Vacation Scheme Placement Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the Vacation Scheme at Taylor Wessing. It completely exceeded my expectations, and it has helped confirm my decision that a career in commercial law is exactly the environment that I would like to work in. The firm and people as a whole were incredibly friendly, and I was encouraged to be myself throughout.

I always felt valued at the firm, and this was proven by the work that I was given. I was constantly given work that mattered and was relevant to current cases and deals. I never felt like I was doing work that wasn't going to be used, which made the experience at the firm far more enjoyable. Furthermore, the welcoming and non-hierarchical nature of the firm made me feel valued and I felt that my opinion mattered for the entirety of the scheme.

I always felt guidance and support. The fact that I had both a supervisor, a trainee buddy and members of graduate recruitment making sure that the scheme was going as smooth as possible gave me a sense of security and also enabled me to get as much out of the scheme as I possibly could. The appraisals and exit meetings were a great way to get your thoughts across and have more personal questions answered.

I had not studied any law going into the scheme, however I did not feel hindered by this. If anything it helped cement my decision to pursue law and therefore my law conversion degree. I was able to see how the law is done in practise which has pushed me to get to grips with the wider issues surrounding the legal industry.

The vacation scheme was really well structured. I enjoyed the daily focus on sessions that we were given that gave us a further insight into the different departments and sectors of the firm. The social evenings and networking events were also a great way to talk to people away from the office, but also a great way to understand people's honest opinions of the firm, which were always positive.

The general atmosphere on the scheme was one of my favourite aspects. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know my fellow vac schemers, and I got on with everyone there. Furthermore, I never felt an inconvenience when in the office, which can often be the case on schemes. However at Taylor Wessing this was never the case, and I always felt that the work and nature of the firm was reflected in the atmosphere, which made for a friendly and enjoyable place to work .

The firm fully invested in the vacation scheme students. The fact that there was something planned everyday to do with a different department and sector allowed for personal development in opening our eyes to areas of law that we perhaps had not considered. Moreover, you could see the effort that graduate recruitment had put into the scheme.

The scheme gave a great insight into what life as a trainee at the firm involved. It was encouraging to see trainees getting a high level of resgnisiblity and also interesting work. I saw first hand the work that trainees get involved in and also the interaction the trainees have with more experienced members of the firm.

I could tell after a few days that the impressive culture I had read so much about did not disappoint. The firm as a whole is an inclusive, diverse, welcoming and friendly firm to work at. This was proven when I asked members of the firm their opinion of working at Taylor Wessing, which was always met with positive acclamations.

I was consistently given work that I enjoyed and found interesting. It not only kept me busy but also gave me the opportunity to expand my knowledge of subjects I did not know much about. I had to manage expectations and make sure I was working to someone else's schedule, which I enjoyed.

The firm were incredibly generous In paying us for the scheme. In my case, I spent the money on accommodation in London, which allowed me to also experience living in London for two weeks, which was great exposure to working life in the city. I was also impressed that we were given the money before the scheme had ended.

There were multiple opportunities to network at the firm. Both at social evenings with trainees, and also at the welcome and leaving drinks on the first and last day. There was also a networking lunch on the last day, which gave one the opportunity to network with many lawyers from associate to partner.

The networking and social events were a great way of talking to people from the firm in a more relaxed environment. The first social event was at flight club, which was a great way to meet other vac schemers properly too, and the second social evening was at an incredibly restaurant in London.

There were many activities that employees could get involved in from sport to music. I found out about the Taylor Wessingers, the choir, from a couple of people who were in the choir. I also inquired about the sport activities that were on offer, by asking members of the firm I saw leaving in sports gear on a Wednesday. I think it is great the firm encourages these kinds of activities outside the place of work.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend. It was not only a great way to see the culture and nature of the firm first hand, but it is also the best kind of actual 'work experience' that you can get. I experienced the work and life of a trainee at Taylor Wessing which made for an informative and exciting 2 weeks.