Summer Vacation Scheme Student Review

I very much enjoyed the vacation scheme, and even though it was quite short it was very well-organised such that we got a good idea of A&O's work and culture. The people - at A&O, and the other students - were all very fun to be around. There was a good mixture between desk time, and other interesting presentations, and preparing for the client pitch.

Despite the short time at A&O, I did feel quite valued - mostly because everyone was friendly and helpful. What also particularly made me feel part of the firm was that I got the opportunity to get involved in volunteering/access initiatives even though I was only here for a short time - I helped out with two SmartStart events, and both of them were very enjoyable.

I felt as though I received a lot of useful guidance and support. My trainer was happy to answer questions that I had on different aspects of work, as were other people in the department. Also, the staff - graduate recruitment in particular - gave a lot of useful information, and were very happy to answer questions. I was worried that we might just be left to our own devices, but the support received was very good.

I think that I developed useful skills for a future career as a solicitor (or even generally just as a practising lawyer) - although I am not really sure that the skills I learnt are really that relevant to my degree studies, even in law! I picked up a lot of practical skills, knowledge and experience that I just did not get from my degree. From barely knowing what international capital markets were to being able to help draft various documents was quite useful.

As mentioned, the insight was very well structured. There was a good mix between desk time and presentations, and the client pitch preparation. Having the client pitch group in particular was quite nice, as it meant that it gave us some focus for the first 8 days. Also, it essentially meant that I was never short for company at lunch and whatnot!

The general atmosphere was good - it was friendly, welcoming and energetic.

I thought that the firm invested quite a lot in us, even during such a short placement of two weeks. We were given direct support from a variety of people and teams - from the people we sat in offices with, to our trainee 'buddies', to graduate recruitment, and just generally even other employees of the firm (both lawyers and non-lawyers) who were up for a chat. Especially in the tasks we were given, as I came in with not very much knowledge of law in practice, there was a lot of useful explanation and experience gained over the two weeks.

The insight was helpful to understanding what a full time role with the firm would be like. This was through formal opportunities such as talks about training contracts, practice areas, and other presentations for instance on pro bono work. Also, the desk work was clearly useful to getting an understanding of what it would be like to be an A&O trainee. Other informal events and chats were also useful to understanding the work of the firm, especially when talking to current trainees.

The insight definitely helped with understanding A&O's 'culture', something that is much harder to glean just from written or secondary materials. The general atmosphere and culture was, as mentioned before, just generally friendly and encouraging.

It was very useful to helping decide my future career path - although I am still quite uncertain, it is very useful to have this 2 weeks of experience to better understand A&O and the work and culture of being an international commercial solicitor generally. I will still be pursuing other experience, but the vacation scheme at A&O has been so useful for better understanding what a job could be like.

I was paid £400 a week - that was very useful as I had to pay for quite pricy accommodation in London. Also, many of our meals were paid for on the scheme as well. I thought that it was a very generous amount of pay, although I do think that the fixed payment is somewhat unfair, as people with lower commuting or housing costs would end up with more money left over. Nonetheless, a reimbursement system would also have its issues too.

There were many opportunities for network and meeting other employees of A&O. This was through more formal opportunities - for instance in the team that you are sitting in, various talks, and also through more informal opportunities such as chatting to people at events (for example, at SmartStart). Generally, almost everyone was happy to spend some time having a chat.

There were a variety of networking/social opportunities - a lot in the two weeks that we had! I thought that there was a good mixture between more informal events (pub quiz, Bounce) and a more formal dinner. Generally, even outside of planned social events, there were lots of opportunities to talk to other vacation scheme students and other staff as well - some of these might be construed as 'networking' events, but they honestly felt more fun than that.

I was very impressed and thrilled at the chance we got to get involved, even during a two week scheme, in activities that employees can get involved in outside of work. This was done formally through a presentation about pro bono and some group exercises, and then an opportunity to chat to students about law, university and A&O in collaboration with the Brokerage. Also, I had some fantastic opportunities to get involved in SmartStart, which involved helping judge a mock trial, and facilitating a negotiation exercise. It was great to meet with and help younger students.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend who is interested in a career in law. It was a very well-organised and friendly vacation scheme, and although I am yet to complete another vacation scheme, I think that A&O has set the standard pretty high. I will definitely encourage younger law and non-law students to consider applying for A&O's vacation scheme, and also A&O First.