these pieces of work as it gives you more of an idea of what work you would do as a trainee, and you are able to get useful feedback on it.

During the insight, there was a lot of guidance and support. We were assigned buddies for the whole 2 weeks so I could ask him any general questions, but also the supervisor in the specific department that I was sat in was generally helpful apart from if they were a bit busy but would always get back to you.

The skills I developed will help me in my future legal career as I have been able to develop my time management skills by balancing various tasks for different people at any one time. Also I feel that the information I received regarding life as a trainee has encouraged me to believe that this is the right career for me.

There was a great structure. It lasted 2 weeks and there was time spent in 4 different departments. We were given a timetable on the first day both of what that day entailed but also for the 2 weeks so we knew what day to move seats. At the end of the day before we would move to our next seat the next morning, the supervisor or buddy usually guided you to where you would be sitting the next day and this allowed you to meet the people in that department too.

The general atmosphere was good. It helped that the vacation scheme was organised so that there were 5 others on the scheme at the same time. This made it less daunting. Everyone from secretaries to trainees, associates and partners were all very welcoming and friendly at all times which made the atmosphere nice.

We were invested in because on the first day there was IT training and also a library training session. Also most pieces of work that I worked on were marked or checked over and then I was able to add in my improvements, so this meant that I was constantly improving and developing my knowledge.

The vacation scheme definitely helped me to understand what it would be like to work full time as a trainee as we were basically put in the same position as them, just with less of the work load. The role appeals to me more than it did before and I feel like it would be easy to settle into working there.

I learnt that the culture of the firm is very friendly and relaxed, yet still retains professionalism. I thought that everyone who I met seemed very genuine and willing to talk, but at the same time they were able to get on with their work too. The culture is definitely something that stands out to me and there is a great work-life balance as demonstrated by the people working but also from an employment survey results meeting that I attended.

The pay that I received was sufficient to cover my expenses for travelling to the city and my accommodation, and with extra to spare. It was a generous pay and is at a level which will compete or if not exceed similar law firms. This was good as it meant I didn’t have to worry about paying for the 2 weeks expenses or about losing out on money from a part-time summer job.

Over the 2 weeks there were 3 social event opportunities organised which involved going for drinks, for a meal, and then another meal and going to Junkyard Golf. These events were with the other vacation scheme students and the trainees, and it was a great way to get to know them better in an informal way.