Vacation Scheme Student Review

I enjoyed the insight immensely on account of the people I met both working at the firm and doing a placement with me. It was a great introduction to both the type of work generally that one would do day to day at a law firm, as well as specifically the type of people that worked at Taylor Wessing.

I feel I was valued as a potential part of the firm. I was made to feel this through the opportunities I had access to. I also felt I was valued as a person by the way others interacted with me and asked for my opinion and input on manners. In doing so I was made to feel included and therefore valued.

There was not a time where I felt that I had no one to go to, to ask for help or support. At no time did I feel that I could not ask for further explanation or clarification on the work I had been asked to do. In fact I felt I was encouraged to seek guidance, which was supportive in itself.

I think this experience helped me develop a sense of what working life would be like after university. It developed confidence in oneself to approach others, and to speak up for oneself, but also for ones team mates. The information I gathered from the experience has given me a better grasp on the types of legal sectors I would like to work in in the coming years.

Our timetable gave us a reassuring structure to our time at the firm. It was ensured that everyday we were introduced to a different sector during a seminar, which also gave us a chance to see the other people in our placement group. This allowed us to both build relationships, and gave us a chance to properly explore and learn about the range of sectors that the firm offers.

There was a good balance between a professional working atmosphere and social interaction. Although everyone there was there to work and get the job done, this did not prevent the atmosphere being cheerful. It was exciting and interesting in the work place, and a lot of fun outside of it.

It was not on hands training, so much as it was guidance. The personal development came from the support which encouraged one to be confident in challenging oneself. The investment was the vacation scheme itself, and as a participant of a well coordinated 2 weeks, I felt I was invested in as an individual.

It gave me a good insight into the type of work I could expect to do, and the type of people that I would be working with with. However, in two weeks it is hard to fully understand what being a full time participant at a firm is like. This because one can inevitably not sit in every seat, and two weeks does not do justice to individuals usual work loads.

I found it extremely helpful. To some extent, I felt that the experience was more catered to helping you understand the culture than the work itself. I felt like this was a good approach, as many firms offer the same type of legal work, and what differentiates them is the people you could be working with.

Prior to coming to Taylor Wessing, I had committed to a career in law. However, my experience at Taylor Wessing was valuable because it showed me that I would enjoy the profession. The people themselves really made a difference for me, and the ability to use outside interests in day to day work was what cemented my decision to pursue a legal career.

I felt that I was fairly paid, as my commute was not long, and the payment covered day to day living costs during the two weeks. It was also motivational in that it made me feel like I had been invested in, and therefore wanted to contribute reciprocally to the firm.

We had socials with the trainees which was a good opportunity to meet them outside of the work place and gain a better insight to what it would be like to start a training contract at Taylor Wessing. Further, the daily Introductory seminars were an opportunity to meet individuals within the firm whom you could e-mail to discuss your interest in their sector further.

They were fun, if at times slightly disorganised. The trainee supper event was fun because there was a plan in place, and people were sat down and therefore could talk properly. Other events, such as drinks at the firm were slightly more difficult because people came and went much more frequently.

I was aware that employees did participate in activities outside of the workplace. However, the impression I received was that these activities were not particularly regular, and also very much depended which sector you worked in.

I feel it was invaluable as an experience and insight. Especially before applying for a training contract having the opportunity to see how people in a firm interest on a day to day basis, and the type of work you could have access to is extremely important. This is both in the positive sense of learning of new interests in sectors one may not otherwise have considered, but also negative, in that it may show one that the type of work on offer is not what they expected.