Vacation Scheme Student Review

This was my first insight so I don't really have much to compare with, but generally I would say I definitely learnt a lot more than I expected on this scheme, and had a relatively good time. It's been said before, but it does feel like we are on The Apprentice, as there are just 10 of us on the scheme so we get to know each other pretty well and are constantly put into different challenges and exercises. Although we were given lots of talks and offered help by everyone, it did feel like we were constantly being evaluated, and I felt that the questions and answers we raised in the talks (which were presented by each department, and actually not an evaluation aspect) were also being assessed or at least it helped to show how good we were. I definitely think that they take things seriously here and they want independent, proactive students who are confident but not pushy or headstrong. The other students on the insight with me were all incredibly smart and articulated themselves very well throughout, so I definitely felt 'challenged' the whole time. It was a nice feeling, though, to know you were surrounded by really intellectual students from other unis, and I felt good knowing that, having passed the interview and getting an offer for the Vac Scheme, the Partners here also thought I was good enough to be included this group of people.

We were introduced to many of the lawyers there even if they weren't our supervisors directly, which meant nearly everyone in the department would know who you are and that you are a Vac Scheme student there that week. Everyone was very friendly, and the trainees and associates that were in my first seat (Private Funds) checked up on me now and again to make sure I had the right amount of work and to answer any questions I might have. The trainees were also honest and open, without being too friendly or pushy.

We were given a lot of talks and exercises which introduced us to the different practice areas that Weil offers. They were aimed to give us quite indepth view of the practice areas, and it showed how they really did us want to learn and that this wasn't just a taster/overview. We had trainee buddies assigned to each of us, as well as a supervisor who we sat with. Other members of the department also made themselves known to us so that we could ask them for help. For our Client Pitch Presentation, all the trainees (since a lot of them had done it themselves when they were on the Vac Scheme) were willing to give advice and tips, taking time off their own busy schedule to answer our questions and point us in the right direction. I never felt like anyone was unhappy to answer my question, and they didn't make me feel like I was wasting their time with something unnecessary (even though our pitch was 'fake' and their actual work is 'real').

I definitely learnt a lot at this placement and know that I will be able to use both technical/legal knowledge that I acquired form the talks and exercises, and practical knowledge i.e. how to give presentations/negotiate/how to talk to 'senior' people, in the future.

The Grad Rec head, Victoria Wisson, is incredibly organised and friendly at the same time. She structured the placement very well so that we had a mixture of things to do and made sure that we got to talk to all the different departments, even if we weren't sitting in them during the 2 weeks. I thought the mix between talks that the lawyers put on for us, and the exercises that were used to test our knowledge and adaptability, was great. The only criticism I have is that we actually didn't have much time to sit in our seats under our chosen departments to get to do 'proper work' for our supervisors, but then again as we are not able to do much proper work right now anyway we would probably have ended up sitting on our hands doing nothing. Having the talks and exercises during the days, therefore, actually made things more interesting and useful, and also taught us a lot about time management.

I would say that every Weil employee that I've met on the scheme has been friendly and willing to help - I didn't feel looked down on or anything, even though I'm just a Vac Scheme student. I was impressed by the amount of support and help that trainees and associates were willing to give us throughout, and they treated us very well. I did see that people took their jobs seriously though, and that they were proud that their respective departments had the best lawyers in this area or that, and weren't afraid to show off about their peers' successes. I felt like it was a very encouraging atmosphere, but also that everyone was quite independent and serious with their work and what they want. When associates came into ask for help, for example, they would come with their own suggestions and solutions already - in other words, the Partners and senior members are all definitely willing to help you out, but no one would come to hold your hand and explain every step of the process to you as if you were a little child. They expect a certain independence and responsibility, which added to the 'professional' feel of the place. I didn't feel like the trainees/associates were in competition with one another, so there was no 'dog eat dog' type of feeling either.

They definitely invested a lot in our training and development. We were given talks from all the main departments, which provided us with indepth knowledge of the different practice areas. We were also given IT and Library training in detail - it felt like they wanted us there for the long run.

They didn't try to hide the fact that everyone was very busy and sometimes quite stressed. I stayed back until about 8pm one night, as I was working on a project that was going to be assessed, and saw a few of the other associates and trainees in my department still working on their laptops. I sat in on many phone calls that my supervisors made, as well as conference calls, and they all talked openly in front of me without trying to put on a role or hide their work.

We were taken on socials with trainees where we were able to ask them confidential questions about what it was like working in the firm, and assessing the trainees that we met it is clear that they choose smart, serious people who are sociable but aren't the type that immediately brags or tries to get 'in your face'. Trainees and associates also talked openly to Partners and their supervisors, and everyone knew each other's names. All Partners in the Private Funds team, for example, knew who all the Private Funds trainees were and who they were sitting with, so it showed that they got you involved very early on, and that there wasn't a 'hierarchy' order that dominated the atmosphere.

I was able to get a good insight into the firm and its culture, and the type of work that they do, and this will definitely help me make up my mind regarding my future career path.

We were paid 400 pounds a week for two weeks, totalling 800 pounds. I was on the Easter Scheme, though, which meant that because of Good Friday and Easter Monday we only had 8 days of working. Getting paid 100 pounds a day is therefore an immensely good deal, especially since we are getting more out of this experience than they are getting from us.

Sitting in our departments we were introduced to everyone on the team and could easily walk next door to talk to anyone. We were also taken on socials to meet trainees and ask them questions.

There weren't as many socials organised as I heard were done at other firms, and this adds to the 'serious' element of the firm. I think they really wanted to use the Vac Scheme as an opportunity to evaluate us to see if they wanted us to train with them or not, and it wasn't just an opportunity for them to sell their firm and make us have a good time without knowing the realities of the job.

We were told of probono activities and schemes that Weil employees takes part in, but other social activities weren't really emphasized.

Yes, definitely, as I learnt a lot from it. I would only recommend it to a friend who is very serious about becoming a solicitor and one who is interested in Corporate matters (PE, BFR, Structured Finance) though, as this is definitely not just a 'social Vac Scheme' and there were definitely a few stressful moments.