Vacation Scheme Student Review

I completed the winter vacation scheme, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The scheme was structured really well, providing sessions on each practice area of the firm as well as allowing for plenty of time in the seat you had been given. This meant I was able to get a real flavour of the type of work being completed at the firm, so was really insightful. The scheme also had a great array of social events, including a lunch with Partners, which gave an informal setting to ask them questions.

The lawyers I was working with in the real estate team made me feel really welcome and like I was a part of the team from the get go. I was even invited to their team Christmas lunch! I was provided with feedback on the work I completed and the ways I could improve, which contributed to the feeling of being valued whilst on the scheme.

Everyone at the firm was really supportive during the scheme, from the lawyers in my department to the graduate recruitment team. For example, it was made clear from the beginning of the week that if we had any concerns there were multiple people we could turn to to address these.

The information received on the scheme was particularly helpful when it came to my training contract interview. I was able to talk about the firm with a much greater depth of knowledge, given that the scheme had been structured in a way which allowed us to get to know the firm and what they do.

Again, the scheme was structured really well with a great balance of workshops, social events and time spent in your seat. This made the week wizz by! We also had a training contract interviews a couple of weeks after the schemes, which was a structure I really liked as it gave me some time to go away and reflect on what I had learnt during the scheme.

The atmosphere was really positive. All those on the scheme got along well and the social events really helped the group get to know each other and have a good time. The real estate team I was in also had a great atmosphere and I was made to feel really welcome from the get go.

A lawyers most valuable asset is probably their time, and therefore I feel that the firm invested heavily in us on the scheme. We received formal workshops from associates and partners who were always happy to stay around and answer any questions we might have at the end. The lawyers in my seat were exactly the same, and I felt confident and comfortable to ask them questions to help improve my knowledge and understanding.

We got to spend plenty of time with trainees from the firm and through this I was able to develop a thorough insight into what it would be like to work there full time. This approach was even evident during the Assesment Centre, where we had a lunch and office tour with a few trainees.

The scheme was particularly helpful in this respect as it is very difficult to get a feel for a firms culture without spending time there. The open and collegiate environment fostered at BCLP was evident straight away. The graduate recruitment department made this evident from the outset when we had a fun icebreaker session on the Monday morning. The positive firm culture was also clear when I spent time in my seat and from those giving us presentations on the firm.

I was already set on pursuing a career as a commercial solicitor. My time at the firm only reconfirmed this, and made it clear to me that I wanted to pursue a career with BCLP, because of the great culture at the firm and the array of interesting work on offer.

The firm paid us £400 for the week. I thought this was a fair amount.

As previously mentioned there were plenty of networking and social events during the week where we were able to meet trainees, associates and partners from all areas of the firm. I also liked the way that some of the events were less formal, whilst some were more structured as this provided a good forum to ask different types of questions. For example, during formal presentations we were able to get an idea of the sort of work the firm was involved in, whilst at social networking events it gave a great opportunity to ask lawyers about their personal experiences of the firm.

They were all really well done. One evening we went to a ping pong bar which was good fun and helped those on the scheme get to know each other. We also had a fairwell leaving drinks which was a nice touch.

Yes, we spent time with trainees who told us all about the various events and teams that BCLP had and that we could get involved in as trainees.

100%. Having taken part in 5 vacation schemes I can say this was easily my favourite one!