DLA Piper Summer Internship Review

The insight was great; the internship was a comprehensive, 3 week induction to life at DLA Piper. There was a whole week of introductory / professional development sessions, followed by two weeks in two different departments. The scheme also paired us with a trainee buddy, which gave a useful point of contact.

I felt really valued throughout the three weeks. It was clear that the graduate recruitment team had made a real effort to ensure the scheme was well-organised and there was plenty planned for us. The supervisors that I had set real work for me to do, got me genuinely involved and set aside time for me to ask questions.`

I received lots of support and guidance all throughout the insight. The supervisors made themselves available throughout to ask questions to, and the trainees were also very helpful. I felt like I could approach trainees to ask about various aspects of the work and about life at the firm. The graduate recruitment team also made themselves available in the event of any questions/issues/etc.

I felt like I really developed and learned a lot on the internship. Before starting the scheme, I thought the first week of introduction / professional development sessions might have been 'hit and miss', but in actual fact I found all of the sessions to be genuinely quite useful. I learned a great deal within the departments about life at the firm, how to tackle legal tasks, networking, etc.

The insight was really well structured. At the start, we were given a booklet which set out the times of all the sessions / socials / presentations. I felt that the three weeks was the perfect amount of time also to get to know the firm properly. There was also a great mix of presentations, Q&As, socials, and time in the department.

The general atmosphere was great. The scheme felt less competitive than other vacation schemes; perhaps because we had the first week (which I believe was not assessed) to get to know the other candidates in a slightly more informal setting. People were generally really supportive of one another and wanted each other to succeed. In addition to that, everyone at the firm felt genuinely welcoming and was happy to spare their time to speak with us.

The firm invested a great deal in our training and development - the entire first week of the scheme was dedicated to training and development sessions. Beyond this, the fact that the scheme was three weeks long made it seem like the firm really cared about getting to know us and giving us a genuine impression of what life there would be like.

The insight really helped to understand the culture of the company. There were numerous sessions on LBGT, diversity in the legal profession, sustainable practice, etc. On top of this, we heard across the three weeks from countless partners, which gave a great insight into where the firm was looking to go and the values which it held to be important.

There were lots of opportunities to network. Not only were there various social events put on for us, these were also attended by senior members of the firm. In addition to this, we were given a £20 Pret gift voucher to encourage us to take members of the firm out for a coffee.

100% would recommend this internship scheme to a friend. Not only is it a scheme on which you can learn a lot, but it gives a really great insight into the firm and whether commercial law would be for you. There are lots of opportunities to network, ask questions, experience real work, etc.