Vacation Scheme Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Taylor Wessing. There was an excellent balance between working with our buddies, supervisors and other fee earners and opportunities to socialise with trainees and other members of the firm.

Throughout the vacation scheme I felt as though all members of the firm endeavoured to sell Taylor Wessing to the vacation scheme students. This made me feel valued as it gave the impression that they genuinely wanted to give us a holistic view of the firm so that we could make an informed decision about our careers, rather than just assessing us. In terms of the day-to-day work, inevitably some pieces of work were more valued than others. Some fee earners would copy you into emails with work you had contributed towards which had been passed onto clients which was very exciting whereas in some departments you might work through set tasks given to all vac schemers.

I found most of my support came from my trainee buddies who were incredibly helpful and made me feel like there were no stupid questions. Supervisors tended to be busier and so I had less interaction with them but the weekly appraisals with supervisors were useful in terms of gaining feedback. There was a very open door policy which helped to foster a supportive environment. One thing which was more difficult was that we were not in an office with our buddy or supervisor and it was not always easy to ask for guidance from the person you shared an office with.

I think many of the skills I gained on the vacation scheme, particularly in terms of time management, networking and team working, will be valuable in my future career.

Very well structured - we were given a clear timetable at the beginning of the scheme and we were kept very busy.

Generally everyone I encountered was very positive and seemed to enjoy the work they were involved with. The smaller departments in particular had a very friendly atmosphere where you really got to know most people in the department even in a short space of time.

We were given much support and there was always an opportunity to ask questions and gain feedback.

The vac scheme gave me a good insight into the sort of tasks a trainee might be involved with. This was further illustrated through the departmental focus sessions which always included a section on how a trainee would fit into that department. The trainees gave us realistic insights into their working lives which was very valuable.

Very much so. We were very well integrated into our departments as we were introduced to everyone on the first day which gave off the a good impression of the culture of the firm. Our farewell meal was inspired by Taylor Wessing's core values which gave us the opportunity to talk through how the values guided the work Taylor Wessing is involved with with partners and senior associates.

Very helpful, particularly as a non-law student to gain an understanding of what a career in commercial law consists of and the skills necessary to do well.

Yes, we had several social events and were able to attend the firm-wide party.

Most of the events were just attended by trainees making it very easy to ask questions in an informal setting. There was a good mix of social events spread across the 2 weeks which also helped us to get to know the other vacation scheme students. We also had the opportunity to network with partners at a lunch, which was more formal, but also introduced us to more senior members of the firm who we would not have otherwise encountered.

I was involved with some pro bono work with my trainee buddy which was enjoyable.

I would recommend this insight to anyone considering a career in commercial law. The atmosphere of the firm and the friendly open door policy meant that it was possible to find out as much about the career path as possible. In addition there were more structured talks and focus sessions which gave us an insight into each different department. There was a great deal of effort put in to make sure we were kept busy and enjoyed ourselves making it both an informative and enjoyable experience.