Intern Review

I enjoyed the insight to a great extent. It contained a good mix of working in the office, learning about the firm through talks and social occasions. I certainly feel I know the firm very well after the vacation scheme and what I know about it I like a lot.

I felt very valued throughout the placement. This went all the way from my trainee buddies and supervisors to HR. I always felt there were people around me trying to give me work and make me feel welcome. I certainly got the sense that the firm values all of its employees.

This follows from feeling particularly valued. There were supports everywhere. Trainees went thoroughly out of there way to give good guidance for the scheme and for the assessment centre. Supervisors were similarly supportive and clearly felt a strong obligation to guide and support me and the rest of the Vac Schemers throughout the time.

Getting a chance to work on court submissions will certainly help me in my degree studies. I also managed to get multiple opportunities to review such submissions and get the feel of them. Similarly, the more commercial element of the work will be very helpful in my future legal career.

The insight was very structured. We received a presentation nearly every day on different aspects of different departments of the firm. Each speaker did a great job getting across a sense of their department in an informative, accessible and friendly way. The Marine and International Trade talk was particularly interesting and insightful.

The general atmosphere was wonderful during the insight. It was very much in contrast to how I imagined a City firm. As the firm itself likes to talk about, it has a good vibe and a friendly culture. There is also the sense a work/life balance is more applicable there than other places.

It did so to a very great extent. From the beginning, my supervisors and others in the department made a real effort to get me involved in various matters. As I sat one week in the Marine and International Trade department and another in Finance, I also got a good sense of the varying roles carried out by solicitors across different departments.

It gave me a pretty comprehensive understanding of the firm's company culture. As with all law firms, it is very hard to get a feeling for what it is like to work in a company from the company website. However, as soon as the vacation scheme began, I got a feeling of the friendly company culture and its positive contrast to what a person may hear about City firms.

It was very helpful. The content of the vacation scheme gave a real sense of what it would be like to work in a City firm and, as a result, showed me that I would be able to do so. It confirmed to me how challenging but vibrant working in such a firm would be.

The pay for the work was very reasonable considering I could not have added all that much due to my inexperience! It compared quite well with the pay offered by other similar sized firms. I was also reimbursed for my flights and expenses when travelling for the interview to secure the vacation scheme.

Yes! There were numerous opportunities for meeting trainees and solicitors through the multiple socials during the two weeks. Beyond that, everyone was very helpful and offered to keep in contact in the future if I needed help in particular areas that they could be of aid. No one was intimidating either which made networking easier!

Yes, this was made clear and demonstrated throughout the scheme. Early on, we received a talk from trainees where it was explained that there were many activities that could be pursued outside of work but through the firm. These included tag rugby, football, netball and corporate social responsibility activities. We also went for a drink with the trainees on the final night in the local.