Vacation Scheme Review

A really enjoyable two weeks that went very fast. I was kept busy throughout and enjoyed being part of the firm generally from day to day. I was particularly interested in learning about the breadth and variation of work undertaken by different practice areas across the firm, whilst the two external socials were really relaxed and great fun.

I felt most valued when I could see that my work genuinely contributed towards the work of the team. This inevitably varied when I worked with different people given that, by its nature, not all work can be easily delegated or explained to someone with only a few days experience in that area. Although some areas of work were less accessible to me in this way, generally I felt valued as part of the team.

Although at times it might have been preferable to be sitting with another team member, such as when I had really basic questions about a task that could be answered very easily by someone with experience working at the firm. Generally this wasn't a big problem as my supervisors and trainee buddies have up a lot of time to check in and talk about what I had been doing.

The scheme was massively useful in confirming my desire to pursue a career in commercial law – sitting in on calls with clients and speaking with fee earners across the firm emphasised the importance of commercial skills and understanding in particular. These skills generally fall outside the scope of academic studies, but I hope that they will be useful as my career develops in the future.

The scheme was very well-structured, with daily sessions focusing on each of the firm's practice areas. This also allowed me to meet and spend time with others on the scheme. The timetable and title for the group presentation was made clear from the first day, leaving plenty of time to prepare and organise ourselves over the two weeks.

The atmosphere across the two weeks was really positive. Unlike what I have heard from friends undertaking vac schemes at other firms in the past, there was no suggestion of any competition, rivalry or coldness between anyone on the scheme – even when preparing and delivering our assessed presentation. Everyone on the scheme was very pleasant, and I got on particularly well with a number of people who were quite similar.

As mentioned, each day we were given either one or two 'focus on' sessions looking at practice areas across the firm, usually led by an associate and a trainee. This itself was a significant investment by the firm, alongside the general day to day interactions with supervisors, trainee buddies and other team members.

I think that the scheme gave me a strong understanding of what a training contract at the firm would be like. This was particularly true when team members delegated multiple tasks to me within a short time-frame, thereby accurately reflecting the nature of the role of daily like as a trainee.

I now have a good understanding of what the firm's culture looks like – spending time actually working at the firm will always provide you with a strong idea of this and allow you to determine whether the firm delivers on what it promises to job applicants. The culture was what I expected.

The scheme gave an invaluable insight towards day to day life as a commercial solicitor, and in particular life as a trainee. For example, I was often tasked with balancing several pieces of work for different fee earners each with different time-frames, thereby reflecting the work genuinely undertaken by many of the more junior members of the team.

We were paid for the scheme and reimbursed for travel arrangements to interview, but overall I made a loss on the scheme due to the high costs of accommodation in London (and being unable to commute from home). Nevertheless this wasn't a big problem because being paid for the placement wasn't relevant as to why I wanted a place on the scheme.

We had numerous opportunities to meet people from across the firm. On the first day we had a trainee networking lunch, whilst on the last day we had a similar lunch with partners. Prior to starting the scheme we had a networking evening at the firm with trainees. We were also actively encouraged to arrange meetings with people across the firm ourselves.

Both the networking and social events were very good. On our first day we were introduced to our trainee buddies through a networking lunch before invited to networking drinks with others from across the firm, followed by a partner's lunch on the final day. The two social opportunities meant that everyone got to know each other and the current trainees very well, which was useful when unsure of a task or when you wanted to find out more about the firm.

Although not formally part of the scheme, we were given the opportunity to attend the firm's pro bono initiative. I learned of other activities (such as weekly five a side football and the marathons etc.) through speaking with the trainees who were involved in them, which they spoke highly of.

Overall I would definitely recommend the scheme to a friend considering applying. Not only was I impressed by the firm as a place of work, but the scheme was very efficiently run and well structured through offering really good exposure to the different practice areas across the firm and the work genuinely undertaken by those working there.