Summer Vacation Scheme Review

by Latham & Watkins

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.4/5
  • About You
    3.3
  • The Company
    3.3
  • Everything Else
    3.6

    About You

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
  • I thought that the vacation scheme generally was quite good. Students were able to sit in two different practice areas, and there were a couple of talks and social events too. The general placement was well structured.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
  • The firm let us know that they wanted to hire some of us from the vacation scheme intake for a training contract. I felt that some supervisors were quite good, in that they gave students the opportunity to help out with work.

    3/5

  • 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?
  • We knew that we were being assessed for a training contract on the basis of a presentation, assessed pieces of work and an interview. Therefore the process was quite transparent and guided. My supervisors were helpful in that they gave me some tips, so there was support there.

    3/5

  • 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The vacation scheme was very beneficial in the sense that it is great to put it down on your application form when applying to other firms. There wasn't much work given by my supervisor, so there wasn't the chance to really develop new skills.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 5. How well structured was the insight?
  • It was well structured. We essentially sat in the same room as our supervisor, an associate in two different departments. Alongside this there were a few social events and general talks from the firm. I felt like there could have been more different activities for us to do.

    4/5

  • 6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?
  • Everyone was really friendly, although it was obvious when my supervisor was really busy. At that point, I was slightly hesitant to talk to my supervisor. In my second week, I mostly sat in silence in the office and didn't talk much to my supervisor.

    3/5

  • 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • I felt like how busy we were, and how many opportunities we got to learn new skills was heavily dependent on how much work our supervisors were willing to delegate to us. In my case, this unfortunately wasn't very much.

    3/5

  • 8. To what extent did the insight help you to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company or firm?
  • This was very clear, and the application process we had to go onto to secure a training contract after the vacation scheme was told to us on day- as well as what we would be assessed. It would have been nicer to know the threshold we had to pass to gain the training contract.

    5/5

  • 9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?
  • Very well, as there were many opportunities to network with different people from the firm. I was able to sit with very different departments as well. We also had many social events so we could gain a taster then too.

    4/5

  • 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
  • 3/5

    Everything Else

  • 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
  • We were paid £350 a week.


  • 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
  • Yes there were many. Quite a few associates came to the social events, however I found out that the same people- the recruiting committee- came to the events. I didn't get the chance to meet other people in the departments I was sat in, apart from my supervisor.

    4/5

  • 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
  • They were generally quite relaxed and everyone was really friendly. We had a couple of drinks nights, and the vacation scheme students were invited to the firm's summer party with all the employees there.

    4/5

  • 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
  • Not too much. We had a talk on pro bono opportunities, sports teams, and on-going training within the firm as an employee, but apart from this we didn't hear, for example, about any societies employees could join.

    4/5

  • 15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?
  • The vacation scheme was worth it, and I was able to experience what an american law firm was like. However, I did feel that some supervisors were just too busy at work to care that much about us, and therefore we were sometimes left awkwardly in the office with nothing to do.

    4/5

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Details

Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)

Corporate Law, Commercial Law

London

July 2014


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