Vacation scheme student Review

I had an amazing time on my vacation scheme. It was a perfect balance of fun and creative socials with stimulating work in the practice areas. I made good friends with other vacaction schemers and really liked everyone I met in my seats. I appreciated having an assigned trainee buddy, as I felt I could ask them less formal questions. Both my buddy and my principal took me out for coffee as did other trainees I met during the placement. Everyone was so friendly and ready to take time out of their day to make me feel welcome.

The scheme allows you to experience two different practice areas. My first seat was extremely fast paced and busy, and meant that the department didn't have that much time to give me work. However, I never went without work- I just had to be a bit proactive in receiving it which was fine. Also the team involved me in one of their socials and spent a lot of time talking to me then, which I appreciated. My second seat felt a lot quieter but I received constant work, and had a lot of interaction with partners. The work I did in my second seat was received really positively and I felt really valued.

I couldn't have asked for more guidance. There was support every step of the way. The graduate recruitment team put a lot of effort into making us feel at ease, and they introduced the scheme by giving us the timetable for the month ahead. We had a meeting mid way with one of the grad rec just to check how we were feeling etc. Having a trainee buddy really helped, and my principal gave me a lot of feedback too.

It has improved my time management a lot, and I now know how to prioritise tasks more effectively.

Very well structured, Linklaters is unique in offering a four week placement and I definitely recommend it. It gives every vac schemer a far better insight into life as a commercial lawyer, and means we had an equal amount of time in each seat. Having two weeks in each seat meant that the team were more willing to involve everyone in stimulating legal work, simply because we had time to work on it.

Welcoming, friendly and hardworking

The firm spent a lot of time on us in the form of presentations. It varied week to week, but we received approx 4-8 presentations per week. These were really in depth discussions of a practice area, usually given by a partner. The speaker always set aside plenty of time for questions. Activities like a mediation exercise were very beneficial to my understanding of the dispute resolution practice, and improved my team work and time management. We also received presentations from the managing partner and the senior partner. This was incredibly beneficial!

The trainees were really honest with us and I feel they gave us an accurate insight into life as a commercial lawyer. We were given plenty of opportunities to network with Linklaters lawyers so asking questions was always easy. Sitting in practice meant that I could observe what life would be like as a trainee or an associate. My principal was working incredibly hard and was leaving at midnight. In my other seat my principal was working equally hard and leaving a lot earlier. Both stated that deadlines mean the hours are not consistent. This was never sugar coated and I am aware of this aspect of the job.

Very much so. I'm pleased that I was able to do the vacation scheme as it meant I knew I wanted to work there full time. The company culture is very inclusive and is actively working on steps to increase diversity. Everyone works really hard, and manages to be friendly whilst doing so. The welcoming and social nature of the culture was one of the reasons I had an enjoyable experience. Also teamwork is really important, I liked that they don't stand for an aggressive or self serving culture.

From the start there was plenty of networking opportunities and socials. There was even a pre scheme event in which the vac schemers could meet grad recruitment and each other. This was really beneficial. Trainees came to a lot of the socials. There was always a chance to talk to employees and ask them questions.

Amazing! They made the scheme so fun, and meant our cohort became really close. The better we knew each other the more fun each day was, and the better we worked together in team projects. Linklaters put a lot of effort into the socials, from speedboats to dinners to darts. Everyone had a really great time.

Yes! Pro bono, and sports were regularly mentioned. My trainee involved me in pro bono work and it was really fascinating. Also Linklaters have societies for very various groups - from sports to a women's group. There are schemes that Linklaters supports including those that assist students from an ethnic minority background or those from a low socio-economic background. I was told I could be involved in mentoring if this was something that interested me.

Without a doubt. The scheme confirmed to me that a career in commercial law is what I want, and that I definitely wanted that career to be at Linklaters. I'd recommend it because of the four week structure, enabling a better insight into two different practices- but also because it is a fun scheme! I learnt so much and had an enjoyable time, and I know this isn't always the case on other schemes from other firms.