Vacation Scheme Student Review

I really enjoyed the vacation scheme. The partners and trainees were very helpful in supporting me whilst I was at the firm and ensured that I felt welcomed from the day I walked in the door. The first week was all about induction events so we got a deep insight into the firm before walking into work experience placements on weeks 2 and 3. There was also a partner dinner at an Italian restaurant where we got to meet more partners. The trainees also organised drinks for all the vacation schemers. This helped to balance the assessments that went on throughout the week. Though the assessments were pretty nerve-wracking, the firm did its best to minimise the pressure by placing them out throughout the weeks that we were there as opposed to having it all at the end of the vacation scheme.

I felt very valued during my time at the company in that we had an individual partner who was supervising us and also a trainee buddy to whom we could ask more personal questions. The supervisors were invested in my work and took me out for a coffee to discuss my career aspirations and give their advice. I also enjoyed that several events were put on just for the vacation schemers such as dinners and drinks. I keep in touch with people I met at the firm.

There was a lot of guidance and support both before and during the vacation scheme. Before the vacation scheme we were able to meet up personally with our buddies who were trainees at the firm and they were able to give preparation tips as well as 'dos and dont's'. Meeting my trainee buddy before the placement ensured that I felt well advised on my departmental choices. It also meant that I had a friendly face that I already knew when I walked in the firm and that was able to support me during my time on the placement. During the placement there were also plenty of networking sessions and skills sessions to help us impress when we actually went off to our chosen departments.

The skills I developed and the information I received were instrumental in consolidating what I had learnt during my law degree. I was able to see how law is applied in practice and what kind of an impact it can have. The skills and information will also be invaluable to my legal career as I was able to draft documents myself and receive feedback from my supervisor as well as prepare and deliver presentations.

The vacation scheme was well structured. In the first week, we had plenty of insight sessions scheduled. It was great that these were at the beginning and contained in one week so they did not take time away from the desk in the following weeks. It also meant that we could meet everyone on the vacation scheme before getting stuck into our own individual departments. The work experience weeks had some presentations and assessments scheduled during the days but the supervisors were well informed of when we had these and so they did not conflict with our workload. The supervisors were even aware of and attended some of our assessed presentations. It was lovely that they took time out of their day to support us in this way. I would suggest that there could have been more social and informal networking events planned for the scheme.

The general atmosphere during the insight was friendly and cooperative. I felt that most people I met, including the vacation schemers themselves were supportive in wanting everyone to perform at their best and make sure that we had the best chance of getting a training contract. There could have been more social and informal networking events organised during the three weeks of the scheme to better support this friendly atmosphere.

The vacation scheme really helped me to understand what it would have been like to be a full time trainee with the company because we were given real work and had real deadlines to meet. I was the only one being supervised by my supervisor which meant I got his full attention and a lot of work, which was great because it meant that I got to understand what trainees actually do. There was no other trainee in the office that I shared with my supervisor so I had to adapt to the role quickly.

The vacation scheme was really helpful in allowing me to understand if a legal career was really for me. It showed me that legal practice is very different from the work I undertook as a university student studying law. It would have been helpful to better understand different career stages at the firm (e.g. not just the trainee life but also partner and associate life) and the opportunities that the firm has to offer at these stages.

I was paid and reimbursed adequately for travel expenses incurred during the vacation scheme. As my home is overseas, DLA was willing to help with some of the costs involved in flying back into the UK for the vacation scheme. The salary paid was proportionate and appropriate to the hours spent in the office.

There could have been many more networking and social opportunities to complement our desk work and assessments. Although we we had the opportunity to sit with a partner at an informal dinner, it would have been nice to have lunch with a trainee so that we could meet trainees in an informal setting. It would also have been nice to do an activity with just the vacation schemers at the beginning. As there were 75 of us in the first week, this would have helped to break the ice.

The firm placed heavy emphasis on showcasing the pro bono opportunities available to employees. We were asked to undertake pro bono research during our time there alongside our desk work which mirrored what a trainee would be doing in real life. I would have liked to learn more about opportunities for participating in sports team and other activities such as the choir that senior partners are involved in running.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend. Firstly, nothing compares to actually seeing the firm for yourself and seeing if you fit in with the culture or not. Secondly, it helped that everyone was friendly and cooperative when I had questions to ask and wanted to find out more. Although people were busy everyone made time in their calendar for me.