Vacation Scheme Student Review

The vacation scheme at Hogan Lovells was very enjoyable and extremely helpful. I had the opportunity to experience a wide range of contentious and non-contentious work as well as gain some insight into business development. At the same time there were numerous networking events, information and training sessions and some excellent social events. Overall I developed a thorough understanding of what it means to work at the firm as well as what solicitors engage with on a day to day basis.

Throughout the vacation scheme I felt that everyone I came into contact with, from trainees to the graduate recruitment team and partners, was genuinely interested in me and making me feel part of the firm. All my supervisors were very encouraging and expressed their appreciation for my work. This made me feel like a part of the team.

Everyone at Hogan Lovells, from trainees to partners, was very willing to take a lot of time out of their busy schedules to explain all the tasks at hand and help with any problems as well as give me a real sense of what it means to work at the firm. The time that partners were willing to take to advise me on my future career made a particular impression on me.

During the scheme, there was a case study for each of the firm's main practice streams. They were particularly engaging and interactive as we were usually split in groups and discussed each step of a particular deal/case with an associate or partner. This was then followed by a wider discussion of all the groups' observations. I believe that this insight will be very helpful when considering seat options. The training sessions were also very interesting, as they tended to take a particularly practical approach. For example, the traditional seminar on presentation skills focused on presenting and pitching to clients and thus managed to provide us with interesting new and practical skills as opposed to repeating the familiar basics of public speaking. There was also an excellent seminar on the fundamentals of the financial system.

Overall, the vacation scheme was very well structured. The weekly transition between the different departments was seamless. Each week was meticulously planned to allow us to gain a genuine impression of the work handled by each department. Finally, there was a great balance between the time allowed for work in the department, the various seminars and networking events as well as as social events.

The atmosphere at the firm was very friendly and supportive. While everyone is very hard working and very high standards are expected, the firm has managed to retain and cultivate a very supportive culture. At the same time thanks to the various networking and social events a collegiate atmosphere was created among the vacation scheme students and we felt like part of the team.

There was a considerable investment of time and money in the vacation scheme students. The partners took a lot of their time to answer questions and give advice while the seminars and case studies were very well organised and involved numerous fee earners. In addition, they often involved external consultants as well. Fromthe constant readiness of the supervisors to advise us, to the seminars and social events, it was evident that the firm went to great lengths to make the vacation scheme a very useful and enjoyable experience.

The work that was assigned to me was the same as that handled by trainees. I was also involved in everything the department I was seating at was doing, from conference calls to evening drinks. I was thus given a very accurate image of what working at the firm would be like.

That was probably the vacation scheme's greatest success. I believe that even in three weeks I managed to develop a rather thorough understanding of the firm's culture. The City is very competitive environment and I got the impression that Hogan Lovells is constantly striving to improve and be the best. While top quality work and a strong work ethic are expected, the firm has a very collegiate and supportive atmosphere.

The work that I was given on a daily basis as well as my daily agenda played a determining role on the impression I formed of each department. The work I was given was of the same level handled by trainees and was therefore very informative. Overall, while all that was very illuminating, one has to keep an open mind at this very early stage of a legal career.

The remuneration was the standard one for a vacation scheme at a top City Law Firm.

The graduate recruitment team organised a wide variety of networking events which ensured that we were able to meet many associates and partners. I found the weekly lunches with partners particularly useful. At the same time, everyone was very willing to take some time and answer my questions as well as provide career advice over a cup of coffee. You only to need ask.

There was a wide range of social events which helped foster a collegiate atmosphere among vacation scheme students. They were also a great way to make us feel more at ease and to get to know the trainees and the graduate recruitment team outside of the office. They were a particularly good way to learn more about the firm's culture from the trainees.

There was plenty of information available through various emails detailing the various activities available. There was also a lot of information on the firm's numerous pro bono and citizenship initiatives.

I would absolutely recommend the vacation scheme at Hogan Lovells. Overall it was a wonderful and very illuminating experience. It is the best way to find out about the culture of the firm and the daily duties of trainees and qualified lawyers all the way to partner level. While there is a lot of information on the internet, it is not comparable to a first hand experience.