Vacation scheme intern Review

I enjoyed the insight overall. I enjoyed the work I was doing in the first week more than in the second as I found it more interesting and easier to understand. In the second week, I felt less able to ask questions as I had a slightly less approachable trainee buddy, and the research I was doing was harder than what I had done in the first week.

I did feel valued, as some of the proof-reading I was doing actually made a difference to documents that were used in a transaction by the firm. The research I was doing felt like it would be of less use/ value, but overall I felt that people valued the work I did while I was there.

Lots of guidance and support in the form of a supervisor and trainee buddy. These switch when you move departments in second week, and I found that my trainee buddy was less approachable/ gave less guidance and support in the second week than my trainee buddy in the first week. However think this was down to personality rather than down to the vac scheme structure- and overall thought guidance / support was really good- everyone was really helpful and supervisors were very happy to explain things whenever I asked questions/ came and checked I was doing ok etc.

In terms of my degree studies not hugely, but skills I learnt may assist me in pursuing law in future, eg. I learnt how to use Westlaw / Practical Law. Also learnt basics of commercial law in terms of how companies structure transactions with shares etc. Information I received made me more certain that I wanted to pursue a career in commercial law.

Very well structured- everything was very well organised and it was great to get an insight from two different areas of the firm.

Very nice- all other vac scheme interns were nice, grad recruitment were great and lawyers I met were all very kind.

They invested in me a lot- supervisors and trainees invested a lot of time in helping me and explaining things, and I felt that I learned a lot as a result. Also a lot of time was invested in us by grad recruitment team in order to make sure we were all getting along ok.

Although the work that I was doing was generally the most simple tasks that the lawyers at Simmons have to carry out, I also spent lots of time attending meetings/ conference calls with supervisors and my supervisors made sure they explained to me the projects they were working on while I was there. I therefore felt like I gained a good understanding of what it would be like to work in the firm.

I attended some of the firm's social events and had the chance to chat to quite a lot of the Simmons lawyers, which helped me to see what the relationships between Simmons lawyers are like. I would say I experienced the company's culture, but also think that it's hard to gain an understanding from 2 weeks.

It was valuable- the scheme made me sure that I would like to become a commercial lawyer, and helped me learn more about the specific areas of commercial law that I might be interested in. It was great to be able to experience two different departments as it showed me the variety of work that falls under the umbrella of commercial law.

Yes there were- partner brunches, speed question sessions where you could chat to associates from different parts of the firm, and social events with trainees where we could ask them questions about their time at the firm. Supervisors also made an effort to arrange meetings with us on an individual basis so that we could ask them any questions we had.

They were good- well organised and everyone was very friendly and willing to answer questions. I felt I learned a lot about the different areas of commercial law from these events. It was also really good to be able to speak to lawyers at every level of the firm, from partners to trainees to associates.

A little- there were softball matches and hockey matches organised, and there were regular speaker events in the office. We found out about these but I did not take part. However, it seemed that there were lots of different options open for people that work within the firm.

Yes I would- it was a really valuable learning experience. It was great to be able to experience two different departments and I also felt that the firm as a whole was very friendly. The grad recruitment team in particular were really great- they were all very approachable and answered any questions I had.