Vacation Scheme Review

I had a really good time during my vacation scheme at Walker Morris. It was a detailed insight into life at the firm and the type of work that is done on a day to day basis. It also highlighted what we would expect if we were to undertake a training contract at the firm.

The firm genuinely cared about the experience we had during the week and wanted plenty of feedback from participants. They also were genuinely interested in getting to know us all individually, and made an effort to interact with candidates all throughout the week. Members of staff were very friendly and approachable at all times.

We were given detailed information about everything we should expect from the week which was really helpful. When working in the departments, I was able to ask for help whenever I needed it and other members of staff were happy to talk me through things if needed which helped provide the support needed.

The variation of tasks definitely helped to develop several skills whilst on the vacation scheme which would assist for my legal studies. We were given drafting tasks, research tasks, negotiation exercises, legal writing tasks and some people were even offered the chance to attend court or client meetings. All of these were helpful by providing an insight into how our skills gained at university would apply to live work.

The vacation scheme was well structured as we spent plenty of time in each department, we had a social event on the Wednesday evening so half way through the week, the assessment style activities were on two different days and were spread out. This variation allowed plenty of time to be spent in departments doing work as well as leaving time for extra activities.

Everyone who worked at the firm was very friendly and approachable. If you had any questions or queries it was very easy to ask for help when needed. The trainees were very sociable and helpful throughout the week. The graduate recruitment staff were also very accommodating and welcoming from the start which was lovely.

The insight was aimed at giving candidates a genuine feel for the firm and the type of work that is typically done from day to day. The departments we were in gave us genuine and interesting work that was usually what they were working on themselves at the time, so we know this is what would usually be done on a normal working day.

The vacation scheme confirmed my ambition for undertaking a training contract with a law firm. The vacation scheme gave us an insight into what life as a trainee would be like and what work would be done whilst completing a training contract. This was certainly valuable for planning my future career path.

There were plenty of opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the firm. During time in the department, you could seek out and chat to people working in that department. There were several opportunities to chat to the trainee solicitors and members of the graduate recruitment team. There were also opportunities to network with the other vacation scheme candidates too.

The social events were really fun. We had a lunch with the trainee solicitors and we had a social evening on the Wednesday of the week. Whilst at these events we were provided with food and drink and had plenty of opportunity to chat with employees of the firm. The trainees especially were really friendly and sociable at the social events.