Vacation Scheme Student Review

I really enjoyed the vacation scheme. I feel that it gave a fantastic insight into the firm as well. There was ample opportunity to meet and talk to fee-earners at all different levels. This was aided by the different talks conducted and the various social events that took place throughout the scheme.

Despite only being here for three weeks, I felt very valued throughout the vacation scheme. This was because of the feedback I consistently received from human resources and my supervisors, which was not only immensely helpful for me whilst at the firm but I am sure will prove useful in future endeavours too.

I was given regular guidance and feedback. On our first day, a member of graduate recruitment let us know what the feedback was from our assessment day; this was immensely valuable as it pinpointed the areas in which we could develop. I also received feedback from my supervisors on multiple occasions.

This was not terribly helpful for my studies as I do not study law. That being said, for my future career prospects, I believe this experience to be very valuable as it gave me a real insight into life at a city law firm and allowed me to development transferable professional skills.

Herbert Smith Freehills' vacation scheme was very well structured. There were talks held nearly every day, which allowed a fantastic insight into the firm as a whole. Having two weeks in one department and one week in another was also fantastic in allowing an overview of the firm's different practice areas.

I found the atmosphere to be really enjoyable. All the fee-earners I encountered were exceptionally friendly and approachable, which meant the environment in the office was very jovial and friendly. Graduate recruitment were also exceptionally welcoming and sociable, which meant that the events (run by them) were really fun and lively.

I felt that there was a huge amount of investment in us, primarily in terms of time. My supervisors gave me ample amounts of time to discuss the matters that they were working on and the work that I was doing. Needless to say, the amount of time sacrificed by graduate recruitment throughout the duration of the scheme was also sizeable.

By the end of my vacation scheme, I felt I had a really god insight of what it would be like to work as a trainee at Herbert Smith Freehills. This is not only because the work we were expected to do was comparable to the work conducted by trainees but also because of the amount of time I spent talking to trainees and gaining an understanding of their day-to-day activities.

It is difficult to gain a full picture of the company’s culture in three weeks, especially on a vacation scheme where they are in effect trying to sell the firm to you too. That being said though, I do feel like I have got a good sense of it from speaking to different people.

I did real work that was actually used by my supervisors. This was really invaluable as I knew that it reflected the kind of work that trainees would be expected to do. That being said, I do know that they tried their best to make sure the work was as interesting as possible, so it was not entirely reflective of the entire scope of work expected to be completed by a trainee.

I was paid £400 a week.

There was ample opportunity for this. There were several events planned during the evening, one was a specific partner drinks, which allowed contact with senior members of staff that you may not have otherwise have had the opportunity to talk to in a relatively informal setting. Trainees also attended several of the other events.

They were really enjoyable and varied. One of the most enjoyable was the dinner on the first evening, which was only for the other vacation scheme students. I felt that this was a really good opportunity to meet the other participants in an informal setting without any firm representatives present.

Yes, not only through talking to various fee-earners but through the 'network's fair'.

Definitely!