Allen & Overy Summer Vacation Scheme Review

A real diverse range of events, socials and opportunities to get involved with real work. The Vacation Scheme allowed me to go and meet clients, actively participate on deals and socialise on formal and informal levels with a diverse range of people from the firm. As a group of Vacation Schemers, we all became really close and supported one another, which made the scheme all the more enjoyable.

Partners, Associates and Trainees all made an effort to get to know you and provide some form of work for you. There were opportunities to arrange Coffee Catch-ups and Meetings with people in the firm actively freeing up time in their diary to accommodate.

Support was plentiful. The team from Graduate Recruitment were constantly on hand to answer any questions or arrange additional meetings for you. Even before arriving, additional meetings were arranged for us based on our initial joiner pack sent to the Firm. Small touches throughout the two weeks also made each Vac Schemer feel valued.

The work that was carried out will assist when joining as a Trainee. Similarly, the information given will actively support seat choices and all you to make more informed decisions.

Everything was well structured. We received an Ipad with an A&O App to monitor our timetable, carry round to input meetings into our diary straight away and was useful to take home and know how best to prepare for each day!

Welcoming, fun and useful. The people you meet during the scheme make the atmosphere all the more better. The events organised by Graduate Recruitment each day ensure we better understand elements of the firm and are able to experience as much as possible. This all adds to the overall atmosphere whilst on the scheme.

There was a lot of investment- we had workshops almost daily which included presentations, activities and games which encouraged us to think about training and development. We received a great talk on Presentation Skills before having to carry out a group presentation in front of a room of people. This type of activity directly helped us whilst on the scheme and no doubt in the future.

Having both a Supervisor and a Trainee Buddy allowed everyone to ask the personal questions that enable you to get a true insight into working full time for the firm. We were encourage to meet as many people as possible and ask questions that would help us to make a more informed decision. The Graduate Recruitment team alongside this also organised various Panel Events and Q&A Sessions to provide more of a structured way of finding out more about life at the firm.

There is no better way to find out about the culture of A&O then to gain a place on one of their Vac Schemes. If you make the most of the scheme, you are able to attend as many events as you like, arrange meetings with various diversity groups or sports teams which all helps you understand the culture of the firm.

In terms of work whilst in the office, there was a diverse range of tasks given to me to ensure the content was useful when making decisions about my future career path. If there was certain areas you were especially interested in hearing more about or working on, the team would try and be as accommodating as possible to make it happen.

We were paid for the two weeks to enable those that lived far from London to move centrally for the duration of the Scheme. Whilst on the scheme, a lot of your food and drinks are paid for each day which is also another benefit when considering your finances whilst on the scheme.

There were formally opportunities almost daily. However the true benefit of gaining a place on this scheme is the independence they enable you to have in arranging catch ups and booking meetings into your calendar. There was a lot of control given to us in that sense.

The social events were really fun and varied. There was socials which involved food, nice restaurants and drinks. Alongside that there was a really fun social which involved running around London looking for clues and various tasks.

There was information provided to each Vacation Scheme student before attending the firm which gave plenty of information about the gym, sports clubs, diversity groups and pro bono work. We were actively encouraged and supported during the scheme to get in touch with people to hear more about activities and participate where possible during our two week summer scheme.

I would recommend this insight to anyone who has an interest in finding out more about what happens behind the doors of a Magic Circle firm such as Allen & Overy. There are many preconceptions and opinions that the Magic Circle is an unachievable aspiration, but whilst on the scheme you begin to realise that hard work and a good mind set is truly valued at A&O and those who want to go far are supported and actively encouraged to.