First Year Workshop Review

The workshops were both extremely fun, and there was a great balance between informative talks and networking opportunities. HSF really made us feel comfortable from the outset, and that set the tone for the day.

I was definitely made to feel like the firm was interested in me, without getting the feeling that we were being patronised or deliberately overvalued.

Support from the firm, be it from trainees or associates and partners, was fantastic. This was particularly true for the two workshops, where we definitely felt like we could ask the questions we needed to be able give the activities the best shot we could. The networking session at the Skylon was also really helpful for finding out what it was really like to work with the firm as everyone was far more relaxed in the more informal setting, especially as we already had come into contact with many of the firm's representatives who were present. I have found this sort of insight and guidance hard to get.

The two days I spent at HSF have genuinely been incredibly helpful. They gave me a great understanding of what it was that commercial lawyers did, and the sort of interests and skills you'd need to work in similar areas. Being able to actually take part in some practical exercises related to some of specific areas of practice proved to be more valuable than any of the careers events or talks I normally would have make my decisions based on. Arguably more importantly, I also got some real insight into the culture of the firm. Being able to get a feel for what a particular firm is like to work at, especially from the perspective of the trainees we were allowed to shadow, before having to make decisions for Vacations Schemes is not something I had expected to be able to get. All of this information will really help me make the decisions as to what I want to do with my law degree, and where I wish to work, so much more informed and clear.

Both days were well balanced between networking, workshops and talks. I never felt as if I was doing too much or too little. The opportunities to ask questions were well spaced out, allowing us to not feel as if we were asking the same queries too much, and giving us time to work out what we wanted to ask as we learnt more. As mentioned above, it was particularly helpful that we had already met most of the people who came to the networking event at the Skylon, as it made it much easier to strike up a conversation with them and build a rapport that made us all comfortable. One area that perhaps could have been better structured is the Q&A session with the representatives from some of the departments in the firm. It would have been helpful this block had been allocated more time so that the representatives could give us a more comprehensive explanation of what they do and were working on. The limited time for this session meant that there was only so much they could aim to pass on to us, and that often led to us having little to properly discuss (or the opposite problem of not being able to finish conversations if they tried to give us details regardless).

As I have already alluded to above, the firm made us feel welcomed and comfortable from the beginning. Everyone was open to questions, or just general informal discussions, making it easy to feel relaxed and at home. At the same time, there was soft encouragement to get involved and participate in the workshops, and make sure we performed as well as we could.

The workshops were excellent, and there was a lot of investment in each person through the firm representative present at every table.

I got a really clear sense of what sort of work the firm was generally involved with, and the diversity of its practice. Being able to shadow a trainee took this further, and gave me a real understanding of what working at the firm would entail, and feel like.

Constantly being able to ask a representative from the firm about their work and the firm helped me get a idea of this, even though there wasn't much focus on it formally in the Workshop. Also, being ble to shadow a trainee was helpful on this front too.

Now that I am far more aware of what work and life as a solicitor would entail, I am far better placed to make my career decisions

I had no expenses except for the London Underground fare I had incurred, for which I didn't have a receipt.

Ample, in both formal and informal settings.

A little slow to start, but after the ice was broken, they were fun and informative.

Through questions I had asked, I did get some idea of the things many of the employees did outside of work. However, this wasn't really touched upon much at all

Definitely. I genuinely really enjoyed the day, and found it really useful.