First Year Springboard Scheme Student Review

The scheme was packed with informative presentations on the different practice areas in which CC lawyers operate, enabling us to understand the life cycle of a lawyer and how they approach large-scale projects. Being placed in a department on Friday and tasked with real client work was eye-opening as we experienced first hand what type of work we would be taking on at the firm.

The Graduate Recruitment Team were always asking about our progress and enjoyment of the scheme, while trainees, associates and partners all made themselves available to answer any queries we had whether that be during networking lunches or presentations. Being taken out for meals and socials made us feel valued in that the firm wanted to ensure that we enjoyed the scheme as much as possible.

Daily networking breakfasts/lunches with trainees and associates gave us plenty of opportunities to ask questions and advice regarding the work and opinions on future plans. Speakers during sessions and presentations were always open to pause for a question and answered in full giving a great insight into the firm. Our supervisor was largely on hand during our placement on Friday (despite their heavy workload) to offer support and assistance on work given to us.

The extent to which the scheme aided with my degrees studies is limited, however, it certainly helped with applications and decisions regarding our careers beyond university. The information we received about how commercial law firms operate, particularly Clifford Chance, has already proved useful in applications and doubtless will in future, while the skills we learned in case studies about how to structure analyses of deals and potential clients will be useful for case study interviews.

We took on board a lot of information during the scheme, however the way in which the scheme was structured ensured it was not tiresome. The presentations rarely exceeded an hour, and when they did they were combined with case study sessions which were highly enjoyable. Four of the five days saw us being taken out for some form of social, three during the evening. During these, the group got to know each other and formed genuine friendships despite the scheme only lasting one week. On Friday we were placed in one of the practice areas for the day under the supervision of a Trainee or Associate who provided us with work, some of it for clients. This gave us responsibility and an insight into how commercial lawyers conduct legal research and advise clients.

The feeling of being valued as described above contributed to a relaxed and friendly atmosphere which brought the best out of everyone on the scheme. We all felt comfortable asking questions and expressing our views. All students on the scheme were friendly with each other, while we got to know the Graduate Recruitment team in an informal capacity which added to the atmosphere.

Before embarking on the scheme we all had a broad understanding of the "Together We Are Clifford Chance" ethos that the firm employs, however I gained a true appreciation of the collegiate atmosphere at the firm during the scheme. There is a complete fluidity of communication between employees of all levels of seniority at the firm; the firm operates as one unit for the benefit of the clients.

We were paid a sum of money for the week, however Clifford Chance also reimbursed a selection of expenses we paid as well as covering all social events. The taxi to the Eurostar Terminal early on Wednesday morning was reimbursed, while they also gave us a £10 Oyster visitor pass topped up with which effectively covered 2 days travel to and from the firm.

There were daily networking breakfasts/brunches/lunches with Trainees and Associate, enabling us to ask questions regarding work within the firm and of their opinions about our future plans. We were encouraged to ask as many questions to as many different employees as possible during our placement in the practice area on Friday. Most of us took this opportunity and all employees were happy to give up their time to answer our questions.

There was no explicit provision in the schedule of the week for such information, however if we were interested we were more than able to find out such opportunities by asking Trainees and Associates at the daily networking events. A Trainee described to me the chance to play cricket and football amongst other sports for the firm against other Magic Circle firms.

Yes. The scheme is highly competitive to get on to but it is worth the effort. The insight we gained into the operations of the firm and the ways in which Clifford Chance lawyers approach legal research and advising clients is invaluable. Additionally, we were given advice on how to devise applications for future vacation schemes and interview preparation for the assessment day for the training contract on offer after the scheme.