This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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About You
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The Company
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Everything Else
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
- 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?
- 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 5. How well structured was the insight?
- 6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?
- 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 8. To what extent did the insight help you to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company or firm?
- 9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?
- 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
- 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
- 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
- 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
- 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
- 15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?
About You
A really enjoyable week. All members of staff were extremely friendly, and constantly trying to involve me in interesting tasks. I was given an amazing insight into the company culture of the firm, and was introduced to the everyday activities of the employees at the company in an interesting, engaging and challenging way.
All members of staff, from reception to the members of the department, were extremely friendly.
My supervisor and other colleagues were always willing to provide help for assigned tasks, and would answer any follow up questions after the tasks right away - regardless of being so busy themselves. Even if they didn't set me the task, if felt perfectly comfortable asking other employees about the task I had been assigned, and they were often all too willing to help me.
It was great to apply the theoretical knowledge to practical circumstances, showing how it is all done in real life. Even the more mundane tasks did genuinely give me a major insight into how law firms operate, right down to the trivial details. I will be able to use these skills very much in the future.
The Company
Each day was well time-tabled and structured as a whole, however there was a wide range of work between students on the scheme due to the necessity of supervisors and other members of the department to come up with tasks themselves in an unstructured way, meaning some students were frequently involved in depth in real tasks, while others were only performing administrative work.
Everyone was extremely friendly and supportive the entire time, and it genuinely felt as if they were doing their best to make me fit in. There was a real atmosphere of fun and camaraderie throughout, regardless of how busy all the employees were. The after work events were always week attended, as were the various networking events throughout.
Much of the training provided was simply on the spot, due to the short period of time we were at the company. However, this training was, by and large, wholly satisfactory for the tasks we were required to complete, and I never felt overwhelmed during the scheme while present there.
I had relatively little knowledge of the real legal environment prior to working here, but now feel quite comfortable with how it operates in practice - from the tasks performed to billable hours to the general atmosphere of the legal environment. I would now feel entirely comfortable within the industry.
Many firms advertise themselves as being extremely friendly, however Gowling was genuinely extremely friendly. Every single member was happy to talk and help however - it was truly remarkable. I would thoroughly recommend this company purely based off the corporate culture alone, regardless of the many other perks of the company.
It provided me with a large range of various tasks which I would complete during the day.
Everything Else
I was paid over £300 for the week I was at this firm.
There were several after work events organised during the week, allowing us to mingle with trainees and employees at the firm. Members were always eager to attend these events, and talk to those at the vacation scheme. During the day, employees were also often eager to introduce themselves and talk to me throughout.
As above, there were many networking events organised throughout the week.
During my time there, I was offered the opportunity to take part in several of the after work events, and informed of the many more which take place throughout the year.
Yes, I would indeed recommend this insight to a friend.
Details
Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)
Corporate Law
West Midlands
June 2018