Vacation Scheme Student Review

I had an amazing two weeks at the firm. The culture of the firm is beyond friendly and welcoming. It provided me with the necessary insight to assure my motivations for a career in commercial law at Taylor Wessing. From the quality of work to the organized socials, I thoroughly enjoyed all experiences.

The firm put a lot of effort into ensuring we were valued during the scheme. We were given real work of a high quality which proved our value. For example drafting HMRC letters or writing articles was some of the work I was able to get involved in. Furthermore, work was readily available and given by many members of the firm.

I received lots of guidance throughout the scheme. Providing trainee buddy's was a great idea as they are not long of the process we are going through. Having someone like that to go to was extremely helpful in terms of support. Having a supervisor and feedback sessions was another great way of ensuring we had the correct guidance and the ways we could improve during our scheme.

As I am studying law, the skills during the scheme will be invaluable for the rest of my studies. Attention to detail, for instance, was something vastly improved from the scheme. In addition, the scheme provided many networking events which is a skill I will take beyond my degree onto my future career

Everything was organized and structured throughout. We were given timetables on our arrival, in addition to being kept up to date with constant emails and reminders. I consistently knew what I was doing and when it would be happening. I never felt like there was nothing to do during the scheme, as it had been planned so meticulously.

The atmosphere was super friendly and welcoming. No matter where on the hierarchy someone sat, they were welcoming and willing to get to know you. I got on with everyone on the scheme also. There was no competitive or cut-throat atmosphere. Everyone got on really well and was always willing to help one another out.

They provided us with feedback sessions each week with our supervisor. This allowed us to see our strengths and weaknesses which we could improve on the next week. Everyone we worked with was also willing to provide feedback. On my last day, the partner I was sat with gave me a constructive feedback session.

By sitting us in different departments and giving us real work, I was given real insight into the role of a lawyer at Taylor Wessing. They also provided us with daily focus on sessions on different practice areas. This was extremely valuable in ascertaining what a full-time role in each department looks like.

The culture definitely shone throughout the scheme. You could tell from the people they hire what kind of firm Taylor Wessing is. It is clearly a non-competitive friendly firm where there is no hierarchy. Everyone I interacted with was similar in this way, and I got on extremely well with everyone.

From the work I was given throughout the scheme, I was able to see if I could fit in as a trainee solicitor at the firm. By sitting next to two partners, I got valuable experience in witnessing the type of work they get involved with. This allowed me to ascertain whether this type of work and career path was suited to me.

The pay was £380 a week. I felt this was a very adequate salary for the two weeks within the firm. As I already lived in London, I did not need to cover accommodation costs, so this was more than sufficient to provide for the 2 weeks at Taylor Wessing.

The firm provided lots of opportunities for networking. On our first day, there was a networking event where people from all over the firm came. At the socials, trainees were there to network with. The trainees also organized separately from the scheme informal drinks with them. Everyone made an effort to get to know us. We were also encouraged to get to know people across the firm by arranging meetings with people from areas we were interested in.

The networking opportunities were vast, and everyone at all levels got involved. The socials were a good amount and great fun. Holding an activity social I think is a great way to get people from the firm and vacation schemers to network. The firm held one social at Flight Club where we got to socialise over playing darts. Additionally, at the second social we sat down for a meal at Caravan. The trainees organized it so the schemers and trainees were all mixed together. This was a great idea as it allowed us to socialise and network more with people in the firm.

In our introductory talk, we were told about some of the things employees can get involved in such as yoga or mindfulness sessions. Furthermore, we were also given the opportunity to partake in their pro-bono work at Blackfriars Settlement. However, I think more could have been done to inform us about the sporting opportunities. It was only later I found out from a trainee that the firm had a netball team.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend. You will get such good insight into the life of a commercial lawyer at Taylor Wessing, whilst also enjoying your time at the firm. You will meet a great bunch of people from within the firm and from the scheme. After the insight, you will be sure of whether life at Taylor Wessing or life as a commercial lawyer is for you.