Vacation scheme student Review

I really enjoyed my placement with Walker Morris. It had a good balance of social activities and work, and provided many opportunities to meet people in different departments to find out more about the firm. It has definitely made me want to work for the firm and secure a training contract with them in the future.

I think everyone on the vacation scheme was made to feel very welcome. The trainees were extremely supportive and were so positive about the firm and what it is like to work at Walker Morris. The work I was doing was all client based work and I felt that everything I did was contributing to the department as opposed to just doing admin.

We were each given a trainee for the vacation scheme, and my trainee was very supportive. I also assisted other trainees with work and I felt that I could to any of them to ask advice if I was struggling with the work. Everyone in the firm made you feel that you could ask them for guidance with a task.

I have not yet completed my GDL or LPC so the placement was useful to gain an insight into the work I will be doing as a solicitor. It has also allowed me to experience working in an office environment and learn more about the day to day life in the firm.

The vacation scheme was well structured. We were given a timetable at the beginning of the week and this was closely followed all week, so we knew what we were doing and where we had to be. There was a good balance of work in departments and social activities with the trainees.

There was a very positive atmosphere in the office at all times. It was clear that everyone worked hard and cared about their work but at the same time everyone was very approachable and I felt that I could go and speak to anyone in the department I was in.

The firm must have spent a lot of time working on the structure of the vacation scheme to ensure that everyone benefited from the experience. Throughout the week the trainees took time to go through work that I had been given so that I learnt from all of the tasks.

After this week I am confident that I understand how it would be to work at Walker Morris. We spent a lot of time in the departments doing tasks that we would be expected to do as a trainee. We also had ample opportunities to meet people and gain their views on how it is to work here.

As a result of being in our respective departments for the majority of our time here, we were able to observe the culture in the office. Everyone was very friendly and made you feel welcome. It was clear that some people were very busy but they always made time to speak to you.

Until this week I was still unsure whether or not I definitely wanted to be a solicitor. I am now certain that this is the right career for me. We were told about the reality of the job, as well as the perks of working for a firm like Walker Morris.

We were all paid for the week.

Throughout the week we were able to meet people from our department. There was also an organised social on the Wednesday evening and the vac scheme students all arranged to meet for drinks after work on the Monday and Friday and we all met for lunch most days.

The social event on the Wednesday was good fun. We went to a pizza bar and spent most of the evening just chatting about the week and speaking to trainees about their experiences at the firm so far. Networking opportunities were available all week, but at times it was very much up to you what you made of these.

On the Thursday we had a question and answer session with the trainees and we got to find out about activities they did outside of work, such as a netball team, football team and monthly meals with the other trainees. It definitely seems that the social life at the firm is very active.

Yes, I would definitely recommend taking part in the vacation scheme to anyone who is given the opportunity. I learnt a lot from the week both in terms of technical knowledge and more about the role of a solicitor in a commercial firm like Walker Morris. I don't think anyone hasn't enjoyed the experience.