Trainee Solicitor Review

Very much so. The work was relevant to matters actually going on and was of a high level to really test my abilities.

A lot of effort was put into supervision and making me feel at home. There was a buddy system and the trainees were always willing to make the effort to speak to me to make sure I was getting the best experience possible.

I sat in an office with my direct supervisor, who was always on hand to answer questions and give guidance. This made me feel much more comfortable than being sat in an open plan environment where everyone can hear your conversations. As already mentioned, the trainees were very welcoming and the buddy system gave me a direct contact for all those questions I didn't feel comfortable asking anybody else.

The experience was a valuable insight into the legal world and helped me understand exactly what would be required from a training contract.

A lot of effort was put into making the vacation scheme a well-structured event. I sat in two different departments for a week at a time. This was long enough to get a feel for each department and ensured that I got to experience different types of work. There were two social events a week which were fun and weren't too heavy so as to detract from the actual work at hand.

I found everybody to be friendly and happy to be at the firm. I can't say this applied to other firms I visited as is certainly credit to the general atmosphere at Burges Salmon.

There were a number of scheduled talks by partners and trainees, which were both insightful and welcome. Equally, I was always given an opportunity to ask questions and to seek out work of interest to me. And getting paid was an excellent bonus.

Very much so. I have since gained more experience at the firm and the atmosphere is still exactly the same. It's a very happy place to be. The work has obviously increased in complexity, but that's testament to my natural progression in the firm.

Very much so. Everybody seems happy and there isn't a feeling that it's a facade just put on for the duration of the vacation schemes.

I was paid at a rate higher than most other places.

Yes. At social events, lunches and in scheduled talks given by employees.

Very well thought out and at just the right volume. More than two a week would have been difficult to keep up with.

Yes and I even took part in some of the sports clubs.

Absolutely.