Vacation Scheme Review

The placement was incredibly insightful which gave me a first hand experience of life inside a commercial law firm. Not only that, the placement cemented my ambition to obtain a training contract in a city law firm. The scheme was very enjoyable and the atmosphere was very welcoming and easy going.

During my first week I felt incredibly valued and my contributions genuinely had an impact on the work the fee earners were able to deliver. Having said that, I felt less valued during my second week, not through the fault of any individuals, but because the majority of the team were on holiday so I didn’t feel as integrated.

I received significant guidance and support over both weeks of the scheme. My buddies deserve commendation for the amount of support and guidance they gave me, especially when it came to complex or technical tasks. I also had the independence to complete my own tasks but the support was there if I needed it.

The skills and knowledge I developed on the Scheme will be very useful in the future. It has given me an insight in to the practical aspect of law which I believe can be directly transferred to my subject area. Not only that, it has also given me the skills to succeed as a commercial lawyer.

On the whole the Scheme was very well structured. The inclusion of social events helped us all bond and feel more comfortable. Not only that, the focus on sessions were incredibly insightful. The only feedback I would give is possibly less focus on sessions in one day, to allow for more time to complete time restricted tasks.

The atmosphere was very welcoming and inclusive. I feel the open door policy is particularly helpful, in that it makes us on the scheme feel more a part of the firm and more integrated. Not only that it made me and my contributions feel valued. The trainees and fee-earners couldn’t have been more helpful and welcoming.

We were not given any arbitrary tasks and I was always invited to any seminars or team meetings that were being conducted. I genuinely felt as though we were already part of the firm and there was no great difference between the way we were treated and the way the trainees were treated. I feel the insight was a very accurate representation of life at a city law firm.

I was able to fully immerse myself in the culture of the company. I attended several social events including EqualiTW which allowed me to fully understand the culture of the firm. The scheme also gave me an insight in to the inner workings of the firm, including the open door policy where even partners do not consider themselves above their fellow fee earners and trainees.

The scheme has cemented my ambition to work in a commercial law firm. Before the scheme I was unsure if this was the correct path for myself but following the scheme I am now sure that this is the correct career path. I enjoyed the variety of work, the atmosphere and the buzz of completing a task which genuinely contributed to the work of the fee earner.

I was paid £400 per week for the placement which I feel is adequate. Having found somewhere cheap to stay whilst undertaking the scheme the £800 over 2 weeks was ample amount but some of the others struggled to make the money stretch to cover commute costs or accommodation costs.

I attended several social events which allowed me to network with several employees from several firms. I gained valuable insight in to the work of these employees but also insight in to the services that TW provides these firms. The networking events were very relaxed and all of the attendees were more than happy to answer any questions I may have had.

We were only made aware of 1 potential activity which employees can get involved with outside of work. Not only that, only 7 of the 20 on the Scheme could be accommodated during this activity. Having said that, as we were only there for 2 weeks this may not give an accurate representation as to the activities employees could get involved in.