Vacation Scheme Review

I really enjoyed my time at Squire Patton Boggs. I felt the work I was given was varied and, even though it was challenging at times, I always had the support I needed to complete it. People were very happy to answer questions and take the time to give you feedback. This made my time in the firm really enjoyable and gave me a great insight into work at Squire Patton Boggs.

I was encouraged to attend meetings and participate in ongoing matters. Everyone was really inclusive and made me feel part of the team from the first day. I especially enjoyed getting to know people more at the Summer Party. There were games that encouraged everyone in the firm to play and collaborate. It was a great experience to get to know people in a more informal environment.

I felt like I had the space to work on my own and the freedom to ask people for advice and support. I have just finished the GDL, and I found that the people I worked with were happy to stop and explain to me more complex legal matters so that I could understand the context of the work I had been asked to do.

I will be starting the LPC this September and the skills I have had the chance to develop will be very useful to complete my studies. I had the chance to draft documents and to engage in research that I had later present to my supervisors. The commercial awareness we have gained these two weeks will also be extremely useful in our future studies and careers.

We spent two weeks in each department and had a social event every week. That way there was a good combination of working hours and time spent getting to know people from the firm and other vac schemers. We attended a practice group overview every morning. This allowed us to get to know all the teams in the firm even if we had not had the chance to work with them.

The atmosphere was great. There was a real sense of community in the firm and people were very inclusive. We had fun activities, got to attend the Summer Party, and had interesting work to do whilst at the office. I got to attend a meeting for the Charity Committee of the firm and get to know more about their work with their charity of the year. Being the new person in a job is always hard, but people at Squire Patton Boggs made us feel welcome from day 1.

We had practice group overviews every morning, in which people from the firm at all levels spoke to us about their work and answered our questions. We were also given interesting work and whoever we were working with always found time to give us feedback and tell us what to improve in future. I feel the firm spent a lot in us and made sure that we actually experienced what is like to work with them.

The insight showed me a quite realistic picture of what it will be like to work here. Not only from the work we were given or the meetings we attended, but also from talking to people at the firm. I found it especially useful to talk to trainees, who were always there to answer questions and tell us about the work they were involved in at the moment. The practice group overviews also covered working life and issues such as the changes in work when progressing from trainee to newly qualified.

During the vacation scheme I got to experience many aspects of the culture of the Squire Patton Boggs. We got to experience two different teams, interact with people in a more social and relaxed context as well as attend meetings with clients and see the client-facing side of the role. I feel like I got a real sense of what is like to be part of their team.

It was actually really helpful, as I got to experience areas of law I had no previous background in. I discovered new interests and got to further develop my skills. Sitting at the Corporate and Property Litigation teams has showed me a wide variety of work which will help me decide which area to qualify into in the future.

I think the pay was very good as it allowed me to cover my expenses during the time I was working for the firm. There are hidden costs to work placements (eg transport, food, work clothes) and the pay we were given was more than enough to cover all of these.

We had the opportunity to meet people from every team in the Practice Group Overviews and the Summer Party. Moreover, everyone encouraged you to speak to people from departments you were interested in and find out about the work they were doing. When preparing for our Group Presentation we also spoke to different partners at the firm about their areas of expertise, and we received feedback from them.

I really enjoyed all social and networking events. The only thing I would change is that it would have been great if more people from the firm had joined us for vac scheme socials. Although there were always two trainees with us, it would have been a great opportunity to chat with more people about their experiences as trainees in a more relaxed context.

I was invited to sport activities that employees attend to after work, such as rugby or netball matches. Moreover, I was able to attend a meeting with the Charity Committee and find out about the activities they had planned for the rest of the year. I also participated in a photo the team took with nearby offices for LGBT Pride.

I would definitely recommend a vacation scheme with Squire Patton Boggs. It provides vac schemers with a great opportunity to engage in interesting work, get to know the culture of the firm and get a real sense of what is like to work with them. My experience here has been very enriching and I am very glad I got the chance to work here for two weeks.