Vacation Placement Student Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my three week placement. One thing which I enjoyed the most was experiencing myself that the values of the firm (which were the reason I was attracted to the firm in the first place) were not just words on a brochure but they were very much a part of the day-to-day work that everyone did. From my very first day it was apparent that the firm was extremely transparent and honest about what they stood for. For example, the firm were proud to support the work they had done with their chosen charity on the first day and encouraged us to get involved.

In terms of the work that I had been assigned, for the most part I felt like my input was valued. My trainee buddy would often give me work that she had been asked to do but that she thought I would benefit from the experience. After a couple of days in my team, several team members had asked me to do tasks for them which weren't only so I got a good experience of work but genuinely because they wanted me to complete the task. All members of the team were happy to provide feedback and really seemed to value the work I was doing.

I was a assigned a trainee buddy at the start of my placement which I cannot praise enough. I received an e-mail from her the week before I started which was very good and easing my concerns about showing up on the first day not knowing anyone. This ensured that I received full guidance and support throughout the three weeks. Any task I was given, my trainee was always happy to discuss it with me or give me some feedback before I sent it back to a partner. It was particularly good that my buddy was a trainee because she was in my position not so long ago so I felt like I could ask silly questions that I may not have asked a more senior member of staff. Graduate recruitment always made themselves available whenever we had a question.

The placement has been an invaluable tool for me in terms of experiencing what it will actually be like to be a trainee solicitor. I would say that I probably possessed most of the skills I needed to do well in the placement before I started it but it was the ability to put these skills into practice that I lacked. I now feel like I've got an understanding of what it is to be a trainee solicitor and that I can start to think about putting my skills into practice for tasks that I think will be relevant in a commercial law firm.

My 3 weeks were very well structured. First of all there was a full day induction on the first day to tell us about the value of the firm, about some innovative things they had been working on and about the recruitment process for our training contract. After this day the firm arranged drinks for the students and staff members of the firm. This was a really good chance for us to interact with people socially and get our face known to people not in our department. Following this, we were never forgotten about by the graduate recruitment team and it felt like there was always something upcoming that had been arranged for us.

It was great! Although it is very much a working environment where everyone has a massive work load, I never felt like I couldn't ask questions to someone and I never felt like I was getting in the way. The graduate recruitment team and the current trainees did a very good job at organising the right level of social events so we could get to know people on a social basis. These events were excellent at making me feel like a part of the team and making it a place that I wanted to join and work for long term.

I think the firm invested in us a fair amount but probably more than I would have expected for a three week placement. The firm organised a coffee with my supervisor as well as various networking events which I think definitely helped with my development. I was also invited to a presentation on the Innovation Hub which I thought definitely helped my development. One thing which the firm did make apparent if how much they would invest in us if I successfully obtained a training contract. From what I have observed, the trainees in the firm are given ample opportunities to train and develop their skills and this really appeals to me.

The placement significantly helped me understand what it would be like to work there full-time. The work that I was given was not just a task to help me develop my skills but it was work which needed to be done for solicitors and fee-earners. The level of the work was very similar to what I'd be doing as a trainee and so it was very good to experience this. I know that time-keeping in terms of billing is a big aspect of members of staff and that is one area which I didn't get much exposure to. On a practical level however, it wouldn't have made sense for me to have been involved in it.

Very much so. From the induction on the first day, it was clear that the culture of the firm is the same in the inside as it seems on the outside. I wouldn't say that anyone went out their way after the initial induction to promote the culture of the firm, but they didn't need to - it was apparent from everything I did. The firm's culture is very inclusive and that has been apparent throughout my time here. I have also seen how many of the corporate social responsibility initiatives work and how I could become involved in it if I were to join the firm permanently.

As a summer student I think it definitely advisable to go to everything I am invited to in order to get to know people in the firm and find out if I like the culture. That being said, there was a very good level of events held. Some were office drinks and some were specific events held for the summer students. One evening the summer students were invited with the trainees to go for drinks, the Escape Rooms and then dinner. I was surprised that the firm paid for everything and it definitely helped me get to know the people I worked with better.

Definitely. The application process for the placement is very difficult and time consuming but I would advise other people not to be disheartened by this. Before I applied for this I thought that the application would take too long for a placement that I would probably never get. However, graduate recruitment look at every application and pick up on whether you would be a good fit for the firm or not. The more I read about the firm the more I realised that I was a good fit for it and so I took the time to apply and it has paid off! I would definitely recommend for others to do the same because the placement is invaluable in securing a training contract or even just gaining very good experience in a high-quality commercial law firm.