Insight Programme at DLA Piper

I thoroughly enjoyed this insight programme. There was a range of activities in the schedule for the 3 day period which included a mixture of talks from various employees and also group tasks. Most of these activities were good however there were some I found more useful than others. I must mention that the grad recruitment team were incredibly approachable which overall increased my enjoyment in the programme.

I did feel very valued during my time at DLA Piper and I believe that this was aided by the friendly nature of the staff, especially grad recruitment but also the various talks by partners. They emphasised how happy they were to have us at DLA Piper and it did seem genuine!

I felt very supported during the insight programme. As I have said, grad recruitment were very approachable and the tasks given to us were led by staff who also provided guidance/support if necessary. The well structured nature of the programme enabled sufficient support and guidance to be experienced by all attendees.

I wouldn't say that I necessarily developed skills as a result of the Programme due to the lack of practical legal tasks offered. I would however say that I learnt valuable information regarding application to the firm itself and I also learnt valuable information regarding being a trainee. The talks from the partners and other members of staff were extremely motivational and I will apply their lessons to my degree and life generally.

It was extremely well structured and the programme we were provided with on day one was followed exactly which was great. There were a range of activities on offer to us which provided variation. There was never a point in the programme where I felt that I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing.

The atmosphere was great during the programme. This was aided by the enthusiasm of grad recruitment, especially Dominique. Also, the talks by various partners also created a good atmosphere as all speakers had great personalities which shone through. Other attendees on the scheme seemed really friendly also and everyone seemed to get along.

The insight was useful and did help me understand what it would be like to work at DLA Piper full time. The trainees told us about their day to day tasks so I understood the kind of work trainees do across the various seats which was interesting and gave me a flavour for full time work.

The insight certainly introduced me to the company culture and each member of staff shared the same company values. The down to earth culture of the firm was certainly evident and made clear by all employees. Perhaps an insight into the working day to day life of various departments would have provided an even more helpful insight.

The programme was very useful in terms of the fact that we got to learn about DLA Piper's different sectors and the different practice areas of the firm. The programme enabled me to think about which areas I was most interested in and which I was perhaps not so interested in.

The firm were incredibly generous by putting up many attendees in a nearby hotel. For those who weren't in the hotel, the firm paid their travel expenses. All attendees on the programme were also provided with £20 food expenses which was again very generous and demonstrates the nature of the firm.

We were offered a pizza dinner on the first night which was great because it enabled us to chat to other programme attendees. We were also provided with the opportunity to 'speed network' with trainees which was useful but I would have liked this to have been longer as it was very useful to me. We also had the opportunity to network over lunch but I think perhaps it would have been better to have this opportunity over the whole three days at lunch time.

Yes, I would recommend this insight to a friend because it is a genuinely valuable experience where you learn more about the firm and its global ethos. The range of staff introduced to yo via the programme helped give you a flavour of the kinds of people who work at DLA and their friendly culture.