Vacation Scheme Intern Review

I very very much enjoyed the Spring Vacation Scheme at Baker Mckenzie as I believed everyone was very open and friendly, which means we got to ask plenty of questions and really understand the work offered at the firm and how the firm operates.

People at Baker McKenzie understood that we were only vac schemers but they nonetheless gave us valuable work and cared to give us feedback. They made use of our skills, for instance linguistics where we could help in a foreign language etc.

We were paired up with an associate as a buddy, which means they would make time to explain things to us and take time to answer our questions. Furthermore, the trainees were very keen to help us and guide us through the work. Finally, the partners were very open and friendly meaning that we did not feel shy to ask them questions either.

Having a bachelor's degree in Political Science and History, reading swaths of text, analysing it and drafting pieces during the vacation scheme were a lot easier thanks to that. Furthermore, I am currently completing the GDL, which means that my basic understanding and knowledge of the law helped me as well, especially for legal research.

The fact that we got to sit in two departments meant that we got a relatively basic but solid understanding of what the two departments did, which was very useful. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the social activities and the extra activities as they were spread out very nicely and gave us time before each activity to prepare and make the most out of it. Overall, I thought the scheme was very well structured.

It was lovely! Everyone was genuinely very open and friendly. The vac schemers all got along, and got to know each other fairly well through activities and social events. The people from Baker McKenzie were very open, which made the atmosphere very professional, but comfortable nonetheless.

Baker McKenzie organised things such as a public speaking workshop for us to improve on that along with the client pitch which was great as we had to perform research but also present it in a realistic but successful way. Furthermore, we got to do speed-dating like events to ask questions.

It was extremely useful as we got to sit in two departments, perform real work, and got all our questions answered. The employees gave us real work and took us in meetings, meaning we got to experience real deals. Finally, the client pitch meant that we simulated a real life experience and that we could understand other sides of the firm that we would not be exposed to until later.

By meeting everyone from the IT and HR departments up to ManComm, the vacation scheme exposed us to all departments and levels of the company including associates, trainees, personal assistants and paralegals, which means that through chatting, asking questions and witnessing the departments, we formed a real understanding of the company culture.

There were not only socials with trainees but there were many drinks, lunches, and other events to meet many different employees of the firm and we therefore managed to network and ask many questions. Employees were very much encouraged to partake in such activities but it was clear that they were happy to assist and answer questions.

Yes, not only by speaking to employees about this but there was a CSR and Pro-Bono talk given by the head of CSR and Pro-Bono, which means we got all the information regarding the activities outside of work. We were happy to hear all about the different societies such as Baker Women and Baker Opportunities.

Yes, very much so! The scheme was very well structured, it offered many different opportunities to try new things, meet new employees and learn all about the firm and its work. Furthermore, the firm's culture was clear from Day 1: a friendly, professional and extremely competent environment. Furthermore, the last interview was very pleasant and the firm got back to me within a few days only as to the outcome of the scheme.