Vacation Placement student Review

I really enjoyed my two weeks as a Vacation Placement student with Pinsent Masons. My colleagues were incredibly friendly and supportive. The quality of work was high and the team encouraged me to get involved with work straight away. This allowed me to get a general feel of the type of work that the department did and I felt a part of the team very quickly. There were plenty of social and networking events and this gave me the opportunity to experience the culture of the firm.

I was busy throughout the scheme and therefore felt that I was valued during my time at Pinsent Masons, The work that I carried out was real trainee solicitor work, which meant I had real responsibility on the tasks I was given. All the work I did was appreciated by my team.

I had plenty of support from my trainee buddy who was always happy to answer any queries I had. Despite their busy schedules, the team were always happy to answer my questions whether about my work, the firm or otherwise. I regularly asked for feedback and received this on work I had completed.

I developed a deeper understanding of a law firm as a business, which is only truly understood by working alongside lawyers in the legal sector. I also gained experience of writing letters and emails to clients. I am also confident that the skills that I developed will be useful for my LPC.

The insight was very well structured. We had details on the London induction day in advance and then when we arrived at our home office we had calendar invites to various social and networking events. We knew on the first day when our assessment centre was and what the day would consist of. We were also emailed by Graduate Recruitment about events and talks.

The atmosphere was really friendly and enjoyable at all times. The social events had a real buzz about them where people were excited to meet new people and enjoy the activities planned. There was no face time culture which allowed people to truly be themselves when they came to work.

Although the placement was only a short two weeks, we had IT induction training on the systems which was helpful for the scheme. In terms of personal development, if you asked questions about the background behind a deal etc then it would be explained to you. But if you did not ask then this was not offered to you.

The two weeks was a real indicator of what it would be like to work as a trainee solicitor. I had real deadlines with a variety of work and I had to balance different pieces at the same time. I really felt like a real full time employee of the Pinsent Masons.

The culture and innovative nature of the firm was demonstrated at the induction. We also had coffee with Gregg Lowson who describe the history an culture of the office in more detail. The whole experience provided a genuine insight to the 'ABC' culture and confirmed my desire to train with the firm.

The scheme provided a real insight into the role of a trainee which helped you to imagine yourself in the role and decided whether it is the right career path for you. The whole scheme confirmed my desire to become a solicitor with an international commercial firm in a regional office.

We were paid £300 per week for the vacation scheme. In addition to this we were given an day of annual leave which could be used toward a graduation ceremony or you could have the additional pay. We were also reimbursed for travel to and from the London office for induction.

There were many opportunities to meet other employees of the firm. We met London based trainee solicitors at the induction. We had various office drinks where we met a range of people and we went on social events and activities with current trainees. There was also breakfast networking with NQs of various departments.

The social events were great and really well organised. They were all paid for and well catered for. We had two lunches with trainees, a breakfast networking session and office leaving drinks on the last day. We also had the opportunity to participate in the firm's sports day which ended with drinks and a BBQ and we went to Ghetto Golf with trainees.

At induction we found out what activities you can get involved in with the firm and these were really encouraged. There are plenty of corporate social responsibility events such as mentoring local school students and charity events to raise money for a chosen charity. There was also sports teams and I was told all about the office's netball team.