Summer Student Review

I really enjoyed my placement. I was kept constantly busy which meant that the two weeks flew by very quickly. All of the staff I met were incredibly helpful and friendly whilst the trainees were very willing to answer all of the thousands of questions I asked them.

Throughout the placement I carried out real work that would eventually end up in clients hands. This really made me feel like a part of the department!

Both of my supervisors invested a lot of time in both reveiwing the work I had completed and explaning the tasks and concepts involved thoroughly. They ensured that I never felt like I had to ask any silly questions by explaining even the most simple concepts to me thoroughly. Coming from a non-law background this was extremely comforting and really helped me to find my feat quickly.

I was very busy throughout my placement--particularly in the Trademarks, Copyright and Media department. This was great because it gave me a more realistic insight into what being a trainee solicitor will actually be like.

I was given real tasks to do that related directly to client matters. Research I completed was used to directly advise a client on his brand protection. I felt that this level of responsibility as a summer student showed a firm who really valued every pair of hands!

We had quite limited training on the first day of the placement. To some extent this was good because it meant we could get straight on with things and oftent learning on the job is easier. But, it did mean that non-lawyers really had to figure out how to use complex legal research sites on their own--this isn't a problem it probably just takes a bit longer!

The offices were incredibly friendly with every member of staff stopping to chat both in the office and at lunchtime. It really felt like there wasn't a noticeable heirarchy - everybody just got along and got on with the job.

The placement was very well organised when we were on it although it would have been helpful to received some information prior to the start of the scheme.

I learnt an awful lot whilst on the scheme because of the amount of work I was given. Furthermore, the daily breakfast briefings where we learnt about almost every team in the firm really broadened my understanding of what lawyers working in a variety of areas of the law actually do on a day to day basis.

Great! I have been offered a training contract!

Everybody got along really well and most evening a fairly strong contingent headed to various local pubs!

The area is quite expensive but the cateen provides heavily subsidised food!

There are loads of pubs and bars in the area which are always packed after work!

There were a lot of opportunities to get involved in sports fixtures outside of working hours. I also took part in some pro bono work at the Blackfriars Settlement which was really interesting.