2022 Summer Internship Review

During the first week at the London office, the day consisted of attending numerous talks from Senior DLA Piper staff, as well as interactive sessions on public speaking and a litigation workshop. For the other two weeks, we returned to our regional offices. Worked in two separate departments for one week each. Attended daily insight sessions with talks from a variety of departmental leaders. Had lunch with Trainees and coffee meetings with Partners. Set objectives for the week with the line manager and returned at the end to assess performance. There were a number of assessed tasks during the time in department, including a written task and presentation. These are nothing to worry about, rather they are quite enjoyable.

Interpersonal skills - developed by the sociability of the London week. Vacation schemers from around the world were all in the same place. Work under pressure - numerous tasks and responsibilities at once whilst working in department. Resilience - sometimes hard to understand the content of tasks (Partners and other DLA employees extremely helpful with explanations) but still needed to be resilient to keep working on developing the answer / a solution.

Very insightful. The daily sessions were from a broad range of Sectors / Departments. As such, it gave fantastic exposure to all of the opportunities you can expect to find at DLA should they offer you a role. Plenty of time was left for Q+A in all of these sessions, so it was intriguing to see how the speakers answered questions and what their opinions are on life at the firm.

General atmosphere is very friendly. Help is given from Trainees, Associates and Partners. I've never felt as though I can't approach someone and ask a question. The Graduate Recruitment team are full of energy and help you to feel at home during the three weeks. The company culture is something which DLA focus very heavily on developing, and it certainly shows. It is a sociable and comfortable atmosphere.

The insight was very enjoyable. The talks which were being given were by senior members of DLA, so it was great to see their opinions on the direction of the firm and what sets it apart from competitors. My expectations were certainly met. After reading about how positive previous years had been, I was not let down. If I am fortunate enough to be offered a Training Contract, there is no doubt I would accept.

Yes

Come with an open mindset and be a sponge for the whole experience. Be yourself at every opportunity. DLA do not want to see a version of you which you've created because you think it will land you a job. Calm your nerves, the people here at every stage are so welcoming and inclusive. Enjoy every moment, it was amazing to experience the London office and the work in departments developed my knowledge significantly.