First Year Insight Programme Review

I enjoyed the insight very much and am so glad to have been a part of it. I met a lot of amazing people, some who inspire me and some who I will be friends with forever. There was no part of the insight that I did not enjoy as everything I learnt and participated in will help me in both my studies and future work.

From the very start, we were told how proud we should feel to have made it on the programme and that the firm was very grateful for us to have applied to them. We were spoke to with a lot of respect even from senior partners and this made me feel appreciated to be a part of the programme.

I received a lot of guidance and support. We had many talks from both senior employees such as partners and trainees of the firm which meant we were able to ask any questions we had in relation to the firm, how to reach our career goals, and what we could expect in the future. There was always someone available to speak to.

Before I went on this programme, I didn't feel as though I knew enough about each sector. This programme taught me a lot about each sector and this has helped me to decide what field I would like to work in. I also learnt a lot about what I now need to do in order to reach my career goal.

It was very well structured as over the 3 days we participated in many different activities and learned a lot about each sector of the firm. There were networking events, talks from senior employees, group tasks and much much more. It was quite an intense 3 days as we did a lot in small space of time but this was very informative and helpful.

Everyone was very friendly and the networking events helped us speak to each other and get along quite early on in the programme. Even though it was a professional environment, we were all made to feel comfortable as for some people, like myself, this was the first time to have been in an environment such as this.

I felt as though the firm invested a lot in me in terms of the insight programme so I am certain they would continue to invest in me if I was employed by them. They encourage their employees to develop themselves so that they can move higher up in the firm as there are many opportunities for training and development.

It helped me to understand what having a full-time role would be like. This is because we were explained about what our day of work may consist of and how many hours employees usually work. I also met a lot of current employees of the firm which gave me an idea of who I may be working alongside in the future.

The firm promotes the importance of diversity and inclusion very much and because this is very important to me, it made me feel happy that we share the same values, this makes me want to work for DLA Piper even more. The firm consists of a diverse group of people which shows they welcome everyone no matter their background.

Over the 3 days, there were many different talks, group projects and networking events. We were given information about the different sectors in a lot of detail and this helped us understand the work of each sector and the importance of their role in the firm. This information has given me a good idea of what sector I would like to work in.

The hotel was pre-paid for and I was sent the details for the hotel a week before the event. My train ticket was reimbursed once I had completed the 3 days at the firm. We were provided with breakfast, lunch and dinner at the firm and we were even taken out for dinner at a restaurant which was also paid for.

Yes, there were many opportunities to network and meet employees of the firm. I was able to meet with partners, trainees, associates and other employees of the firm which meant that I was able to talk to people at different levels in the firm to get their opinions of what it is like working at DLA Piper.

The networking events were very helpful. They gave us the chance to speak to professional people who were very high up in the firm in a more relaxed environment to make us feel comfortable. I also made many friends whilst networking with people in the same position as me and I am certain that I will stay in contact with them for a very long time.

There are many opportunities that employees can get involved in outside work. DLA Piper does a lot of pro bono work which gives employees the chance to get involved with this type of work. Also, there may be some pro bono work that the firm cannot take on but employees are still able to work on these cases outside of work if they wish to.

Yes, I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend. This is because it was very informative and has taught me a lot about what life as a lawyer would be like and all the sectors involved. It has helped me decide what sector of the firm I would want to work in as I was not sure about this before.