Vacation scheme student Review

Enjoyable and rewarding, I enjoyed the insight to a significant extent. I think if I was pressed for a single reason, it would be the culture of the firm. It is very rare to go an entire week as tiring as a vacation scheme without feeling some pressure. It is precisely the level of support I can expect to receive, however, which goes a long way to alleviating this level of pressure. Accordingly, the insight was thoroughly enjoyable.

The firm’s ethos was incredibly benevolent, inclusive and fostered a collegiate atmosphere. I really enjoyed meeting the people working at the firm, and I always felt I could go to someone if I needed help. I received a good level of recognition from both my buddy and supervisor for my work on the scheme.

I received a wide array of support throughout the scheme. For instance, the graduate recruitment team made a concerted effort to include as great a variety of departments as possible at the regular training sessions, allowing me to meet members of all of the major sectors and practice areas within the firm.

I sat in Commercial Litigation, greatly enhancing my contentious legal experience. This will unequivocally help me if I was to pursue a career within commercial law. Delivered a presentation on ‘China’s One Belt One Road’ strategy, which included an evaluation of the potential implications of the initiative for the firm, as well as recommending some personal suggestions to overcome these obstacles. Researched a court case judgement that related to the terms in a litigation funding agreement and evaluated whether the agreement was subject to legal advice privilege. Organisational skills enriched by collecting data from a court case and inputting the information into a table of documents.

I was allocated to sit in my first-choice department which was commercial litigation; a key area of the firm considering its industry expertise. Exposure to other departments was also easy to come by, with trainees and associates from Corporate, Marine and International Trade, and the Finance Group talking me through their work over lunch.

The firm’s ethos was incredibly benevolent, inclusive and fostered a collegiate atmosphere. I really enjoyed meeting the people working at the firm, and I always felt I could go to someone if I needed help. I believe that the general atmosphere reflect a positive ethos, and the photographs from the permanent members going to places together such as France and Portugal, reflect the positive, friendly atmosphere.

I believe the firm invested in me to a significant extent. For example, the graduate recruitment team made a concerted effort to include as great a variety of departments as possible at the regular training sessions, allowing me to meet members of all of the major sectors and practice areas within the firm.

Tasks over the week really varied according to the business needs of the department and, arguably, gave a far more realistic perspective of the work of a trainee compared to other, overly structured vacation schemes. Importantly the team made a genuine effort to include me in the live work, which was certainly insightful.

Very relaxed with the clear understanding that everyone was bright and working hard on high-quality work. Stephenson Harwood is also perhaps the most supportive corporate environment that I have ever been in, for example, a partner took time out of the end of their day to explain the deals that they were working on and answer any questions that I had about the firm.

Being sat in Commercial Litigation for one week provided a valuable insight into a global law firm, facilitating the transition from an academic to a more commercially-focused mind-set. I believe the content of the day was incredibly valuable in helping me to decide that a career in commercial law is the right one for me.

I was paid £350 for my time on the one-week vacation scheme.

I was allocated to sit in my top department choice: Commercial Litigation. What I was also fortunate to gain, however, was the experience with other firms. The exposure to other departments was also easy to come by, with trainees and associates from Corporate, Marine and International Trade, and the Finance Group talking me through their work over lunch.

The programme managed to include more social events in one week than most firms fit into a three-week vacation scheme. All of the networking/social event opportunities were superb and allowed us all to get a real idea of the firm's culture. My favourite was the Stephenson Harwood Christmas Concert, which consisted of some truly spectacular music performances.

I was able to gain an insight into the type of pro-bono initiatives and corporate social responsibility initiatives that the firm offers. This is because the programme offered so much more than could ever be included in even the best law firm open day. Furthermore, because of its inclusive nature, it allowed for far more learning and professional development than my experience of a vacation scheme at other places.

I would recommend the vacation scheme to anyone who wants to continue building their path into commercial law. The real work gave a really good overview of the trainee experience at Stephenson Harwood and the programme as a whole acted as an invaluable stepping stone to potential career opportunities within the legal sector.