Vacation Scheme Intern Review

The vacation scheme at Stephenson Harwood provided me with the opportunity to meet and interact with numerous lawyers throughout the firm whilst learning and completing a variety of tasks normally completed by trainees. We spent the majority of the week working alongside other interns which was very enjoyable and did not feel particularly competitive. Some stand out moments include both of the evening social events where we had the opportunity to engage with current trainees on a more casual basis and some of the talks from departments at the firm which I would not have previously considered applying for a seat with. Overall, the experience was both fun and insightful. I would definitely recommend it to people applying.

Across the experience both [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] from graduate recruitment did an excellent job at trying to get to know everyone. This was achieved especially well through completing a diversity and inclusions exercise which enabled us to discuss our backgrounds, interests, past challenges and goals in teams. Furthermore, everyone at the firm was extremely approachable. This was particularly apparent during both the vacation scheme interview and the training contract interview where the interviewers put in a lot of effort to get to know us, making the process seem more like a conversation rather than an interview.

The guidance and support across the internship was exceptional. Each day would start and end with a group call with graduate recruitment asking us how we found the day and if we were struggling with anything. Furthermore, they were always on hand throughout completing tasks if we needed some advice. They also provided a one to one phone call mid way through the week. Interactions with graduate recruitment were extremely relaxed and informal meaning you could ask any questions comfortably.

One of the best parts of the internship was having associates from each of the departments deliver a presentation on the type of work they do and answer all of our questions on their subject area. This has definitely resulted in me reconsidering which seats I would like to do in a training contract as some areas such as Employment and Pensions were far more interesting than I first thought. We also gained some guidance on completing the LPC and future aims of the firm. With regard to the tasks completed, the firm provides feedback on all of them, meaning you can learn from and develop skills relevant for a future training contract.

The internship was extremely well structured. All of the vacation scheme students were provided with a detailed timetable at the start of the week outlining the elements of the experience and where to be throughout the week. This kept us all busy from roughly 9:30 till 6 each day. Additionally, we had a group presentation task to be delivered at the end of the week which meant any free time could be filled preparing for that. It was also nice to have the assessment centre day in the middle of the week so that we could spend the first few days familiarising ourselves with the firm.

The atmosphere across vacation scheme students, members of HR and lawyers throughout the firm was extremely positive. Every member of staff across the firm was interested in getting to know us and would happily give up their time to have a virtual meeting. The friendly, approachable nature of the firm was particularly well demonstrated in both interviews, where ther process felt more like a conversation; and during the social activities in the evenings, where all the trainees were willing to have informal chats about their experiences.

The internship enabled us to complete a variety of tasks, most of which would normally be completed by trainees. These included legal research, summarising developments in the transportation sector and completing a presentation on innovation in law firms. In addition, we had the opportunity to meet and interact with lawyers from a variety of departments across the firm. Each of these departments then delivered a presentation providing us with greater information as to the type of work completed by trainees and associates. Overall, this provided us with clear guidance as to what it would be like to have a full time role with the firm

Across the experience I had the opportunity to interact with and learn from a variety of trainees, associates and partners. Every single person that I spoke to was approachable, interested in finding out more about me and extremely easy to chat to, thus demonstrating the friendly inclusive culture installed at the firm. In particular, spending time with trainees during more informal sessions and speaking to both my supervisor and buddy also helped contribute to learning about the firm culture.

The internship confirmed to me that commercial law is the the practice area I want to complete my training contract in. Across the experience we heard presentations from departments throughout the firm all discussing the various work they complete and the tasks that trainees would be expected to do. It was also great to chat on a more informal basis with other trainees during the social events in the evenings as we got an opportunity to hear about their experiences of the different seats they had worked in.

The social events during the evenings of the internship were excellent and facilitated a good amount of discussion between vacation scheme students and trainees. The first included an online class which demonstrated how to build a macrame flower pot holder and the second involved themed doughnut decorating. Across both of these we had ample amount of opportunity, in a more relaxed atmosphere, to ask trainiess about their experiences and find out more about the firm.

I would definitely recommend the experience to a friend. Considering it was the first virtual placement scheme the firm had completed, they did an excellent job of providing a well rounded set of activities and talks which enabled us to complete work that trainees would normally have done and find out more about the firm. In addition, it was great that the firm kept the social activities despite the transition to being online as these provided the opportunity to chat to current trainees on a more informal basis .