Vacation Scheme Student Review

The insight was very enjoyable as we got the chance and were really encouraged to talk to and get to know as many people as possible; including the others on the placement and staff members at every level of the firm. We also had really enjoyable activities organised for us and were involved with real and intriguing work,

The whole three weeks were organised to integrate us as well as possible within the firm. We did activities in and outside of the workplace with a variety of different staff members and every person I met was so enthusiastic about going for a coffee to tell me about their kinds of work and their job. This meant we got to meet people on a more personal level, but additionally the fact we were given talks from almost every department made me feel as though the firm really cared about educating us about what they were really like and what kind of work was on offer.

In general I received a lot of guidance and support, particularly in my second seat. In my first seat the solicitor with whom I was sitting was absent from the office quite a lot of the time so I was often searching for work around the whole department. However, the trainee buddy scheme worked really well to mean if ever I had any questions and didn't know who was the right person to ask, I always knew there was somebody there to answer my queries!

The information I received and the work I did has opened my eyes to a whole new set of areas of law I had previously not very much knowledge of, yet has also proved to me that the fundamentals of my Law degree will continue to come into play amongst these other diverse areas of law. It has also been very helpful to see how a good knowledge of the law itself is not enough for the world of work, this has to be coupled with an awareness of the wider business world and how best to use the law in varying contexts.

From the very beginning we had a well structured plan as to what we would be doing for the following three weeks, and I thought the talks and information sessions were well placed so as to break up the days at the beginning and meant we had lunch with all the other vacation schemers. It was definitely helpful to have the two different seats in two different departments, to get a real idea of the variety of work that goes on and meet as many people as possible. My only suggestion would be that I was in two construction seats (one disputes and one real estate) and it would have been good to go into two completely different areas of law.

The atmosphere was always really friendly and welcoming and people were always willing to offer help with anything I didn't understand and talk me through everything that was going on. There was a a great balance between making the scheme fun but ensuring we conducted real written work and participated in meetings/came face to face with clients or if this was not possible at least listened in on conference calls.

We were given training on the first day to do with things like I.T. I would have like a little bit longer on the I.T. training as it involved dealing with systems and functions I had never dealt with before, but equally as the scheme was only for three weeks it was to just get stuck in than spend large proportion of the time on the training.

It gave me a clear view of the types of work undertaken, the type of clients involved and the ethos and atmosphere of the firm, However, as a vacation schemer only expected to be in the office 9.30-5.30pm I don't think i gained a true taste of how gruelling the hours can sometimes be although I did hear about these kinds of things through other employees.

The insight helped me to see the friendly and open atmosphere of the company as I witnessed the way in which the employees worked together and joked with each other and saw the approachability of everyone.

Extremely valuable as it led to the interview for the job I will be taking after graduation! It proved to me the exciting and challenging nature of the work undertaken and persuaded me it would be a type of law I find interesting...when I had fears before the scheme that it would not be.

I was paid, although as I also had to pay for accommodation in London the pay just about covered my train fare to London, the accommodation and the transport costs.

There was an abundance of opportunities...the trainee and partner mentor scheme meant that we always had someone from every level of the firm on hand to answer any questions and the readiness of everyone within the department to share their experiences meant I never stopped meeting employees of the firm. There was a good mixture of meeting them in more formal contexts as well as more personal lunches to ask off the record questions.

A great mixture...it was very helpful to have a vacation schemers only meal on the first night to enable us all to get to know each other, and then after that to have a range of trainees, partners and solicitors at all levels coming to speak to us at events. The cocktail making class was particularly enjoyable!

Yes, we heard a lot from the trainees about the sporting opportunities - both teams and classes and also the chances to do pro-bono work after work, and was actually able to go along to the legal aid clinic run by the firm with another trainee.

I would definitely recommend the experience to anyone who is interested in commercial law or who does not know exactly what they want to do, but have at some point considered commercial law as a career path as it seems one of the most welcoming firms within which to try it.