Vacation Scheme Student Review

One of my main considerations when applying for the Simmons & Simmons Vacation Scheme was the culture of the firm and I was interested to see how well this mapped out in reality. The scheme gave me the opportunity to expose myself to real commercial law work but did so in a friendly and supportive atmosphere and proved a very enjoyable experience. Even though some of the work was tough and the hours could be long I always left the office with anticipation for the challenge that would come tomorrow.

The winter vacation scheme is quite close to Christmas and, in my department at least, this meant that work at a level suitable for a Vac Scheme student was slightly tricky to come by. Nevertheless, I always felt as though I was being given tasks that were necessary to assist the work of my supervisor. Furthermore, it is often said that Simmons & Simmons fosters a culture of inclusivism and this is certainly the case. From trainees to partners, everyone that I encountered was genuinely happy and willing to talk to me, assist me and answer all of my silly questions.

The majority of my guidance and support came from the trainee buddy that I was assigned to. I found it very useful to have a trainee buddy as they give a candid analysis of your progression and where you can improve in order to make the most of the scheme. Furthermore, although my supervisor was very busy, the feedback he provided on my work was always inciteful and designed to demonstrate how best to improve for the next assignment.

Having finished my degree in Law I was assuming that I would be able to bring much of what I have learnt to the scheme. This was in fact not particularly true, the scheme is designed in a manner so that it is accessible to both law students and non-law students alike. However, from this, I have learnt much more about the commercial and business considerations of a commercial law firm and specifically those affecting Simmons & Simmons. As a result, I will be far more conscious and critical of the world around me along the lines of these considerations.

It is often difficult to strike a balance between the structured elements of a Vacation Scheme organised by Graduate Recruitment and the less structured, self-driven, work organised departmentally. Ultimately, achieving this balance is necessary to really give a feel for the firm itself. One of the strongest elements of the Simmons & Simmons scheme, in my experience, was its structure. As a result of this, I left feeling vindicated that I had been exposed to the actual life of the firm as opposed to a glossy facade developed by Graduate Recruitment.

Given the Scheme's proximity to Christmas, there was certainly a friendly and festive atmosphere in the office. The firm, in my opinion, recognises the high-performance culture intrinsic to all members of staff; everyone that I met was certainly highly driven and competent. As a result, the general atmosphere is supportive and welcoming as there is an underlying understanding that everyone there is working very hard already and thus do not need significant external pressure in this regard. Ultimately, it is clear that everyone that works at Simmons really does enjoy working there.

Given that this Scheme was only a week long it was difficult to balance training in a formal sense against the requirements of work. There were a number of events each day, organised by the Graduate Recruitment Team, with the aim of ensuring that the Vacation Scheme students had sufficient training to make the most out of the week. This included networking events, IT training, self-awareness training and career advice. In addition to this, there was a certain amount of training and development that came from the department work itself by way of feedback. Overall, I think a significant amount of time and effort was put into my development over the week from both Graduate Recruitment and the department supervisors and I always felt as though we were undertaking activities for a reason.

I believe that, as a result of this Scheme, I gained a true understanding of what it would be like to take on a full-time role as a trainee at the firm. In addition to all of the events throughout the week, the majority of my time was spent in the department undertaking work for my supervisor and others. As a result, I was given the opportunity to work on various tasks and in doing so gained valuable exposure to the sort of work a trainee lawyer would be undertaking; I never felt that I was being given work that was not actually necessary or useful.

Given that Simmons' reputation for a welcoming culture was intrinsic to my application on the basis of my external research into the firm I was particularly interested to see whether this was indeed true. Having spent the week meeting employees of all levels of seniority it was clear that there was a common thread throughout the firm; that of high-performance in a supportive environment. I do not believe that this was just a line fed to prospective trainees but a true reflection of the firm's culture.

Given that I believe the Scheme provided a key insight into the real life work of Simmons & Simmons this experience was invaluable in assisting me to decide on my future career path.

There were plenty of opportunities to meet with employees of all levels of seniority at the firm. A number of these were structured by the Graduate Recruitment Team, for example, there was a partner brunch that gave us a key insight into the management of the firm and its future direction, speed networking which allowed us to quiz members of different departments and numerous other occasions that allowed us to could grill trainees on the realities of training at a commercial city law firm.

Vacation Scheme Students had the ability to engage with employees from the firm both in formal and informal settings. This meant that we were able to really relax and gave us the time and opportunity to come up with the best questions to gain the most insight into the firm and its future.

We were given lots of information, largely from trainees, about activities outside of work. One thing that was particularly emphasised was the ability for employees to create new activities so long as there was sufficient interest.

Yes, absolutely. If you are looking to gain an insight into a firm and to truly see whether the literature on their graduate recruitment website reflects reality then this is an invaluable scheme. Whilst the work may be tough it is always enjoyable and you will be left with a true understanding of what it is to be an employee at Simmons & Simmons.