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

Rating

4.3/5
  • About You
    4.1
  • The Company
    4.5
  • Everything Else
    4.3

    About You

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
  • The vacation scheme gave me a good grasp of what the firm's culture was like; it was also a good opportunity to get to grips with what the life of a corporate lawyer was like. The work was stimulating and the socials were well-organised.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
  • The grad rec team knew our names from day one which was impressive, and the staff I was working with were friendly and keen to get to know me and hand me important work. I appreciated their enthusiasm for their work and they took me out for a lunch to get to know me better.

    4/5

  • 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?
  • There was a lot of guidance on what the different departments of the firm did (e.g. a talk or two every day given by a partner as to the activities of his or her department) but I could have used more guidance on some of the work I was doing. It was there when I asked for it, but on one particular task I had to edit a significant amount of text written by someone who was away, portions of which were (seemingly randomly) highlighted - I had to work very hard to work out what each individual highlight required, which was frustrating as I felt more guidance could have been given by the author as to the edits he required.

    4/5

  • 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I learned a lot about managing my time through having to juggle lots of separate projects, and also learned drafting skills in terms of understanding how to format and present legal information. On top of this, I learnt a lot about the individual projects which the firm was working on, as well as some really useful insight into the area of the law that my department focussed on.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 5. How well structured was the insight?
  • The insight was very well structured - particularly bearing in mind that they had moved office only a few days before we arrived - there were really fun socials provided (but not too frequently!) and the graduate recruitment team knew when to leave on these occasions to allow the vac schemers to get to know each other (I have been on vac schemes where grad rec stay till the end at 1am which is fun but prevents you from letting your hair down). Partners were friendly and keen to get to know us, and the interview at the end for a training contract was fair (everyone was asked the same sorts of questions, so it lessened the effect of the 'partner roulette' where some people are interviewed by tougher partners than others) and quite enjoyable.

    5/5

  • 6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?
  • Everyone I worked with was very friendly and willing to help, and I leave with a sense - no matter what happens re training contract - that I have deepened my legal knowledge and skills.

    5/5

  • 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • Training and development were provided 'on the job', though there was a talk about 'how to get the most out of your vac scheme' at the start of the placement. The work I was provided with was tough but not too difficult, and allowed me (as a non-law student) to get to grips with the area of law that my department worked in.

    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?
  • I felt like I was a part of the team, although the full time people did tend to stay later! We were provided with full access to all the relevant systems etc which was good as in some law firms they don't let you access the 'real' documents of the firm, and through speaking to people at length over the odd break for a cup of tea I came to deepen my understanding of what the life of a corporate lawyer is like.

    5/5

  • 9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?
  • There is simply no way I could have obtained the level of understanding of the company's culture that I now have without being on this vacation scheme. Booklets and promotional materials all sound the same but it's only when you get into a law firm that work out whether or not there's a 'fit' between the corporate culture and your own personality.

    5/5

  • 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
  • I leave this vacation scheme with my decisions about my career path confirmed in my own head. I almost certainly would not have been able to do that without the experience I had at CMS.

    5/5

    Everything Else

  • 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
  • Payment was generous, though not excessive. I lived with a family friend but am unsure whether it would have been adequate remuneration if I had had to rent a place to live during the placement.


  • 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
  • Yes - the firm provided a number of drinks events which were enjoyable as well as a presentation by the managing partner. I was taken to lunch by the trainees in my team, and we went for a vac scheme dinner at a very nice restaurant which partners etc attended.

    4/5

  • 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
  • As mentioned before, the socials were really enjoyable and very well-planned, as we weren't obliged to stay with the firm for the whole night. For example, on the second night we went cocktail making which was a great way to bond with each other (and quite an alcoholic way to do so too!) but that finished at 8.30 and then the graduate recruitment team said goodbye and let us go to the pub just as a group of vac schemers. This was great as it allowed us to get to know each other well without needing to feel under scrutiny from the firm. The number of socials was also well-judged - at some firms I've had vac schemes at, there is somewhat of an overload, meaning you feel like you've not been away from the training contract interview for four days straight as you're in work all day and then out with grad rec all evening.

    5/5

  • 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
  • We had a CSR talk - and some vac schemers got to go on a CSR away day to a local community centre - and we also had a Diversity & Inclusion talk which spoke about the Womens' Network, LGBT Network, Hindu Network, etc, and the activities that they put on. However I gather there are some CMS sports teams and I have not heard anything about these!

    3/5

  • 15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?
  • Wholeheartedly. CMS is a great firm and the vac scheme was well-organised to give us the maximum opportunities from it.

    5/5

    Report this review

Details

Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)

Legal/Law

London

July 2015


View More Reviews