Vacation Scheme Intern Review

Definitely the most enjoyable vacation scheme that I did this year. A great balance between social events, skills workshops and presentations as well as work. The three-week span was also something I preferred to the 1-2 week long schemes.

I felt that regardless of whether I was compiling a big piece of research or filing some documents, people always appreciated my efforts.

People were always happy to help, even during busy periods. I particularly liked how the individuals setting me tasks, whether trainees or associates would provide a background on the deal on which they wanted me to conduct research or filing on- even if the task itself was small or could be carried out without background. This definitely made me feel more involved and I think I did a better job because of it.

The negotiation session and contracts drafting sessions spring to mind as some of the most useful sessions whilst at the firm, and amongst the other vacation schemes that I did. I can definitely see myself employing the skills gained in practice in future. The IT training was also surprisingly helpful in relation to navigating Westlaw- I had no idea I had been using it wrong for two years!

I felt everything ran very smoothly, which I can imagine given the size of the vacation scheme intake, and the number of social events running!

Great people, both at the firm and on the vacation scheme.

Very helpful training sessions, such as the contracts drafting, negotiation skills and effective presentation workshops. It was also great to know that the sessions weren't being formally assessed!

The length of the scheme (3 weeks) definitely gave me a good indication as to what it would be like to work at Simmons full-time. Again, I think this was facilitated by having a good amount of time in the different departments (7 days), and having a range of social events which allowed us to meet lawyers at different stages of their legal career.

Once again, the range of activities and the sufficient amount of time have helped me gain a very good understanding of the company's culture.

The fact that the information presentations and skill sessions were so varied definitely provided a lot of insight into the day-to-day life of a City lawyer, and has allowed me to consolidate that this is the right future career path for me.

£275 p/w

A very helpful 'speed networking' session in which 5 different departments were in attendance. In small groups we would each have around 25 minutes to speak to 2-3 lawyers from different departments and then move to another table.

Whilst the networking session was great, I think perhaps another networking dinner or lunch would have been useful to allow for individual rather than group conversation with the firm's lawyers. In terms of the social event opportunities- there were lots! These included welcome drinks, bowling, Up at the 02 (the trainee organised event, which is only attended by trainees and vac schemers), London eye with champaign, dinner at Skylon, a pizza party, pub quiz and more!

I am aware that there are some sports teams, but not much was said about outside-work activities.

I had an absolutely great time, and the vacation scheme has definitely made me want a training contract at Simmons. I would highly recommend applying for this vacation scheme.