Vacation Scheme student Review

I had a thoroughly enjoyable two weeks with Hogan Lovells- I found the work was interesting and varied and particularly enjoyed my time with supervisors where it was possible to ask loads of questions about law and the firm. The social arrangements for the week were very fun and everyone at the firm was very welcoming. The structured seminars and sessions were very well organised and I learned a lot during these. At the end of the two weeks, I was convinced that I wanted to work for the firm.

I was surprised at how friendly and welcoming people were; many came across the floor to greet me as the vacation scheme student. People were very happy to talk to me and offered to go for a coffee and longer chat about life at the firm and career in law. The work was interesting and I felt that I did provide a contribution to the regular work of the lawyers who I was working for; I drafted letters and proof read a contract and this work was used by the team to help them with their tasks. I felt very comfortable coming into the office and it felt as though I had been there for longer than I actually was.

It was a very well structured programme; the organised sessions helped to structure the day and made it easier to organise the work given from supervisors/ departments. I asked questions when I wasn't sure on the work I was meant to do and the supervisors/departments were very happy to spend time to explain in detail the task as well as very kindly providing background information to their work.

After the vacation scheme, I was very sure that a career in law was perfect for me and that Hogan Lovells as a firm was where I wanted to work. I learned a lot and became aware of skills that will be needed for a career in law such as the style of writing- which is very different from the way in which I write history essays- as well as learning about online and physical law resources. The nature of the programme with the organised seminars, supervisor's work and group work on the presentation meant that I experienced how to balance and effectively manage time which is useful for approaching other areas beyond the vacation scheme.

The vacation scheme was very well structured; the seminars were very relevant, enjoyable and I learned a lot. The progression through law skills, contemporary issues and group work was very well structured, and the social aspects of the scheme were very fun. I felt I always knew where I was meant to be and had something to do which I think came from the programme's great structure.

The overall atmosphere was warm, welcoming and hardworking; I felt comfortable to be around everyone in the firm and felt able to ask for help from supervisors and felt that people were very willing to meet and have a conversation. The work was interesting and there was an atmosphere of hard work and professionalism that really appealed to me. I enjoyed the overall atmosphere that people have fun and are friendly whilst working really hard on a variety of interesting projects.

I think Hogan Lovells tried very hard to allow us to experience different areas of world of law and was heavily interested in helping us develop personally. The seminars included learning about and practising advocacy skills and working on communication skills and were fun and interactive and I learned a lot. The current issues sessions were informative and were important at helping me fully appreciate the world in which Hogan Lovells operates. Supervisors were very keen to help explain their work and offer help to any queries that I had about my work during the week and questions I had about law at large.

The programme was intense and very well structured. The days were full and very varied; I enjoyed the experience of working on the group project and on the work allocated by my supervisor and department. As some of the tasks required research, it was great to use the library and online law resources, of which I had not come across before. I think the programme presented a good picture of what it would be like to work for the firm; a mix of individual research and work, group and team activity and also through the many conversations with partners and current trainees, I was able to hear about the work that they do.

The programme was very helpful into showing the company culture; by meeting so many different people across all areas of the firm, it was helpful for me to hear so many opinions and stories about people's time at the firm. Formal sessions included one on HLBase which presented the social enterprise elements of Hogan Lovells's clients and the forward-thinking nature of the firm. The social events, and generally seeing and experiencing the interactions across the firm were evident of a very friendly and comfortable atmosphere that was throughout the firm. By placing us in rooms with senior members of the firm allowed me to see the collaborative nature of work; people would talk together and give supportive feedback and it was interesting how some people, from different departments, would come to various partners they knew were experts in order to ask a question. It was welcoming to see that people worked together and that asking for support was normal.

The content was very important for me in deciding on law. Whilst I enjoyed the culture and people of the firm, it was ultimately down to the work that Hogan Lovells does that confirmed my choice of law as a career. The scheme gave good exposure to the firm's work and I enjoyed learning and reading about the exciting projects and significant clients with which Hogan Lovells works.

One of the great things about the scheme was the huge number of people that I met. From around the office to the partner lunches and evening with our trainee mentors, who were exceptionally helpful in talking about life at the firm, there were many opportunities to meet people across the firm. Also, the partners who interviewed me before the scheme emailed to arrange a meeting and it was great to have them, as well as our trainee mentor, supervisor and graduate recruitment team, as more familiar contacts throughout the two weeks.

The opportunities were good; the firm's layout encouraged social interaction and the drinks evening and organised lunches were great opportunities to meet new people and have a variety of different discussions.

I did hear a lot about these activities; people are very happy to spend time with the firm outside of work and there appears to be a lot of fun and interesting activities to get involved with such as charitable work and sports groups.

I would definitely recommend this vacation scheme to a friend. I have told many people about my excitement for working with the firm and the enjoyable experience that I had during the Spring Vacation scheme.