Administration Assistance Review

I enjoyed my placement a lot. I was very lucky to be in the team that I was in and was given plenty of opportunities.

I was always thanked whenever I had done work on a particular file, and my hard work did not go unnoticed. In addition to this, I was given plenty of opportunities such as attending court, attending awards evening and attending clients meeting, which once again highlighted to me that I was a valued member of the team.

For the first month of my placement I had a one to one every week, in which my mananger would check how I was getting on and we would discuss what I wanted to acheive from my placement year. After my first month, my one to ones continued only once a month, however this was plenty. In each one to one, we would discuss my progress and whether I had met my targets. We would set 3 objectives, and my manager would always suggest ways in which I could accomplish these.

Due to being on a litigation team, my work load varied from day to day. On some days, I would have a very light work load, due to waiting for instructions etc, however this enabled me to get involved in things that were not directly work related. Such as volunteering and charity events. On other days, I would have a very heavy work load, which to begin with was difficult. However, I managed to improve my time management skills and priopritise my work load.

At the start of my placement I had little responsibility as I was just learning to general processes and procedures. However this soon increased. I began making applications for court and writing bespoke witness statements. This responsibility continued to increase, and I was able to attend court and take part in client meetings.

I learnt a variety of skills. I improved my legal skills, such as drafting, negotiation and legal judgement. I also improved my transferrable skills, such as time management, communication and organisation.

Friendly, It was an open plan office so there was quite a friendly feel accross all teams.

The initial set up was organised, with all the induction and training. However after that it began to feel less like an organised placement and a bit more like a temp job.

There was more than enough training for the area of law that I was based in. However it would have been nice to have experiences other areas of the law.

Shoosmiths would be a great company to work for, and previous placement students have come back as trainee solicitors.

Yes, due to it being a large law firm, there were quite a few other placement students.

n/a - lived at home

n/a - lived at home

Yes, law awards evenings, quiz nights, christmas parties etc