Trainee Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the insight. There was always plenty of exciting research and tasks to be completed. The training sessions that were provided were very interactive and provided valuable information to help us. The team was very friendly and were keen to get to know us and find out our career aspirations.

I felt very valued during my time at the firm. I was invited to lunch each day where we would chat about general topics. I was made to feel part of the team with the work I completed through the day in the department. I felt like my contribution was helping towards the team's goals.

I received a lot of guidance and support during the insight. I was allowed to listen in on phone calls with clients and the calls were put into context by those who I worked with, allowing me to develop my understanding of the processes involved in dealing with clients and colleagues.

The skills I developed and the information I received will undoubtedly help me in the future. In particular, the negotiation skills workshop will help me with the negotiations competition held annually at my University, as well as further into my career when negotiating with other lawyers and presenting in front of large groups of people.

The insight was well structured. There was an adequate amount allocated between workshops, training sessions and working in our respective departments. By balancing the content of the insight in this way I had sufficient time to develop skills in all of the planned areas as well as experiencing life in a law firm on a daily basis.

The general atmosphere was very warm and welcoming. The team I worked in often switched the topic of conversation away from work, which I think helped me to get to know my team a lot faster and I felt more comfortable asking them work related questions when I had difficulty with the work they had set.

In terms of personal training and development the firm invested heavily in me. There was a large amount of time spent in workshops and training sessions in comparison with the amount of work done in our respective departments. The team spent a fair amount of time explaining aspects of their jobs to me as well as this.

The insight has definitely helped me to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company. I came away from the experience confident that I could fit into that kind of working environment in a team of that size doing that particular type of job.

The insight definitely helped me to understand the culture of the company. The point was repeatedly made by employees that they enjoyed the culture of the company and I feel I would too enjoy it. The firm is keen to reward innovative behaviour which is something that I particularly liked and I am interested in.

The content of the insight was particularly helpful in helping me decide my future career path. I came away from the insight confident that I wanted to follow that particular career path and would tailor my degree options towards areas which would fit with the firm so as to help me reach my career goal.

I was paid for this insight. At the time of applying, I was unaware of this so it was a nice surprise as I was under the assumption the insight was aimed at simply providing experience that would be valuable to us. I was reimbursed for travel expenses on the way to the interview.

There were networking opportunities to meet other employees at the firm. On the first day there was a buffet lunch where we had the opportunity to meet many employees from various teams. We also went for a meal with the trainees where I had plenty of opportunity to network with the trainees.

The networking events were fantastic. I had plenty of opportunity to gain experience in talking to professionals in the field I want to enter into. As President of my University's Networking Society, I found the experience gave me the chance to experience more kinds of networking which I can implement into my society.

Yes I found out about many activities that employees can get involved in outside of work. There are some sports teams such as football that I would be keen to get involved in. I also found out about pro bono opportunities, dinners and events that firm sends employees to regularly. I also found out that these activities are open to trainees especially.

Yes I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend. The experience I had would be extremely relevant and valuable to any first year student to help them decide on their future career and to help them in their studies. It will certainly help me in applying for vacation schemes in my second year.