Placement Scheme(r) Review

It really is what you make of it - you have to be engaged and enthusiastic. No one is going to hand you work on a plate, you have to go out and get it for yourself.

It was a nice atmosphere, and if you fit in culturally it becomes pretty evident early on. No one deliberately tries to make you feel uncomfortable but there were a few partners who were not so receptive to non-law types so that made it sometimes a bit difficult.

Support-wise, it was good. But remember that this placement is a two-week job interview, so the management aspect is left up to you. Feedback was scarce.

You really can be as busy as you want to be, but just take it easy - I found you can get just as much if not more done by simply taking one or two tasks at a time than if you rush about getting loads of work from different people.

I suppose you kindof know that none of the work you were given was actually anything that someone else hasn't done or reviewed already, but there were a few pieces of research that I did which were solely my own responsibility to do accurately. It was a good balance.

It was alright - I think for a student who hasn't had too much work experience they could learn loads. What is most valuable, though, is understanding the day-to-day tasks involved in being a solicitor - how exactly you fill your day. It does really give you an insight into how the firm and the industry work.

It was really nice. Most people were friendly and engaged and while there were stressful areas of work the people dealing with it were good at balancing out stress levels.

It was extremely well-organized, although it felt a little top-heavy as most of the events were in the first week.

Most people did seem to want you to get something out of it, but below the surface it was a two-week long interview, so the training and development aspect was lost beneath the pressure of trying to impress. Some vac schemers coped better than others; advice for future candidates is to try and relax and enjoy it - it was a great place to work!

I would love to work with Jones Day, because I am more proactive and engaged with my work. If you are an introvert or have little experience in the working world you may find it hard.

Yes, the social scene was good, although for more mature schemers with responsibilities to other jobs, family, etc. this was lost a little.

London is expensive. Period.

If you enjoy clubbing or heading out to the pub, then I'm sure it's great. If you're a bit older, there's some nice pubs around but the clubs will undoubtedly provide queasy flashbacks to those heady uni days.

They were good about including us in things like sports teams but other than that there wasn't too much.