Summer Vacation Scheme Review

First hand contact with real cases and big clients helped me understand the context of commercial law a lot better and engage in challenging tasks. The socials and buddy scheme worked well such that I never felt lost or scared to ask questions.

As a Vac Schemer, I found myself doing interesting tasks such as research and proof reading. This helped me gain a wider understanding of the kind of work a lawyer does and the relevant issues he must take into account.

During my two weeks at the firm we had socials and were each assigned a buddy. I shared an office with my buddy which was really helpful as I got to ask him some questions off the record and see what sort of work trainees do. On one of the weeks I also sat with my supervisor which meant I was always kept busy and she made sure I had something interesting to work on. Graduate Recruitment were also always available and easy to get in touch with. The same goes for the whole trainee intake who were always up for a coffee or chat about their experience at the firm.

First-hand contact with law will be really helpful when I go back to University. The commercial issues that lawyers deal with also became a lot clearer following ym two weeks at the firm and this will be helpful in whatever career I choose. The research tasks helped me widen my resources and perect my research skills which will be useful for any assignements I am given at University.

Spending two weeks in one seat allowed me to get to know my department veyr well. However, it wuld have also been good to experience some other areas. The Scheme was well structured with interesting talks and group tasks. The socials were excellent, however, it would have been good to have had some more of these as they are a good way to get to know everyone a little better.

The atmosphere at CMS is really friendly and open. Everyone is hard working and enagages in complex issues. However, they are always willing to help and take a genuine interest in all the interns.

We had a number of talks with Partners about the different sectors within CMS which were a good way to get to know what kind of areas I would like to work in. However, at times the Partners seemed to be in a rush or a little unprepared. We undertook a practice negotiation exercise which was an excellent way to get constructive feedback.

The internship was a very good way to get to see how the firm works, the kind of work I would be doing and the hours you are expected to work. It was easy to find out this information from other people at the firm and just by being emersed into their day-tp-day working lives.

The talks that were organised for us and the availability of trainees helped me find out whether CMS was the right firm for me. Being at the firm for two weeks also allowed me to see the work trainees engage in and the kind of lifestyle CMS has on offer.

Very useful. It helped me realise what kind of tasks I enjoy and the kind of areas of law I might be interested in.

Yes, the pay was good and an absolute bonus. It would have probably not have been enough to liven in London for two weeks, but it was definitely really motivational and generous for the firm to provide pay.

Yes, we had a number of sessions with Partners. At our socials we were also encouraged to speak to other trainees.

Very good fun. The socials were really interactive and in different sorts of locations. It would have been ideal to have a few more socials, especially in the first week as this would have been a good opportunity to get to know everyone a little better.

Yes. We had a CSR talk which was really insightful and the trainees were always open to talking to us about the extra-curricular sports and events that are organised by the firm.

Definitely. It was a really good way to gain some knowledge about a career in commercial law by doing real legal work as well as getting to know new people in a fun working environment.