Vacation Scheme Student Review

I had a great two weeks at CMS. I was made to feel very welcome and was given a variety of different tasks to undertake. There was also a good range of social activities, in particular the cocktail making evening!

Very much so. So many colleagues approached me for work and gave me feedback on it, and were genuinely interested in finding out more about me.

There is a lot of support as we each had a trainee buddy and supervisor. The trainee buddy is there to help us with our work and if I ever had any queries I could always ask him. Although the supervisor is usually very busy, they often give you work and can give really helpful feedback.

Everything I've learned will definitely help me in my future legal career as I've experienced the work that trainee lawyers do and hopefully developed the skills necessary to do such work e.g communication, organisation, diligence etc. As I've finished my studies its more about taking what I've learnt and putting it into practice in the legal workplace.

We were given a timetable at the start of the vac scheme so it was very clear what the structure was for the two weeks. We had multiple talks on different practice areas of the firm as well as talks on strategy and corporate social responsibility, which added to the experience. Day-to-day it was about managing your own time and the tasks given.

Everyone at CMS was very welcoming and we were fortunate that everyone on the vac scheme got on well and it wasn't seen as a competition for a job. Although it's a busy office environment on the whole it is an enjoyable place to work.

The many talks that were given added to my personal training and development, as I was able to understand better how each department works at CMS, the type of work they undertake and which clients they undertake work for. Colleagues took time to talk me through the tasks I had completed as well which developed my understanding.

Very much so, I was working with trainees on a day-to-day basis and undertaking tasks which they had been asked to do by senior colleagues, giving me a taste of what is expected of a trainee solicitor.

I got a great feel for the culture by meeting many people from the firm and attending social events with trainees, associates and partners. Also just by being here for two weeks I got a great feel of what life is like at CMS.

I have already decided my future career path so this doesn't really apply to me. The content of the day hasn't made me change my mind!

I was paid £250 per week.

Definitely. We had welcome drinks on the first day where I met grad rec and other trainees. At the cocktail making class there was the opportunity to meet other trainees as well, and in the last week we had a three course meal and farewell drinks with colleagues.

They were great fun (see above), and a good opportunity to meet colleagues in a non-working environment.

A bit. I understand Friday night drinks can be popular!

Definitely.