First year student Review

I found the insight days highly enjoyable because of the very engaging nature of the activities conducted. The dispute-resolution and corporate workshop were very interesting as they gave me a more personal and first-hand experience of what lawyers actually face in their practice. This made me realise how different studying law in theory is from actually putting it into practice and seeing this was very interesting for me.

I felt valued during the insight as the trainee I worked with (Laura) really went out of her way to engage me in her work that she was doing. Furthermore, during the lunch and evening socials, different trainees, associates and partners would make a concerted effort to talk to us and tell us more about their experiences in the firm. In this way, the effort that everyone put in to include us made me feel valued.

I received a lot of guidance during the insight, especially throughout the workshops and during the work-shadowing programme. During the workshops, having trainees and associates seated with my group to throw in helpful tips along the way really made a difference to how I understood the problem at hand. Furthermore, the trainee (Laura) who I was shadowing was very open to answering my questions on the firm and teaching me more about the tasks that she was working on.

I find that the knowledge I have gained from the programme are actually quite different (ironically) to my discipline in university (which is Law). This is because the workshops were not meant to be legal in nature but instead focused more on communication and negotiation skills. However, I find that to be really useful in assisting me beyond my degree in my interpersonal relationships, even if not directly applicable to my studies in Law.

The insight was very well-organised and there was a clear outline since the start of the first day on the activities that would be taking place for the next 2 days. Within each activity, the structure was also clear because of the systematic way the presenters explained their work and what they were doing in the firm. Furthermore, after the presentations, the accompanying workshop taught me how to apply the knowledge that I just gained and really internalize it, which was brilliant.

Everyone, ranging from the other students on the insight programme to the partners were all friendly and very inclusive. Hence I found the general atmosphere to be rather relaxed which made it a lot easier to talk to everyone and learn more about the firm. The evening social at Sky Garden especially helped to facilitate this by raising a platform for everyone to socialise in a more relaxed way

I was really impressed and amazed at how effort the firm put in to make everyone feel involved and take more away from the experience. From amenity-related issues (such as the hotel) to making provisions allowing everyone to shadow a trainee, I feel that the firm truly invested a lot in the programme.

For a two-day workshop, I think the insight did very good job in shedding some light as to what it would be like working with the firm. This was especially so in helping me to gauge the culture of the firm by interacting with the different trainees and associates. However, I feel that should the shadowing period be extended to allow each student to shadow two trainees in different departments, (perhaps over a shorter time each) it would paint a larger picture as to how different departments of the firm lwork.

The insight really allowed me to understand the company culture better, especially because of all the different socials and shadowing programme. The socials allowed me to talk to other trainees and associates about their take on the company culture, but I found that the shadowing programme was especially helpful in this respect. By giving me me a chance to personally witness what a day in the life of a trainee was like, I think it was a much more graspable reflection of the company culture.

I think the content was helpful in allowing me to understand more what the main gist of different departments is like. However, due to the time constraints, I feel that I would need a more in depth look into the firm (as well as its different departments) to make a more informed choice on my future career path.

I did not claim for any expenses to be reimbursed.

There were plenty of opportunities for networking and to meet other employees of the company. The evening social event at Sky Garden especially allowed everyone to network in a more friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Furthermore, the work shadowing programme placed each student with a trainee which gave a rare opportunity to really get to talk to someone in the firm personally and one-to-one.

The networking and social events were very useful in allowing me to learn more about the culture of the firm. This was because the networking events were not only plentiful, but everyone who came to the networking event was always more than happy to engage with us and tell us more about the firm. I find that the social events help a lot to ease the atmosphere and make everyone more open and engaged with one another.

Through talking to the trainees, I discovered that there are sports clubs and various pro-bono opportunities that employees can get involved in. However, this was not something that was particularly emphasised during the event.

I would definitely recommend the insight to a friend. This is because it was highly effective in allowing me to learn more about this particular firm and its culture. But more than that, it also really taught me a lot more about different aspects of the legal profession and the workshops gave me great insights as to how communication and negotiation works in a real-life business setting. I find that these takeaways contribute significantly to helping me understand what a solicitor does .