Student Review

I very much enjoyed this workshop at Herbert smith Freehills. I felt I gained a very useful insight into the firm and how it works, and not only did we learn what life at the firm as a trainee, associate and partner would be like but we also had the opportunity to network at a personal level which was very enjoyable.

Although the first year workshop was only a two day event therefore clearly did not offer the opportunity to take on any responsibility, I felt valued as a potential prospective employee of the firm and got the impression that all the trainees felt fully integrated and values within the firm, carrying out vital work towards the smooth running of the firm.

During the worshop, we were provided with fantastic guidance about firstly how to excel in the eventual interview process when applying to the firm, but were also provided practical guidance regarding how to decide whether such a career would be right for each individual. Many of the trainees and associates provided us with their business cards if we ever wanted to contact them in future which I feel provides excellent support and guidance.

The skills I developed will be invaluable towards the rest of my degree and career path. For example, we were provided with information about interview techniques, which attributes are desirable in a candidate and how to excel in application forms. Additionally, the information relayed has further informed my decision to want to continue and pursue such a career path, notably the practical workshops.

It was seamlessly structured with a very clear timetable for the two days thus I felt my time there was maximised to its full potential. Each event ran smoothly and we were continuously provided with useful things to carry out and participate in. Additionally, there was a good balance between practical workshops, real life insight and also listening to presentations about the firm so there was always something interesting to do.

The general atmosphere fully surpassed my expectations for the day. Not only were we able to network with the trainees but also associates and partners, all of whom were equally welcoming and eagerly willing to. relay advice and information. Furthermore, everyone on the workshop was able to interact and everyone was very friendly and overall this really maximised my experience at the firm.

Whilst it was only a two day event, I feel the firm really invested in me as a prospective employee as many trainees and other employees gave up large chunks of their days to either partake in workshops with us or simply give presentations which I really valued. Additionally, on the second afternoon we were able to shadow a current trainee one on one which was a large investment of their time to help me.

I was slightly sceptical about how much insight I could get into a career at the firm in such a short period (2 days). Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised and due to the amount of networking opportunities we had over such a short period of time, along with the workshops I feel I gained a thorough insight into what a full time career would be like at the firm. Additionally, the one on one afternoon with a trainee was an invaluable experience to be able to fully understand what being a trainee at the firm entails.

The insight was very helpful with regards to understanding the culture of the company. There is only so much of a feel for a company which you can acquire through hearing people's external opinions or information available on the Internet. Being at the firm has reaffirmed my views I had obtained from presentations by the firm at university. Everyone seemed valued, and whilst hard work was presented as crucial, friendliness and fun were also emphasised.

The workshop at the firm has reaffirmed my opinion that a career in such a firm is the career path which I wish to pursue in the future. It showed me that the work I am undertaking in my degree course at university can really lead to such a career thus has fully heightened my desire to pursue this career. The work which could possibly be eventually undertaken in higher levels of the firm which was something we were introduced to was highly enticing.

This was very useful in terms of funding travel, and not so much for myself but for those traveling from outside London accommodation was provided which meant the opportunity was viable for many people from a wide range of backgrounds.

As mentioned, the networking opportunities were fantastic. Not only did we gain exposure to the trainees at the firm, which was very useful as we will be in their position in the not too distant future so hearing their true opinions was helpful, we also had the opportunity to meet many associates and partners of the firm. This was through workshops and simply time dedicated to networking. We were also taken to the sky garden in the evening where the focus was purely to network thus this was an amazing opportunity.

The networking opportunities were fantastic as already mentioned many slots of the day were reserved for networking opportunities with people from all levels of the firm. Additionally, an external networking event organised for Thursday evening was an amazing opportunity not only to socialise with others on the workshop but also members and employees of the firm.

We were briefly informed about activities which can be undertaken at the firm outside the work centred activities. For example we were informed of the many sports teams which they had, the gym membership which can be obtained, social events such as holidays and weekly drinks with fellow employees and also other societies for example a books society and also one which advocates the promotion of women not only within the profession but the firm itself.

I would absolutely recommend this workshop to a friend. I did not expect to take as much was from the experience as I have been able to and am very grateful for the opportunity and am very glad I went.