Legal Work Placement Review

The first day of the legal work placement was an introduction to the firm, various talks and setting up of technology. The following four days we rotated around departments: medical negligence, corporate, real estate and tax, trusts and estates. Each day consisted of a talk, presentation of a task, then the whole day to complete the task before handing it in at around 5pm. The following day we reviewed the task of the previous day.

The day in corporate was very informative as I had no previous experience of this area. I improved my research skills and general knowledge of corporate transactions. The tax, trusts and estates tax was probably the hardest and I learnt how to calculate inheritance tax and draft a report on this.

This was done very well on the placement as they organised frequent talks and 'coffee catch ups' with various people in the firm of differing roles. We spoke to trainees, partners and everyone in between. Everyone was so welcoming, friendly and willing to answer any questions we had. I felt I had a good grasp of the culture of the firm and future career development within the firm by the end of the week.

Irwin Mitchell is a friendly, approachable firm. However, it was hard to judge the atmosphere from just one week when sometimes the office was very empty due to their flexible working policy. The people who I did meet were very kind and welcoming, and always willing to answer questions. For a law firm of its size, it is less hierarchical than others.

I really enjoyed the legal work placement, I just wish it was longer. One week didn't really suffice to get stuck into the firm, especially since a lot of it was online or WFH. The tasks were stimulating but varied in difficulty. One task was so easy it felt like a 'fill the gaps' exercise, whereas another was so hard you could only really complete it if you had already done the LPC.

Yes

Irwin Mitchell value affability, beyond simply intelligence or legal knowledge. They are dedicated to their 'expert hand, human touch' and this was emphasised throughout the placement. They are dedicated to their values and may ask you about how these apply to you at any point during the assessment process, so you must know them by heart. You need to understand Irwin Mitchell's culture and be able to demonstrate why you align with it.