Vacation scheme student Review

The fortnight was thoroughly enjoyable. As well as learning more about my chosen career, I met some interesting people and other interns. We were given enough work to feel busy and focused but not too much so we didn't feel pressured. Overall, I made some friends and gained invaluable skills.

The teams I worked with did their best to provide me with work which was of use. Naturally, there were some down times when I was working on more generic administrative tasks. However I felt this reflected the nature of the 'trainee' work load and was to be fully expected. I was allowed to observe meetings a trainee sometimes wouldn't be involved in.

Whenever I was given a task, people were happy to provide a detailed process of what was needed. What was truly invaluable was that employees were prepared to give the context of the tasks. This was interesting and gave a good overview of legal processes. HR also put on classes to develop our soft skills, such as a negotiation workshop.

I definitely learned some skills which will help me in my future career. Namely, how to process and cope with huge amounts of information and also some legal skills. I learned to use legal research tools which I hadn't encountered before. I improved my soft skills, including interacting with others and managing expectations in a professional workplace.

The week was well structured with a mix of social events. There were also structured networking activities to attend throughout the fortnight. Prior to the scheme, we were given a list of departments to choose from. After an introductory talk, we were also given detailed timetables of our two weeks.

Generally the other interns were friendly and we quickly formed relationships through the group activities provided. However, there were times when people felt unwanted or a nuisance to lawyers. This could have been in times which were very busy or not busy at all and there wasn't much work.

We were told that the firm saw us as an investment and HR and lawyers did commit their time and training resources to us. For example, professional support lawyers gave us a learning session on how to use legal research tools. The HR team organised social events.

Yes, overall I felt that the vacation scheme gave an insight into trainee life at the firm. However, the current events of Brexit did influence the atmosphere at times. Whilst not living the trainee life itself, we witnessed those around us and could learn from their experiences at the firm.

The vacation scheme did help us understand the company culture, however, as mentioned above the current events changed the atmosphere somewhat. From my understanding, this law firm had a more relaxed atmosphere than others I have been in. However, it is worth noting that this varied a lot from department to department.

It provided a decent insight into a legal career. I was also exposed to a wide variety of work, varying from transactional, advisory and litigation. This was the most valuable aspect of the scheme as I encountered elements of a legal career that I had not been exposed to before. It also provided a depiction of a legal career from beginning and onwards.

I was paid for this experience. After comparing to other firms, it seemed to be the correct amount. However, it is worth noting that it only just covered expenses and a bit left over. If you were having to rent in London you would not be able to cover your rent and expenses. However, at the time it seemed like reasonable compensation when comparing to the market.

We were given the opportunity to network with partners over a brunch activity and quiz them in their careers. This was a formal event during the day, and contrasted to other networking events. These included casual after work activities with trainees and more junior lawyers which was incredibly insightful as they were willing to speak to us about their experiences.

The social events included two activities after work which were well organised and enjoyable. We were taken to a table tennis bar and a darts bar. There was no pressure to participate if you didn't want to. The fortnight was rounded off with a three course meal and spin on the London Eye.

We were given optional activities to attend. One was a competitive sports event and another was some pro-bono work. However this was very competitive and only two interns were able to complete this work. It was picked on a first come first serve basis, which did seem fair at the time.

I would recommend this to a friend considering a legal career. I think it would be particularly useful to someone who was unsure of what type of legal career was open to them, as you were able to pick from a broad range of departments. This gives an excellent oversight of the types of lawyer and commercial problems lawyers solve.