Vacation Scheme Student Review

The vac scheme was an accessible and friendly insight into the legal profession, and more specifically a legal career within London. It was my first scheme and it was well structured, well thought out and the work was interesting. We also had some social events to get to know other vac scheme students, current trainees and future trainees as well as more senior staff such as associates and partners etc.

Throughout the scheme, I felt that everyone made a conscious effort to welcome us. HR were in touch several times before the scheme to make sure everything was ready and we felt prepared. During the scheme, our trainee buddies gave us tours of the office and introduced us to key contacts within the department we were sat with. This was helpful for knowing particular people to get work from and so they knew you were there to invite you along to interesting things like client meetings when there was the opportunity.

I sat in two quite content heavy seats. Whilst I had not studied either topic before, my supervisor was always understanding and patient at explaining key concepts. Anything that was more basic, I also asked my trainee for advice - e.g. using printers, getting access to the research materials on the intranet.

This was an amazing opportunity to see what solicitors actually do in real life and that was incredibly helpful in my decision to what I wanted to do after university. I also built on existing skills such as using legal databases such as WestLaw but also using other specialised programs.

On the first day we were given a programme of the two weeks. It began quite generally with an introduction to the firm and then introduction to the seat you were sat with. You then settled into doing work for your supervisor throughout the week and attending presentations as and when scheduled to learn more about other departments. Then in second week the process was repeated with the second supervisor and department. We had our TC presentation quite early so we knew what to expect from the start.

It was always very friendly and supportive. Whenever I was confused or unsure, my supervisor was patient to take the time and explain things to me. Several alumni from my university got in contact and took me to coffee to have a chat about the firm. Even NQs who didn't know me came to the office to introduce themselves.

After speaking to a partner he said to me... the assessment centre at HSF is tough and it is tough because it's the same for vac scheme and straight TC applicants. Why? The partner said it is because at the end of the day they are interviewing for not just future trainees, but future partners. I think this summarises the attitude of HSF to their new joiners. They are committed in investing in training etc. as many of those people are the ones in the future to be leading the firm.

I think there's always a limit to how much can be achieved within two weeks (1 week within each department). However, I would say that this was still a good overview of the work within the firm. Whilst I had mostly research tasks, I was still sat in the same office as a supervisor conducting their normal tasks. I heard about what they were involved with, I saw the people who would come by the office each day to ask questions etc. The trainees also told me more about the "real life" of their work.

I think law fairs and open days are great but they make it hard to distinguish between firms as they all just give you shiny brochures with how great their firm is. Being on the vac scheme, we were treated like everyone else. Whilst we did get the nice client rooms to listen to presentations in, other times we were in the offices when a lot was going on. We were able to see how hard people worked but also how different members of staff interacted and supported each other.

I think it was a helpful insight of what type of work occurs during the day. It did make me think about the wide variety of work which changes from day to day. IT wasn't things such as the whole deal but we were there long enough to see what was happening and make a well informed decision from that.

We were paid around £400 a week - one of the highest vac scheme wages in London I think. It covered all my accommodation, travel and food for the two weeks with a little left over. There were several days where food was provided for by HSF as well (e.g. breakfast, lunch or dinner).

There was a specific partners drinks event for networking with partners, senior associates etc. During the whole scheme we also got to meet numerous people from throughout the office. Lots of alumni staff at the firm also reached out to me to take me to coffee whilst I was there.

Social events were a dim sum cooking evening, a partners drinks networking evening, a quiz and farewell drinks. I think these are more limited than some other firms but were still enough for us to get to know other vac scheme students well and for us to get a good enough idea of the firm. To be honest, a lot of the days we were super tired after a day at the office and wouldn't have been able to go to a lot more social events even if they were offered.

More so for the trainees as it came into conversation generally and this ranged from running, netball, football, cricket, sailing, pro bono and photography. We also got to know our supervisors a bit better to what they did after work such as looking after young children, gardening and meeting friends.

Definitely, it was a great insight into the world of law. Having a TC at the end is a bonus but not the end of the world if you don't get it. At the end of the day, you'll still have the opportunity to talk about your HSF vac scheme experience. The HSF AC is tough and other firms recognise that.