Summer Intern Review

The vacation scheme at Nabarro was genuinely fantastic. The quality of work was great (I didn't sit around photocopying all day) and the work itself was genuinely interesting. The social element of the scheme was also brilliant. From a karaoke night to a pub quiz to a networking event with vacation scheme students from another company I honestly felt that I got to know the firm and the other candidates a lot better. There were times when things got a bit intense in terms of juggling socials with departmental work and our other assessed tasks but that's part of the experience and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

It's slightly odd to feel so strongly about a firm in only three weeks but while I was on the scheme, I genuinely felt like I was an integral part of the team. For example, I sat in the corporate department. I was invited to a 'corporate away day' in which the entire department banded together and put on a series of presentations which highlighted and explained things like the department's performance and its strategy going forward. The entire department then competed in a 'Ready Steady Cook' style cooking challenge. It was fantastic to be invited and to be able to converse with lawyers of all levels including senior partners! In terms of the work I felt like the work I did was genuinely important. It was fantastic to complete a piece of work, only then to be Cc'd into an email where that work is sent to a client. I never felt that I was given work for the sake of it which definitely cannot be said of all vacation schemes!

The support structure in my department (and I imagine it's the same in the other departments at Nabarro) was absolutely brilliant. Vacation scheme students are given a trainee buddy and a supervisor who are always more than willing to help and assist where possible. One example that stands out is, after a somewhat stressful day in the office I just wondering over to my trainee buddy's desk and had a chat. This exemplifies the fact that it's not just work support you get but just general support if you need ten minutes to take a breather and relax!

I was lucky enough to come into the vacation scheme with a few months of paralegalling experience. I can honestly say that based on the comments and feedback I have received I have changed the way I approach certain tasks which will help me when I go back to my regular job. Whether it was thinking critically about how to approach a certain type of task or whether it was learning what areas of a document you need to pay particular attention to is something that will genuinely help me. This extends to skills not directly related to work. My supervisor provided some great tips in relation to keeping organised when things get a little bit too much and I will be implementing those ideas when I go back to being a paralegal and beyond!

The structure of the scheme was great. On the first two days we were brought up to speed on all the essentials such as how to use all the tools available to us, be it databases or the more administrative aspects. Once we were in our departments the spread of work was well structured meaning that no one person had too much/little to do! The socials were well spread out as were the various assessed portions of the scheme such as the presentation, the partner interview and the written piece. We also had regular 'breakfast briefings' that gave us insight into each of the firms different departments which was really great in terms of giving us a well rounded view of the firm (because you spend all three weeks in one department).

The atmosphere was incredibly friendly and relaxed. Even though we all knew that we were being assessed it just didn't seem to matter because everyone was enjoying themselves so much. I never felt that anyone was trying to be tactical or 'get one over' on another of us. I have definitely made friends on the scheme that I will stay in touch with regardless of whether I get the training contract. Speaking in terms of the members of the firm, again even though we were essentially being assessed on everything, the people were incredibly nice. On one occasion I was casually chatting about Game of Thrones to a senior partner - a person who I thought I'd never even meet/talk to because he's so high in the firm's hierarchy.

It was clear that the firm did invest a lot of time into preparing us for the rest of the scheme. The training took place over the first two days of the scheme and covered everything from how to use their document management software to using their legal databases and using precedents to create documents. We even had a talk from representatives of Lexis Library who came in to give a hands on training session (something will will certainly come in useful when I do the LPC!) In terms of development all of the department were friendly and we happy to sit down and provide feedback on the work I've done for them. My supervisor organised a mini appraisal and we even had a mid-week catch up with HR giving us a chance to talk about our experience so far in a informal manner

The vacation scheme was very successful in providing us with insight into what it would be like to work at Nabarro full-time. We were treated as trainees. We received work in the same way a trainee would and went through the entire process in a similar fashion all the way to feedback on our work. Of course, as not all of us were law students we were not expected to work on anything too technical. I was also able to take part in various social events such as the firm's flagship charity event (the battle of the bands).

Despite only being there for three weeks I can confidently say that I understand the company's culture a lot better. Nabarro is clearly a friendly firm and it shone through during the vacation scheme and the social activities. We were encouraged to take part in all that the firm offered. I assisted in a charity event the firm was putting on for a local school and took part in the corporate team's 'away day' which involved the whole corporate team getting together out of the office. they had a series of presentations about the department's progress and the work that they are currently doing. After that we all went into London and took part in a 'Ready Steady Cook' style cooking competition. The whole scheme highlighted the firm's open and collaborative nature and really did help me understand the culture.

I'm not sure how to answer this as it was a three week scheme and not just a day! But overall the content we covered on the scheme was very eye-opening. I experienced a wide variety of work and got to truly feel what it's like to balance multiple tasks and prioritise based on deadlines. I felt like I got a realistic glimpse into what life is like as a commercial lawyer.

The pay was generous!

Yes! There were plenty of opportunities to meet and network with others in the firm. Along with the corporate away day which I mentioned above there were other social events such as a pub quiz, a scavenger hunt, karaoke, a dinner with partners from the firm and the charity event - the battle of the bands. Through all of these events I was able to meet a range of trainees, associates and partners from different departments. There was also a networking event with other vacation schemes from another company which was a good opportunity to meet others in the same position as us!

They were really good fun! They were a great opportunity to relax and just get to know people both within and outside of the firm. Even though we were on an assessed scheme I didn't feel like I was under pressure or being overly scrutinised, meaning I could be myself. The networking evening and the corporate away day were useful as well as fun, as we were able to develop our soft skills.

Throughout the scheme we had a number of breakfast briefings that taught us more about the firm. One of these talks was about Nabarro in the community. We learnt about the fundraising, charity and pro-bono activities we could get involved in and what the process is. Nabarro even give employees an additional day off work to partake in community activities. As well as these we learnt about the personal development opportunities such as taking language lessons or yoga lessons which is quite unique.

I absolutely would! It was a fantastic experience and I would definitely recommend others to take the opportunity if it arises - especially because Nabarro do most if not all of their trainee recruitment through the vacation scheme. It was a little intense in terms of balancing department work with group work, individual assessed tasks and the socials but it was well worth it as I learnt a got and gained some really valuable experience.