Vacation Scheme Student Review

The vacation scheme gave a real insight into not only the work that the firm is involved in, but also its values and strategies for the future. The Business of Law week was really good in terms of getting us into the mindset of a client and seeing things from a business perspective. It was really great meeting people from all levels of the firm, and meeting participants from all UK offices.

During my time at the firm, I was heavily invovled in an ongoing matter that had a strict deadline to meet. I was working individually on tasks, but also as part of a team in getting documents ready for bundles. My invovlement in the work and case made me feel very much part of the team and I was given great feedback.

During the internship part of the scheme, I was given adhoc feedback on smaller tasks. On larger research tasks, my supervisor sat with me at went through each points of the research and gave me useful feedback, both in terms of what I did well on and also helpful things to add which the client would benefit from. It made me see how my work can be adapted to different audiences.

The skills learned, from proofreading to document managing to research, will definitely help me in my current job and also in future jobs and aspiring career goal of becoming a solicitor. The information in the first week will help me see the impact decisions have on clients, which is useful in a legal client facing role.

The first week was the Business of Law, and the remaining weeks was spent working in a department. It was good to get a sense of the commercial elements of working in a law firm for clients. Working in one single department during the internship element meant that I could really get stuck into a case, and I was very much involved in a particular ongoing case.

Everyone at the firm was really friendly and happy to take the time to meet with you and talk. Even though my department was incredibly busy, I felt I was able to ask all the relevant questions and get a lot out of it. Everyone, from fee earners to support staff, were helpful and made sure I felt very welcome at the firm.

During the internship element, the feedback I received for my work was very personal to me, and resulted in me developing skills to produced better work as the weeks went by. The firm invested a lot in terms of the Business of Law week and getting people from different organisations to talk to us.

Working in a single department for the two weeks was a great insight into what wor the team gets involved in. Sitting in open plan was also a great way to listen in on conversations of how people talk to each other and clients. It also made it easier to engage in conversations and get real responsibility. Outside of department work, it was great being involved in the firm's CR and diversity and inclusions initiatives.

Various elements of the scheme involved diversity and inclusion. This included a presentation piece, hearing different networks talks, and being involved in a network event. This reflects the firm's culture and commitment to diversity which was really refreshing.

The content of the scheme was very much focused on working at a law firm, and also the future of law. Not only did it provide insight into the work I would be doing as a trainee and beyond, but also the type of roles available in the legal market in the future. For me, it really confirmed my decision to be a solicitor.

We were all paid a fixed amount for our time on the scheme at the end of the three weeks.

In the first week, representatives from across the firm spoke to us during a speed networking event. We also had talks from people in various sectors of the firm. We attended several dinners where people from across the firm were also invited. There was definitely plenty of opportunity to network with a wide variety of people.

The first week was packed with networking opportunities, from dinners to a painting social to breakout sessions. We had a speed networking session and sector talks too. These opportunities were a great way to ask questions, learn about what people do, and learn about how people feel about working at the firm.

There was a pro bono dinner which we attended which was a great way to see the different charity partners the firm works with, and also the differnent CR work available to get involved in. The firm's intranet page is a quick way to see the different sports and social teams that you can join. There was also a talk on the different networks that you can join.

The combination of the Business of Law week with the internship element amounted to a really unique vacation scheme. It was great to meet people from across the UK offices. The business simulation and client visits were a highlight. Throughout the weeks, I felt part of the team and was invovled in real work for real clients. I would definitely recommend to a friend.