Vacation Scheme Student Review

This vacation scheme was extremely enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it to other students thinking about a career in commercial law. There was a good balance between experiencing work through sitting in two departments, and also having the opportunity to socialise and network with other students and lawyers at the firm.

I felt reasonably valued during my time at the firm. I was able to attend meetings in each department and introduced to the different lawyers in each team. Sometimes the departments were very busy however and obviously the vacation scheme students were not the biggest priority for the department.

We received library training to show us the software and websites we would need to complete research tasks. We were also given a supervisor and a trainee buddy to turn to for support and give us work to do. The Graduate Recruitment Team were also available to answer further questions during the scheme.

We attended a personal development workshop which will help me in my degree studies and also beyond. This involved evaluating our working styles and the way in which we come across to people who we meet for the first time. I also developed my research skills which will definitely help me in my degree.

The insight was extremely structured. We were given a timetable in advance of the scheme and this was kept to. There were many social events and also talks by members of different departments, including a speed networking session and a talk by the firm's Managing Partner.

There was a good atmosphere during the insight. All of the students on the scheme got on well with one another. The social events were extremely enjoyable and also very useful as they were often attended by trainees or partners.

The firm invested a lot of time in ensuring that all of our questions about the firm were answered and that we felt the scheme had been a valuable experience. We had a session on personal development but other sessions were also useful such as the speed networking session with lawyers from other departments.

The insight gave me a reasonably good idea of what it would be like to have a full time role with the company. We were able to attend firmwide events such as the weekly Number One Club lunch. However, I thought that some of the work I was given did not reflect the work that I would be doing as a trainee at the firm, although due to my inexperience this is understandable.

The insight was invaluable in helping me to understand the company culture. Through sitting in two departments across the two weeks I gained an idea of what it would be like to work at the firm. Within the firm, employees at all levels were extremely friendly and willing to answer any of my questions.

The scheme was extremely valuable in helping me to decide on my future career path. It has shown me that commercial law is definitely the career which I hope to pursue in the future. It was useful to talk to lawyers at the firm about their own career paths and plans for the future.

£300/week

There were many opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the firm. In the departments I was sitting in, I was introduced to everyone and I was able to receive work from people other than my supervisor which allowed me to network with other lawyers and to get involved in a wide variety of work during my time at the firm.

There was a great variety of networking and social event opportunities. We went to Bounce and Flight Club, in addition to a farewell event at Skylon. Our trainee buddies also attended the socials which allowed us to get to know them before joining the department.

Two students were able to attend the firm's legal advice centre. I found out about the sports teams available at the firm through speaking to the trainees but it would have been good to have received a talk on the firm's CSR initiatives and the extra opportunities available for employees.

I would definitely recommend this insight. It allowed me to confirm that commercial law is the career which I would like to pursue and it also greatly improved my knowledge of Simmons & Simmons as a firm, allowing me to decide whether I would like to apply to work at the firm in the future.