Intern Review

I enjoyed the insight week. Everyone was really friendly at this firm and, despite me being ill for the majority of the week, they tried their very best to get me to see and do as much as possible. Coming from a place of zero legal experience, this was a really useful insight into the way law firms operate (especially on the day-to-day side of things). The Birmingham office is also really friendly.

My trainee supervisor gave me a lot of the work that she had been doing and marked my progress against her own work. She made every effort to give me a feel of legal documents and legal work and was just genuinely someone who was really enthusiastic about seeing people through the recruitment process. Besides my supervisor, everyone was always willing to talk and explain things to me and I think that culture and ethos is something quite specific to this firm (and this office).

When it came to actual legal work, my supervisor always explained (and re-explained if necessary) any work that needed to be doing. If I had any further questions, she was always available to help me. Some tasks we couldn't receive assistance on, e.g. group assessments and interviews which was completely expected.

Coming from a non-law background, the things I learned won't necessarily go towards helping with my degree but they'll definitely be useful for a law career.

I think the insight was very well structured. We had lots of in department work, socials (a Christmas party), got to be involved with Christmas jumper day and had interviews and more formal assessments towards the end of the week.

The Birmingham office is full of really lovely people. Everyone was always willing to help, my supervisor was always in hand and trainees, associates and paralegals across floors were happy to speak to me whenever I had questions. Phil, who works downstairs at reception, was also really nice and just rounded off the genuinely nice atmosphere at this firm (and in this office).

Partners, associates, trainees and paralegals across the floors were always willing to answer questions so I had a better understanding of the law.

Because we were given real work, I felt as though we got a good understanding of what solicitors are doing on a daily basis. A week perhaps isn't long enough to give a full insight, but it would've been very hard to sort out a longer vacation scheme around this time of year and everyone really tried to give us as much information as possible.

I think I've learnt more about company culture than I ever thought I would have, and it's one that I really like. The people in this office know each other instantly by name even if they're on different floors - everyone gels really well together and that ethos was really lovely to see but also be a part of.

Coming into Squires with zero legal experience and not fully understanding different practice areas, this insight really helped me get to grips with the kinds of practice areas I might like to be involved in. It also reaffirmed for me that law is the path I want to go towards.

We had daily networking lunches and met a huge range of people across practice areas.

They were really good. The daily networking lunches were full of people who made me feel relaxed and comfortable, and at the Christmas party you couldn't tell partners apart from associates or trainees. I think this is a firm that really wants people to feel like they're equal to each other and you definitely get that sense during networking/social event opportunities.

From speaking to people across floors I found out about various pro bono intiatives (e.g. the legal advice clinic in Birmingham). I also found out about business development and how everyone is involved in the marketing process (blogging, university visits, etc.) which was really interesting.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend. I think, especially if you don't have legal experience, Squires at Birmingham is a good place to get a first feel for the law. Everyone is really friendly and helpful and that makes embarking on a law career feel much less intimidating and instead more exciting.