Vacation Scheme Student Review

I certainly enjoyed the insight that I had into Taylor Wessing through their summer vacation scheme, particularly towards the end. It was initially daunting coming from university and being thrown into a totally different environment, but once I got used to the pace of working life, it was excellent. I learnt a great deal about the firm and life as a commercial lawyer, met many like-minded individuals and went on some fantastic socials.

Not being a qualified lawyer does somewhat limit the type of work that you can undertake as a vacation scheme student. Nevertheless I knew that the work I was doing was helping out colleagues; my tasks were mostly smaller parts of large projects. With that in mind, I felt that my efforts were indeed acknowledged by those who instructed me, and so I did indeed feel valued.

Everyone at the firm was keen to help me whenever I had any questions or problems, so it was excellent.

I improved my knowledge of some technical aspects of legal work, as well as developing my networking, research and presentation skills. The breadth of tasks I undertook and information I received will no doubt prove useful in the future as I intend to start my career within the legal sector. Much of my development in the two weeks also overlaps with aspects of my university degree, so ought to help me going forward into my final year.

We were given a timetable on the first day which outlined the structure for the scheme. I think it was extremely well structured, with a good balance of exposure to real work, delivery of information and social events.

The general atmosphere was intense, but enjoyable. I never expected the scheme to be easy and would have been disappointed if I hadn't had sufficient opportunity to work. That said, the tasks I was set were varied and the workload was well balanced with focus group sessions and social events, so I certainly would not describe the atmosphere as dull. It was a busy, but valuable time.

Each week I had a buddy and a supervisor who were there to support me with any issues I had. I undertook a variety of different work tasks and sat in two very different practice areas. So I felt that Taylor Wessing invested well into my personal development as I improved upon a range of skills through the tasks I completed. Moreover I learnt more about the sort of career I'm looking for through this placement.

Throughout my time at Taylor Wessing I was undertaking the same or similar tasks to those completed by full time trainees. I also had plenty of chances to talk to current employees at the firm, thereby finding out first hand what it is like to work there. It was therefore an excellent insight into having a full time role within the firm.

Taylor Wessing has a clear set of values which form the basis of its culture. These were ever-present during my two week placement and I also talked a great deal with trainees, associates and partners of the firm who gave me further insight into the culture. So it was very helpful in this sense.

It was very valuable because I was constantly thinking about how compatible my skills were to the job at hand and I had a fantastic insight into real legal work. There is no better way of deciding your future career path than experiencing a job first hand. Having completed this placement, I'm more certain that a career in law suits me.

Having flown to London from my year abroad in Germany, I would have liked to have been reimbursed for travel costs as well as being paid. Otherwise the payment was adequate.

Yes, there were plenty of opportunities for meeting other employees of the firm in the workplace, at socials or at sports events. The buddy and supervisor system really helped too in this respect.

Excellent - there were two evening socials as well as several drinks events.

Yes, through social and sporting events during the two weeks, as well as through talking to employees there.

Yes, to friends interested in a career in commercial law there is no better insight than a vacation scheme such as this one.