Vacation Scheme Review

I really enjoyed my vacation scheme with Simmons & Simmons. The social events were fun and I found Simmons & Simmons lawyers to be approachable for both casual and career-orientated conversations. The work I was asked to do was interesting and also challenging. I definitely felt like I was doing meaningful work and that I was a part of the Simmons team.

At no point during my vacation scheme did I feel like I was not valued. Everyone was very appreciative of all the tasks I completed, regardless of its scale. Both seats that I sat in made me feel very welcome. I was taken along to departmental social events, which made me feel really a part of the team.

The guidance provided by the Human Resources team was fantastic. I knew where I needed to be at all times and it was easy to contact them whenever I was confused. I feel that I received a good amount of guidance and support from my supervisors and trainee buddies. Understandably, supervisors and trainee buddies can be very busy. Despite this, I felt that I could always approach them when I needed support.

The skills I developed will definitely help me in my career. Being in a real and working professional environment allowed me to observe standard practices and behaviours that are acceptable in the city. I definitely developed my professional social skills in this vacation scheme. In doing so, I believe that I have improved my ability to balance the fine line between professionalism and being sociable.

The structure of the vacation scheme was good overall. The impression I got from the approach was that it was designed to maximise vacation schemers' exposure to working life at Simmons. I like this approach and feel it is the correct way to go about a vacation scheme. However, I feel that we would have benefited from IT training best if I had it at the very beginning, instead of having it on the second day. I had IT issues which made working on the first day a bit difficult. Instead of having half a day in departments, I think it would've been better to have used that time to sort out IT issues early on.

The general atmosphere during my vacation scheme was excellent. There were socials spaced out well throughout the the whole insight so more often than not I was looking forward to doing something fun after work. The office atmosphere was very friendly. In my first seat when the associate I was meant to be sat with was out of the office for the two days, I really appreciated how my trainee buddy moved to the empty seat to keep me company. In my second seat, even though I was sat in an office alone, I did not feel any hesitation to leave the office to find someone for support. I would describe the atmosphere as being friendly and open.

I felt that Simmons & Simmons made an effort to invest in my personal training and development. This was evident in the negotiation competition. The competition required that two lawyers actually spent time watching negotiations between teams of vacation schemers and giving feedback. Another instance of Simmons & Simmons investing in my personal training and development was the Learning & Development workshop.

Seeing how the trainees and lawyers at Simmons & Simmons worked really helped me understand what work life is like there. Because of the open atmosphere of the office, I was able to do tasks for multiple lawyers in my two seats. This breadth allowed me to not just understand how work life is for one person, but how work life is for multiple people and at various stages of their careers.

The vacation scheme really helped me understand company culture. Not only did we get talks about the company and its culture, but actually working in the firm gives you a real feel for what the culture is like.

The content really helped me decide that Simmons & Simmons was the right firm for me. I already knew beforehand that I wanted to pursue a career in law.

I was paid adequately for this experience. Details of pay were communicated clearly and the payment was made promptly. Due to Simmons & Simmons' central location in Moorgate, it was easy and inexpensive to travel to. I did not need to spend any money during my time at Simmons & Simmons which required reimbursement.

There were lots of opportunities for networking and meeting employees of the firm. The Human Resources team organised many social events which were attended not only by vacation schemers but also trainee buddies and supervisors. Speed networking was very useful for meeting people from various departments. Outside of organised opportunities, there were many informal opportunities as well. In just two weeks I visited two departments' mini charity fund raisers.

The networking opportunities and social events were really fun. It really gave me a chance to meet lawyers and trainees outside the office. Bounce (the table tennis bar) and Flight Club (the darts bar) were a really good way of breaking the ice and giving the vacation schemers to meet new people.

We were told about what activities Simmons offered and were actively encouraged to take part.

I would absolutely recommend this vacation scheme to a friend. It really gives you a taste of what life as a lawyer is like and allows you to experience the culture of Simmons & Simmons.