Trainee Solicitor Review

A well planned event that responded well to new circumstances due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. A range of engaging activities with several experts in attendance. I was challenged (in a good way) to expand my knowledge. I knew more at the end of the week than I did at the beginning. I also feel that I was prompted to self-reflect and self-evaluate throughout the week which means I was aware of the skills I was developing throughout.

I always felt valued throughout the week. The firm was looking for its future trainees and it came across that the firm was looking for the best candidates possible. Therefore, they valued the work they were doing in finding those candidates and that translated into a sense of being valued and being treated with respect.

I can't fault the support I received. I always felt encouraged to participate and interact with the coordinators, speakers and my peers. Leading up to the event, communication was effective and I was in no doubt about what I needed to do. The guidance and instructions was always quite clear. There was certainly no chaos and the event ran smoothly. I didn't have any personal issues arise during the event however if I needed help I wouldn't have hesitated to approach someone.

The Business of Law Week most definitely widened my knowledge of a law firm as a business. It also made me realise how projects or ventures within a firm, or in partnerships with other organisations, can touch upon aspects that are not particularly black-letter law focused. This provided me with an better understanding of the business world (commercial awareness or business acumen). In terms of my studies, I now have concrete examples in my mind about how the real world relates to what I read in textbook or discuss in the classroom.

It was very well structured. A lot of thought had gone into the activities and sessions on each day. They were different enough from each other that they presented new challenges and learning curves but also relevant to the firm and the business as whole. At no point did I think, "Why are they talking about this?" A schedule was communicated in advance so we knew what was happening. Information on pre-tasks was also disseminated and it was clear what needed to be completed.

That atmosphere was great. It was quite intensive at times however it was never dull. The activities that they assigned to us got were engaging from both a content and interpersonal perspective. This gave us lots to talk about and therefore the atmosphere was quite high, even though we were participating online. By the end of the week we were quite keen to keep chatting and engage with each other without necessarily having met face-to-face.

The firm brought a lot of people together from several locations to make the week work as well as it did. In response the the pandemic I am sure they had to change several plans. Nevertheless, it was apparent that they were still dedicated to putting on a quality week and to me, this reflects the investment they had in the participants' development. Several people from multiple organisations were brought in to run sessions and share their expertise and insights. This meant I was developing as a future solicitor.

Given the restrictions surrounding the Pandemic and that everyone that could was working from home at the time, I felt that we still got good insight. We had opportunities to chat with fee-earners at various stages of their career and this gave me a good idea of what the firm would be like to work at, despite not being able to go to the offices as originally planned. We also participated in a talk regarding the employment structure at the firm and this was useful at understanding how progression would work.

Company culture was one of the most important factors for me when it came to obtaining a graduate traineeship. The week helped me understand a lot about the culture. This was due to (a) interacting with current employees and (b) learning about some of their internal processes and projects. This gave me a real idea about what the company valued and the practical steps that were taken or are being taken to manifest their values.

I had already decided upon the career path. The week did confirm that being a solicitor is what I wanted to do.

Not much more to say.

As participants we were constantly interacting with people. Often, these were with fellow participants. However, we also got to meet employees at different stages of their career and learn how they had come to be apart of the firm, and what their role was within the firm currently. This included not just their work as a solicitor but other roles they may have taken on, such as being involved in mentorship programmes. We were also given an opportunity to speak with the firm's clients and find out more about their work.

I think this question is a bit hard to answer because of the restrictions caused by the pandemic. However, I felt we were quite (virtually) social and had freedom to interact with each other.

I wouldn't say this formed a large part of what was focused on during the week. There was quite a bit of anecdotal stories about what employees could do within the firm yet outside their roles and responsibilities of being a solicitor. However, I don't recall their being a lot of information about structured activities that employees do outside of work.

I would recommend this to a friend. In comparison to a lot of other law firm vacations schemes, CMS offered quite a different approach. They placed emphasis on our development, even within a short week. We learnt or further refined business, project management, and presenting skills. They made us feel trusted by allowing us to interact with real clients. They gave us opportunities to learn about their own business strategies and some of the technology they are developing.