Open Day Attendee Review

I attended Taylor Wessing's virtual Trailblazing Open Day in November 2020 and was pleasantly surprised by how engaging and insightful the event turned out to be. We received talks from the graduate recruitment team, participated in a business-related group activity, asked questions to current trainees, and even heard from the Senior Partner of the London office. The day was action-packed and provided in-depth insight into both Taylor Wessing as a firm and what they look for in the application process.

Taylor Wessing did a great job of making us feel like we were valued at every stage of the process. The graduate recruitment team responded promptly to my open day application, emailing me back with an invitation within a few days of my submission. What surprised me most was that we ended the day with a talk and Q&A with UK senior partner [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]. To me, the fact that the senior partner took time to speak with us as prospective applicants demonstrated Taylor Wessing's investment into recruiting talent.

The Open Day was packed with insight from start to finish. We received in-depth guidance on the application process, and learned about the unique selling points of Taylor Wessing as a workplace as well as a business. The highlight of the day was the 'business activity' which was designed like a group exercise, with guidance from trainees. This allowed us not only to gain insight into the group exercise component of an assessment centre, but also to practice the type of analysis that graduate recruitment is looking for.

The information from the open day will be useful in writing applications for Taylor Wessing's upcoming summer vacation scheme. In addition, I felt that the business activity provided both excellent insight and a chance to practice important team-working skills that are essential to working as a commercial solicitor. This was by far one of the best interactive exercises I have ever encountered in an open day, and I believe it will prepare me for similar exercises in the future.

I found the day to be well structured on the whole. My only quibbles were as follows: 1) we didn't receive a comprehensive schedule for the day beforehand, which would have been helpful for planning ahead; 2) the virtual environment (inevitably) caused some delays when we were moving between sessions, particularly when we split up into breakout rooms for the group exercise. I think having a schedule would have been helpful for us to know when to move between breakout rooms and the main room, without relying solely on cues from the organisers.

As a rule, it's quite difficult to replicate the atmosphere of in-person insight events over a video call on Microsoft Teams. However, I thought that Taylor Wessing did a great job of making us feel welcome. In particular, all of the lawyers and graduate recruitment team were very receptive to our questions and there was no shortage of participation by attendees (unlike some other events I have attended). It was a shame we weren't able to get to know our fellow Open Day attendees, but in the circumstances I think the firm did the best it could.

The Open Day gave us insight from people at all levels in the firm, from current trainees to the senior partner. I thought they provided a well-balanced view of what it's like to progress throughout a career at Taylor Wessing. Everyone was approachable and honest about the experiences they did or did not have, as well as any challenges they faced. The quality of trainee work and the firm's support for mental health were singled out as particular selling points.

The culture at Taylor Wessing came across as open, down-to-earth and friendly. The firm strongly emphasised its aim of recruiting a diverse intake of trainees, and it was clear from the talks by the graduate recruitment team and the senior partner that a real effort had been made to improve in this sphere. The trainees also provided a good idea of the level of responsibility they were given due to the lean nature of the teams in which they work.

I went into the event knowing that I wanted to be a commercial solicitor, and Taylor Wessing's Trailblazing Open Day helped to reinforce my conviction that this was the right career path for me. The event complemented my previous research on Taylor Wessing by putting real faces to the firm and I came away with a stronger understanding of my potential fit with the culture and nature of the job. I would definitely recommend this event to other aspiring commercial solicitors with an interest in Taylor Wessing's core sectors who want to better understand what it might be like to work there.

During the trainee Q&A, I asked what kind of pro bono, business development, or diversity initiatives they had been able to take part in. I was pleased to learn about the range of pro bono opportunities available to trainees and junior lawyers, as well as the sheer variety of diversity and inclusion networks that the firm has created to foster discussion and provide support to members of the firm at all levels. In addition, it was clear that the firm also values a social atmosphere that has been maintained even through a virtual environment during lockdown.