First Year Insight Programme Review

I really enjoyed the insight scheme because it allowed me, as someone from Leeds, to get a feel for the corporate law firm environment in London. In addition, although it did seem daunting working with strangers, this was pushed by the team in order to create good team atmospheres. We had many talks from partners and other staff and this did allow a good insight into the different sector groups.

I think I definitely did feel valued whilst I was there. The majority of the partners who were there are the scheme thanked us for attending and all of the recruitment team made a conscious effort to speak to people. I was lucky enough to sit with one of the team when we went for dinner and she definitely made everyone feel valued.

If we had any questions at any point during the insight, then the team were more than happy to answer them. I didn’t feel like we really needed support whilst there, or if we did then I think the needs were generally met. The only thing I would want more support with and earlier would be the accommodation. Although we did receive most of the information before, minor details about whether we had bed and breakfast, or an evening meal provided wasn’t known until we got there.

The skills that I have developed aren’t particularly tailored to the law degree because this was more about the practical side of the law, rather than the actual learning of the law. However, I do feel like I have gained confidence by doing the scheme which would potentially help with any presentations during my degree. I have gained a lot of skills and knowledge about how an international law firm works and this will be useful for further schemes that I want to complete. Many things that we were told or skills we were developing will be good to put on the CV and this I have found valuable.

The insight was very well structured, and timings were almost always accurate. The schedule was very full, and we had just short of 12 hour days. Not being from London and just staying in the hotel, this was a positive and a negative. A negative is really that we didn’t really have any time to explore the city, but at the end of the day this is not why we went. On the positive side it meant that we were constantly busy and when we got back to the hotel we were just ready for bed. The only issue with the structure for me would be that sometimes the breaks we were given were a bit too long.

The atmosphere was informal to an extent and when it needed to be, however formal and more structured when necessary which was good. The graduate recruitment team were very funny and up for a laugh; this made potentially awkward times at the start not as awkward as they could have been.

I think that the firm did invest in us because they had many important people within the firm to take to us. Moreover, in terms of personal development some of the trainees put a lot of effort in to create a negotiation task known as 'deal spotlight'. This clearly took a lot of effort and it was amazing to take part in as we were able to develop an understanding of what lawyers actually have to do.

Like mentioned before, we did various activities that would help us to understand what life would be like full time in the firm. On one of the nights we had pizza networking; this allowed us to speak to trainees and understand what their job truly entails. This was interesting hearing things from another perspective rather than from others.

The company culture was a main feature throughout all of the talks and activities. This industry does have a big culture of hospitality which may not be obvious. However, this was the case as there was a full catering team over the three days and all food and drink was immaculate. Other aspects of the culture we also demonstrated and spoke about, but the culture tends to be work hard but be human too.

I think after this programme I have decided that being a solicitor is something that I want to pursue. Throughout the programme however, the graduate recruitment team and partners who spoke were more than happy to promote what was best for you. If after the scheme you decided that this wasn't the career path for you then they stressed that this was too a success.

Being from Leeds and having to stay in London for the three days, we had a hotel booked and paid for in advance, so we didn't have to worry about this. In terms of travel, we had to book the train or alternative travel. My train was £108 - this was fully paid back to my account on the last day of the programme.

During the three days we had a networking dinner with pizza on the first night, a networking lunch on the second day and then a dinner on the second night with the opportunity to speak with graduate recruitment. We had plenty of opportunities to speak with trainees which was useful. We had the opportunity to ask questions with partners and senior staff but apart from this there was no other direct opportunity with people like that. That would possibly be something I would want more of, but I appreciate that people are very busy.

The networking was all quite informal and didn't feel too scary. The graduate recruitment team were aware that we were first year (or second year non-law) so they didn't make anything too intense. The meal was rather formal, and the set menu made that more so. Despite this, it was still a very enjoyable social night.

This wasn't necessarily something that they spoke about explicitly, however from speaking with some people it was evident that there were lots of things that could be done. One of the trainees that I spoke to explained how there were events on after office hours that you could do. Another trainee told us that there are many pro bono opportunities to get involved with which was interesting.

I would definitely recommend this to a friend because I have found it such a useful and valuable experience. Although I was nervous about going to London on my own not knowing anyone, this was not an issue at all because everyone is in the same boat. I now have an understanding about the firm and industry that I didn't have before so I am so happy I went.