Vacation Scheme Student Review

I really enjoyed the vacation scheme and felt it gave me a really good insight into commercial law in general, and Pinsent Masons as a firm. Everyone I met was very genuine and welcoming, and the work was very interesting. I feel that I learned a lot and really benefited from this vacation placement.

My supervisor and trainee buddy were always willing to take time out to give me feedback, answer any questions, or just have a chat. The open plan office makes it really easy to feel like a part of the team. Everyone in my department was very welcoming and genuinely approachable, and many people came up to introduce themselves and get to know me.

I was able to really get involved in legal practice and develop skills through tasks such as drafting, conducting legal research, and reviewing documents. This increased my familiarity with the sort of work that is expected in a commercial firm and tied in well with what I learned at university (while going beyond what we covered in my law degree to create a more practical application).

It was pretty well structured. We went down to London on the first Monday and were able to meet vacation scheme students from all the English offices. The rest of the week was mainly in our departments aside from a video conference the first week and our assessment centre the second week.

The scheme was laid out well. We had plenty of time in our departments and got to be involved in a range of different tasks and get exposure to different sorts of matters, but we also had a social every week which were a good chance to talk to everyone in a more relaxed environment

As I was able to talk to people with a range of roles in the firm from partners to solicitors to trainees, I feel I have a good idea of what it would be like to work for Pinsent Masons. We were exposed to a lot of trainee tasks and able to get involved outside of work to see all aspects of the job.

We started out the placement in London where they told us about the firm and their new purpose-led vision and the firm's values. A lot of firms could say these things without really meaning them, but everyone does truly follow the firm's values. The open plan office means everyone is very approachable and easy to access, which isn't always true at other firms.

I found these two weeks to be incredibly valuable in determining that I want to go into commercial law in a future at a large firm like Pinsent Masons. I really enjoyed my time here and the work that I was exposed to throughout my time. It is hard to know at university what type of law is right for you, but I found that seeing what it is like in practice was indespensible.

We attended both welcome and leaving drinks with the firm which the entire office was invited to, which was a good opportunity to talk to people at all levels of the firm. Beyond this, we also had two socials during the placement with the trainees which was a good opportunity to ask them any questions and get to know them.

The two socials were really well run and a good opportunity to talk more informally with both trainees and my fellow vacation scheme students. On the Friday of our first week, we went out for drinks and to play shuffleboard and on the Wednesday of the second week, we went out for dinner and then drinks.

I would really recommend this insight if you are interested in commercial law. Pinsent Masons is a very genuine firm that stands by its values and statements. The work was really interesting and my supervisor worked hard to make sure I was able to see a range of matters throughout the two weeks. I would highly recommend doing a vacation placement with Pinsents if you can.