Vacation Scheme Student Review

The Vac Scheme was very helpful in allowing us to understand the roles of different practice areas by allowing us to experience two of them first hand, to be given talks on each practice area and to meet people at all levels in various department. I came out of the insight with a far deeper knowledge of how a law firm works, what different practice areas mean etc. It also made me reflect on where exactly my interests lie. The only thing I regret is that, especially in the first two weeks where it is hard to find your place, there were many times were I had nothing to do and was actually quite bored.

I was not given many tasks in my departments. This was a mix of there not being work to do and me not being qualified enough to do the work there was. As a result, it was quite difficult to feel valued in the firm, as I personally felt pretty useless. However, everyone I talked to treated me with respect and made me feel like they remembered what they'd been through at my age/knew that even though I wasn't able to do everything it was only because I hadn't been trained - it wasn't like I was stupid.

Graduate Recruitment was present and always at our sides during the whole vacation scheme. Every email we would sent would be replied to in the next 30 minutes and they were always ready to sit down and chat. The only criticism I would make is that the mix of trying to put us at ease/feel homely and simultaneously assessing us made me feel quite uncomfortable when talking to them. Were they there for support or were they always assessing me? Our trainee buddies were very helpful in making us feel integrated in a short amount of time, and were always ready to help whether it was with a task we'd been given or with general questions we had about their experience at the firm.

I think that what I most developed during my vac scheme is my ability to network. Being able to talk to a variety of people and receiving help from them made me realise exactly how crucial it is to develop good relationships in any setting. This is what I will strive to do from now on, whether that is at university or later on.

The insight was very well structured, giving us enough to do through the project and various talks but still leaving us time to meet. What I would say however is that holding the after-work social events late on a Monday night made us feel tired all week, which made the experience slightly less enjoyable. I was told by graduate recruitment however that this was a test to see how we acted and worked when tired.

The general atmosphere was very friendly, whether it was among my fellow vacation schemers or between the current employees and us. The after-work social activities were very varied which provided many opportunities for us to connect and get to know each other in different settings. The departments I was in were all ready to take some time to answer my questions and explain the context of each task I was given. I am very thankful about that.

More or less one talk a day was delivered to us during the entirety of the vacation scheme. These were given to us by partners and associates who took time out of their busy days to explain their work and that of their department. We were even given a talk by Gideon Moore, the new managing partner of the firm. In each of the departments we spend time in, our trainee buddies and principals (managing or junior associates in charge of us) equally took time out of their day to tell us what they were working on and find enriching tasks for us to do.

I think that the talks and the structure of the vac scheme made us lose sight of what it would really be like working for Linklaters. Our lack of training at this point also meant that we could not really experience the work we would be undertaking. It is only by chatting with trainees that we could get a sense of what it would be like, but then again, the experience of having a full time role in one practice area is completely different to that in other, from what I was told.

Discussing with many employees as well as seeing how different levels of the hierarchy interacted gave me a good flavour of the company culture. Employees, including vacation schemers, are very cared for (good food, good benefits, personal lives taken into account, reasonable hours) and are very friendly and relaxed between each other. There is a lot of teamwork involved.

My career path was already pretty much decided before I set foot in Linklaters. However the experience made me and is still making me seriously think about what practice area within a commercial law firm would mot interest me and fit with my own personality. The talks we were given indeed allowed me to start grasping how different work is from one practice area to another.

The only thing I found unfair was the difference between the remuneration of students studying in the UK and those studying abroad. We were essentially payed the same but students studying abroad were set up in apartments right by the office free of charge. Although I understand that the change of currency and the inconvenience of having to travel to a new place may influence their choice to come in for an internship at the firm, I would also like to point out that most people in the vac scheme were not from London (either they were not studying there or they were but their families were abroad) and ended up spending most of their salary on accommodation.

There were many socials organised (around to two per week) attended by different trainees, associates and partners. This meant that we had the opportunity to chat with all levels of employees at Linklaters. The people attending also changed every time. Our balanced timetable also gave us time to network within the firm ourselves. Trainees were more than willing to grab a coffee to chat about the firm, their experience, their work, current affairs, life etc.

There was a wide variety of events, from going on the Thames Rib to competing in a Taxi Treasure to more sat down dinners. All activities were very enjoyable, but I wish they had provided healthier food alternatives. Although I personally am not vegetarian, I was disappointed to see how much those who were struggled to find dishes to their liking on the menu.

I was a member of Linklaters' gym which also organises group classes. I was also invited to a Badminton training session by a trainee which made me realise that Linklaters has a lot of sports teams that you can join. However, I only found this out by talking to the right trainee, this was never mentioned to us as a group.

I would definitely recommend this vacation scheme to a friend. It was very helpful in understanding the workings of a law firm and get a taste of what it would be like both to work for a law firm and to work for Linklaters specifically. Everyone I met was very nice and helpful and I learn a lot from my experience, be that technical legal knowledge or the importance of softer skills.