Vacation Scheme Student Review

I massively enjoyed my vacation scheme with Pinsent Masons. Over the two weeks I was able to meet a wide range of lawyers from a number of different teams across the firm. All the staff, from the people sat at the front desk to the department heads were genuinely friendly and interested in getting to know me throughout the two weeks.

I felt as though I was doing work that actually added value to the firm. One piece of work was to research a topic that my supervisor didn't know about and present a summary to him. This was a great opportunity to learn about data protection while actually helping out a lawyer with their day-to-day work. There were no photocopiers in sight for my entire placement which was such a welcome surprise. All of the work felt important rather than just tasks set to occupy me.

I had two trainee buddies who checked up on me and helped me with work throughout the vacation scheme. They were both incredibly attentive and checked up on me during each day. I was given tasks which required independent thinking but guidance was always nearby if I became stuck. I also had two allocated supervisors who delegated work to me, they were more senior in the firm but still remained friendly and approachable.

Being from a completely non-law background, the skills I developed were completely new to me. I was shown how to effectively carry out legal research and presented a number of research notes to my supervisors. These skills will doubtless help me as I progress towards my goal of a training contract as well as giving me valuable insight into the legal sector before starting my conversion course.

The vacation scheme was very well structured, I was given work by my allocated supervisors but was also free to explore other teams and find my own work. I ended up doing work for many different people throughout the firm and gained a varied insight into several different sectors. There was a great range of social events to balance out the work as well.

The atmosphere of the firm was one of a friendly and enjoyable place to work. There was no ostensible face-time culture which is something I want to avoid during my career. The team I was sat in were all attentive and friendly for the duration of my stay, the socials were great fun and I could see that the team were genuinely friends rather than just colleagues. This is something I really value in a firm.

I was given training on how to use the IT systems throughout the firm as well as given personal instruction by my supervisors on how to present research findings using the in-house themes and styles that Pinsent Masons sets. Trainees were always happy to talk and offer advice on any tasks I was working on, even senior associates and partners would offer advice if I was struggling. It was great to see that even the fee-earners were happy to invest time in me.

I feel like I have been able to gain a true insight into life at the firm. The trainees and lawyers that I met all talked to me about their daily lives and how the find it. I was able to build up a picture of my team in particular that I believe to be quite close to the reality of actual life in the firm. This is so important as some firms project a veneer of life there, whereas Pinsent Masons was very much what it claimed to be - as far as I am concerned anyway.

The firm is one that is innovative and isn't afraid of trying new tools and techniques to try and achieve its vision of being an international market leader. Pinsent Masons has a reputation of innovation and their culture is one of incorporating innovation throughout the firm. They encourage employees to submit ideas to their think-tanks and actually use the new tools/techniques on a daily basis.

Invaluable. Be it at Pinsent Masons or elsewhere in the legal sector, I am now convinced that a career in the law is exactly what I want. It has shown me that the work is varied and interesting, and even while the work can be repetitive at times, the people around you are all fantastic so it's fine. The culture of the firm was exactly what I'm looking for and the sector in particular was incredibly interesting, even after only a couple weeks of research.

The pay was more than enough to fund my stay.

There were ample opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of Pinsent Masons. We had a number of networking lunches, which included a number of trainees from different departments as well as ample free food. Further to this, there were sporting events including: touch rugby; 5-a-side football; and softball. There were also opportunities for more casual meetings for example, at the pub - a really relaxed environment in which to learn about the firm.

They were all well run and inclusive for all the vac schemers who wanted to come along. The lunches had more than enough food for everyone and trainees at the pub were all really friendly. The touch rugby was my favourite social event, it was great seeing partners and trainees involved in a team sport followed by a drink at a local pub.

Yes, there were a range of sporting and social events throughout the calendar.

Without a doubt.