Vacation Scheme Review

The scheme was extremely enjoyable, much of this was down to the people at the firm at all levels, everyone was welcoming and helpful. There was a good variety of work which was interesting and at times challenging, and there was a variety of different workshops to give us an insight into the firm, and refine different skills that lawyers at the firm would need to use. There was a good amount of socials, which involved going on a rib boat on the Thames, dinner at the Ivy and drinks at various places which was ideal for getting to know the other vac schemers and trainees.

I felt extremely valued during the scheme. The level of resources that had clearly been put into the scheme made a real impact. Whether this was through huge exposure to partners and senior members of the firm, both formally and informally. As well as the amount of workshops that were held for our personal development, we were given meaningful work where you felt like you were actually making a difference to a given matter.

The level of guidance and support was very well balanced. Whilst it was great to get stuck in to some difficult tasks, where at times you are not quite sure what you are doing is correct, the senior associates are always happy to help guide you through. You also get given a trainee mentor who is a useful point of contact for any questions you may not wish to ask more senior members, or graduate recruitment. You also keep in contact with graduate recruitment throughout the scheme to ensure the scheme is going well.

It was interesting to see how what you are learning in your degree plays out in legal practice. Whether this is from trust documents being used in the context of Pensions, to the more complicated creation of financial instruments through multiple contracts and trust deeds. This will definitely give a further angle to consider when looking at academic debates in the commercial and business context.

The structure was a good balance of allowing enough time to get a good insight into each department, whilst fitting in a very wide range of workshops and skills development. The socials were planned quite early so there was plenty of time for fun and you could still catch the tube back and not be too tired the next day! It allowed for a challenging work, without too much pressure being put upon you so you could feel relaxed throughout the scheme.

The general atmosphere was great, the vac schemers would have lunch together, and there were plenty of opportunities to socialise. Everyone at the firm was helpful, welcoming and friendly which made the scheme enjoyable. Though there were group presentations, and challenging work, it was not in a pressured environment so you could have fun whilst completing these tasks and focus on the content rather than the deadlines.

You could tell the investment level was high as there was a lot of time with partners and senior members of the firm, as well as very nice socials.

You got to see many different areas of the firm and how the different departments work, as well as the social aspects of the firm.

It mainly confirmed what I already knew about the culture - the friendly and welcoming atmosphere was essential to making the vacation scheme as enjoyable as it was. It was a very open working environment where people could bounce ideas off each other.

Extremely valuable, affirmed that I do want to pursue a career as a commercial solicitor.

£400 per week

There were plenty of networking opportunities where we got to meet people at all levels of the firm, we had socials with trainee mentors, as well as the summer reception where we got to meet partners, as well as future joiners of the firm.