Student Review

The vacation scheme has been a brilliant opportunity to really increase my understanding of the work of the key departments in a large city firm and the culture and ethos at A&O. Being able to spend an extended length of time at A&O and get involved in some really challenging and worthwhile work, both on projects my trainer was undertaking and pro bono work, has provided me with a valuable insight into the friendly, collaborative and hard working culture at A&O which you can only get from attending a vacation scheme. The social events hosted for the vacation scheme students were also great fun and a brilliant way to get to know each other! The graduate recruitment team and colleagues at all levels of the firm were approachable, friendly and always offering their help. I was also taken for some amazing lunches and dinners with my team and trainees from different departments to gain a real well rounded insight into the work and people at A&O!

I felt really valued during my time at A&O. My trainer always took the time to explain the work set to me clearly and made sure that I knew what I was to do. I also felt that I was able to answer any questions I had when completing the work. Associates and partners in the department I sat in took the time to introduce themselves and share their experiences of the firm with me, and expressed an interest into why I applied to the firm and what I was looking to achieve in the future. The range of social events and the ability to be able to meet with trainees from different departments for coffee also meant that you felt that people had the time to answer your questions to help you gain a real insight into the firm.

I feel that I was fully supported throughout the scheme. I was provided with a trainee buddy and a trainer who provided me with work, but in addition to this, trainees from other departments and colleagues throughout the department I was sat in constantly introduced themselves and offered their assistance, which meant that I felt I had a wide network of support. Graduate recruitment were always in touch and my trainer always made the time to set me work and answer my questions.

I feel that the skills I gained and developed during the scheme will be useful when I start a training contract or take part on another vacation scheme. They are not necessarily relevant to my Law degree, but will be useful in general for essay writing, reading through and summarising information in a short period of time, learning to manage my time efficiently to complete tasks and working to a deadline.

The vacation scheme was really well structured with regular networking opportunities, presentations and interactive sessions, all of which were designed to help us to develop our personal skill set and understanding of the firm. The social events were also fun and a great way to meet the fellow students on the scheme. The inclusion of lunches and some dinners also meant that each day had a different structure and you were provided with the chance to meet a range of people.

The atmosphere on the scheme was really welcoming, friendly and supportive. The clear structure of the scheme meant that everyone knew what they were doing as we had a timetable to refer to. Your trainer ensured that you were introduced to your department so you felt welcome, and the quality of the work you were given meant that you felt valued as a vacation scheme student. You were also fully supported throughout, and the collaborative atmosphere at the firm meant you always felt you could ask for work or guidance when needed.

As the vacation scheme is really designed to give you an insight into the different areas of the firm and provide you with the opportunity to be involved in legal work, the nature of the scheme means that the firm does not really invest in your training or development. However, we were provided with IT training and attended skills presentations, such as how to give a presentation and how to prepare a client pitch, both of which were relevant to a task we had to undertake on the scheme.

The ability to talk to colleagues at all levels in the firm; trainees, associates, partners and my trainer, meant that I gained a rounded insight into what it would be like to have a full time role at A&O at any position. We were able to attend a practice fair to see how the role of a lawyer would differ in each department, and ask any questions we had regarding the transition to A&O and the experiences the lawyer had had in the department. We were also able to attend an interactive presentation with a senior partner at A8O where we could ask questions about his role and how he achieved it. In this way the scheme was really useful in helping me to gain an understanding as to what it would be like to have a full time role at the firm.

Being able to spend a length of time at the firm was really useful in gaining an insight into the working culture and atmosphere. From my experiences of everyone offering their support and making sure I knew what I was to do, I cemented my original perceptions of the firm as supportive, friendly, hardworking, focused and collaborative.

The content of the scheme was really valuable in helping to confirm that I wanted to be a lawyer and the areas that I may even choose for my training contract seats. The ability to sit in the same department but with two different trainers across the two weeks, provided variation in the kind of work I was undertaking. And the chances to organise coffees with trainees and associates from other departments meant that I could ask any questions I had about other practice areas of the firm. I was also given trainee level work so that I feel I have gained a real insight into what I would experience as a graduate working at the firm,.

I was paid £400 per week.

There were evening socials hosted where all trainee buddies came along. A rooftop terrace BBQ was also held one lunch time as a great way for the vacation scheme students to socialise with each other. There were frequent opportunities to attend lunch time training seminars to meet other associates in the department and gain an insight into how lawyers are kept up to date with legal and regulatory changes. It was also made very easy for us to arrange coffees with trainees in different departments to ask any questions about their work. An interactive session with a partner was also held so that we could ask him questions about his role and his past experiences. A practice area fair was also held so that we were able to speak to associates from each practice area, learning about their experiences of their department and the firm.

The networking opportunities were relatively informal which meant that there was a good atmosphere in which you could feel free to ask any questions of colleagues at the firm. The social events have also been discussed and varied from lunches, to an evening at Bounce, a posh dinner with partners from the firm for all vacation scheme students to attend and Rooftop BBQ. The variety of social events added a nice variation to the days.

We were given a presentation on the community and pro bono work that employees are involved in, and were able to get involved with some pro bono work ourselves by mentoring students who are a part of a local education charity. I also assisted at a negotiation competition held at the firm for university students, which associates also volunteered at. I was also able to work on a legal advice pro bono project my trainer was involved in during my seat. The department also have sports teams which you had the opportunity to get involved with during lunch time games if you wanted to!

Definitely. I learnt a lot on the scheme and had some incredible opportunities to be involved in challenging work and meet a range of people.