Vacation Scheme Review

I really enjoyed both my weeks at BCLP, particularly my seat in Restructuring and Insolvency which showed me the breadth of work a department like this gets involved with. I was challenged with a variety of new experiences that clearly showed me what it was like to be a trainee at a leading city firm.

Even as a vacation scheme-er, I felt like a truly valued member of the team; l was never given a task “just for the sake of it.” Every piece of work I did contributed to an ongoing matter which made me feel like a real trainee. The people at BCLP were fantastic! People were patient and willing to help with any questions or problems I had throughout my scheme.

I received a lot of helpful guidance; the Graduate Recruitment team were always available should we have any questions about the general scheme. For each of the 2 seats I sat in over the course of the 2 weeks, I was allocated a trainee buddy whose experiences weren’t too far removed from my own. I was also allocated a senior associate and partner buddy from each of my seats. I think this system struck the perfect balance, I was never “micro managed” but was still expected to be independent with my work. That being said, whenever I required practical advice or had any questions there was always a suitable person to ask.

After my vacation scheme, I am more confident in my understanding of how a city law firm works and what kind of roles a trainee would be required to fulfil. A lawyers work is dependant on one’s attention to detail and, having developed this skill in my vacation scheme, I am able to utilise it in my GDL.

I really enjoyed experiencing 2 different seats ( Real Estate and Restructuring & Insolvency) in my 2 weeks at the firm as it allowed me to be build a bigger picture of the kind of work BCLP does. The multiple deadlines in the Graduate Recruitment lead events during my second week (pro bono project and client pitch project) meant that I had to be on top of my time management as I had to balance this with with a heavy workload in my seat.

I really enjoyed the entire two weeks. As one would expect from a global law firm like BCLP, the workload was intense but it was clear that Graduate Recruitment had made a concerted effort for all vacation scheme-ers to enjoy the process (with social events!) and to take advantage by asking as many questions to as many experienced lawyers and trainees as possible. I genuinely enjoyed my experience and getting to know my fellow vacation schemers who I’m still in regular contact with

BCLP invested in me as an individual; my senior associate buddies held informal mock interviews with me and quizzed me on my motivations in joining the firm in preparation for the Training Contract interview. I was supported throughout my vacation and I felt like I had the genuine support of my team.

I was able to experience a variety of different roles during my vacation scheme and not just those one would typically call a “trainee role.” I sat in on a client call and I was also able to receive client contact in a client pitch presentation. I was surprised (and grateful) to see what I could be doing a few years down the line on qualification.

The structure of the BCLP vacation scheme allowed me to talk to a variety of people of different seniority; whether it was senior partners, associates or trainees, I was able to arrange coffee meetings or lunches with people. Every individual I spoke to was more than happy to give up 30mins-1 hour of their time talking to me and I don’t think I could have found such a firm that genuinely has such a great culture.

Though I had decided that a career in law was for me, the vacation scheme was further proof that I was on the right path. This was my first real experience in a fully corporate law firm; the work was challenging yet enjoyable and the people at BCLP made the whole experience even more enjoyable.

We were paid £400 per week (£800 in total.) A couple of friends on the vacation scheme had to pay for accommodation during the vacation scheme (I am unsure if they were reimbursed for this/ received a contribution) For the social events, which there were 2, Graduate recruitment provided food and drinks. After a successful TC application, BCLP also provide a maintenance grant and pay for the GDL and LPC tuition fees.

Graduate recruitment facilitated a mixture of events, some more formal than others. We had partner lunches, drinks with BCLP employees after talks and some trainees also attended our social events with us. I also personally contacted individuals who were more than happy (subject to availability) to meet for coffee or lunch for any questions I had or to feedback on work I had done

As already mentioned, there were a variety of networking events some more formal than others. I really valued the opportunity to talk to BLCP individuals outside of law, and spoke about hobbies and how individuals wind down after a particularly stressful/ long day. I appreciated the honesty of those I spoke with.

BCLP has a fantastic array of activities available outside of work. During the second week of the vacation scheme, I attended the legal walk along with other vacation schemers and I was also invited to join the netball team in training and even their upcoming match. We were notified of any upcoming social events well in advance via our emails

I would recommend this vacation scheme to anyone interested in pursuing a legal career at a full service firm. My fellow vacation schemers were all on different stages of their legal journey; some had done a law degree, some hadn’t and some were para legals. Regardless, we all had such a fantastic experience and have remained close after the scheme ended