Paralegal Review

I enjoyed learning about the departments I sat in, especially as I had very little experience in disputes work. I was very interested in the department's work in the first week, and was fortunate to assist on some breaking current affairs work in the second week. There were also some very enjoyable socials organised for us, including a ride up the London Eye.

I felt involved in an interesting investigation in my first week, and was told that my work helped the team work towards a deadline. Unfortunately, the office I sat in was separate from the rest of my team in the first week, so it was sometimes difficult to get to know the whole team.

I received clear instructions from my supervisor in my first week, who gave a good background to the work at hand and the tasks I needed to do. In the second week, I was given less direct support but it helped me to make decisions and use some initiative. HR also provided extra sessions for us to ask one-on-one questions.

I developed some skills such as improving use of legal resources such as Practical Law and Westlaw. I also improved soft skills such as interacting professionally in the office and networking at events. However, as I have spent over a year working at a law firm, I would have definitely picked up more skills if I was still an undergraduate.

Well structured. The scheme was split into one-week stints in two departments. This was supported with skills sessions and socials in both weeks. The only slight drawback was that there was sometimes not enough time available to do department work because of daytime sessions or evening socials. However, this did make us more organised with our work.

The atmosphere was generally very positive. I was welcomed by people in adjacent offices on my first day. Some people appeared busy, but this was good practice on office etiquette (when to knock on doors and when to give people space to work). It was a very good insight into the working culture of the firm.

There was a decent amount of training and development. There were training sessions in both weeks. During the first two days, we were given appropriate IT training and familiarisation of library resources. In terms of personal development, HR provided soft skills sessions on presenting ourselves in the office. There were also insight sessions that involved members of different departments. However, these insight sessions were too brief and not very structured, meaning that some sessions were more constructive than others.

The two weeks certainly helped, and was in fact one of the greatest takeaways of the scheme. HR did not dress up day-to-day life at the firm, nor was it a dull experience. I was able to deal with real work on real matters rather than intern-specific work. It was very helpful and confirmed my desire to work in the City.

The scheme was very helpful. Similar to the above answer, people got on with their day-to-day tasks and gave us a taste of what working at the firm was like. We had talks by HR and the office head about the company culture, but the biggest takeaway was the people I met at the firm. The lunchtime canteen was also helpful as a focal point that gave us exposure to the firm's culture.

Helpful - it confirmed my desire to train in the City.

My salary did not cover my accommodation expenses at a student hall in central London.

Yes, although it would have been better to have more opportunities to meet senior employees of the firm as well as juniors.

A good number of social events with trainees, but it would have been nice to have spent more time with lawyers at associate and senior associate level as well.

I learned about the softball league and pro bono work, but not very many other activities.

Yes. As mentioned in a previous question, the scheme did not dress up the firm as something it was not. People were friendly but also quite honest about the work they did. The talk by the managing partner was particularly insightful, as he gave a very good summary of the firm, how it positions itself in the market, and how it aims to grow in the future. HR also gave a pragmatic session for those looking to gain a training contract at the firm.