Vacation Scheme Student Review

I enjoyed the insight immensely. The two weeks, each in a different department allowed me to see how the firm works and that the friendly culture is firm/office-wide not just dependant on which department you are in. The socials were well organised and good fun although it was slightly stressful to have the night before the interview, I suppose it mirrors the stress and need to balance various things that comes with the job. The trainees were very welcoming and friendly as were the members of the HR team and other staff.

I felt very valued during the scheme. I felt that the work given to me was not merely filler work that would not be used/useful. I was given work and worked directly with partners in both of the departments I was in and was made to feel like a valued member of the team. I was asked to attend meetings, prepare work and sit-in on client calls, all of which made me feel very valued.

I received support from the HR team through emails. The team was overall, quick to respond to any queries and helpful in answering any questions we had. I think it must have been part of the assessment but in the first week we were told that there was nothing to worry about in terms of work/tasks that were not to do with our department work however we did have a task due in the first week which was stated in one of the booklets. In this sense it felt like the guidance we received was misleading but I understand that it may have been to assess how prepared we were.

Having finished my degree, the skills and information won't be of use in that sense. That being said, any work experience is a valuable opportunity to learn for the future. Communicating with various people from the firm via email is always a learning experience, as is taking all opportunities given in order to make the most of the placement and potentially have more opportunity to impress. Working in a group can also be challenging so working on the presentation served to help me try different approaches to dealing with allocating the work and working with different personalities.

The insight was well-structured. Aside from the wrong date being given for one of the socials in the second week, we were given a schedule at the beginning and we stuck to it. This allowed us to manage our expectations and work-load accordingly. Another helpful aspect of the structure was beginning each day with a department overview, this consistency added to the feeling of structure. We started each day at the same time and we all knew where we needed to go and what we needed to do.

There was a good atmosphere during the placement. Between those of us partaking in the scheme, there was no animosity or overly competitive feeling. The firm trainees were all very friendly and welcoming which allowed for a good atmosphere and made us feel comfortable asking them questions and socialising with them at any socials. They also organised drinks on the last day which was a great way to end the scheme. That aside, the general office atmosphere was incredibly friendly. There was an open-door policy and we were encouraged to talk to anyone and everyone in the firm. We were welcomed by partners and made to feel like we could talk to them.

The firm provided us with training on the first day. This training was comprehensive and helpful to show us what we needed to know. We were introduced to the research team and how to take advantages of the resources available as well as health and safety and a more generalised training.

The insight was very helpful in providing in insight into what life at the firm would be like. The fact that we spent time in 2 different departments was very useful for this as it allowed us to see that the friendly atmosphere was not just department dependant. Talking to different people in the departments we worked out as well as at the organised internal lunch was another good opportunity to ask and see what it would be like. Being given good work also enabled us to see the type of work a trainee at the firm would be doing.

As above, the insight was very helpful in terms of giving an insight to the company culture. The department overview talks we were given each day were a good opportunity to ask questions and really demonstrated the international aspect to the firm. The open door policy added to the feeling that this is a friendly firm. People who work here all mentioned the friendly atmosphere the firm has and it definitely came across during the 2 weeks.

The content was very valuable in helping decide on our future career path. My personal experience was that I was given good work and as far as it can, the 2 weeks provided an insight into what life as a solicitor would be like. The working hours, managing the work-load, meeting deadlines and adjusting people's expectations were all very valuable in demonstrating what life as a solicitor may be like.

All vacation scheme students were paid for the experience. The pay was fair for the placemat and I wouldn't think it would be far from the average for a city firm in London.

There were plenty of networking opportunities. From the beginning we were encouraged to get to know people in our departments and to introduce ourselves to anyone we met. The firm organised internal drinks prior to the quiz which provided a good opportunity to meet partners and associates and ask them questions. Likewise, sharing a room with someone was a nice chance to get to know them and ask them any questions we had. We also had a farewell lunch where we were able to meet people and network.

The networking opportunities were great, as mentioned above. The socials were fun as well. We went to play darts which was good fun and a great way of getting to know each other. The place was very nice and we had lots of food and drinks available to us. We also had an internal quiz with the trainees which was preceeded by networking drinks. The quiz was relaxed and enjoyable. Another social event was dim sum making. That was a great idea, it was exciting and there was plenty of food to go around. We also had an internal lunch at the end where we could network.

As far as I can recall, weren't told directly about activities that we can get involved with outside of work however the subject came up in some of the department overviews so we found out about the Paddington law clinic and about work with a school. Finding out about these was more due to somebody asking directly or a person bringing it up if it was relevant to what they were talking about.

I would definitely recommend the insight to a friend. The placement was very enjoyable, provided a good insight into what life at the firm would be like and the office culture/atmosphere is very friendly and enjoyable. The people working at the firm, including the HR team and the trainees made the insight very enjoyable as well as the quality of work given to us.