Vacation Scheme Review

It was an enjoyable two weeks, with a good balance between learning about the firm, getting down to serious work and spending time socialising/networking with employees and other vac scheme students. I never felt as though I was left bored and I found it both insightful and fun in equal measure.

I think that everyone was well looked after, and that enough personal attention was paid to each individual. There was plenty of contact with members of graduate recruitment, and they were very approachable so it always felt that they were willing to help. The more senior members of the firm at times did not give you so much of their time, but that may be inevitable in such a business.

There was a lot of guidance and support provided by the graduate recruitment team at the firm. Similarly, most of the trainee buddies were very friendly, approachable and willing to give you their help or opinions whenever you felt that it was needed. I felt supported throughout the vacation scheme.

As someone who has graduated, and came from a non-law background, the skills developed will not assist me in this area. However, many skills both academic and interpersonal, which I have developed here, are likely to assist me as I progress through my legal career. Exposure to such a working environment will aid me as a trainee.

We were given a time table at the beginning of the scheme, containing a full lits of activities throughout the two weeks we were there. There were many and varied events, which were largely enjoyable and successful. It was occasionally inconvenient to only discover room bookings 30 minutes in advance, but this was not a major issue.

Almost everyone I came across was friendly and approachable. The fact that assessments and interviews do not feature on the vacation scheme makes it a more relaxed environment, where your daily work can be better assessed. On the whole, both the fellow students and the firm's staff were very supportive and only sought to settle us in.

There was a considerable amount of time invested by the graduate recruitment team is giving us insights into the different areas of law, the different sectors, the nature and organisation of the firm. We were exposed to employees at every level of seniority which gave us a better understanding of the firm and the area of work more generally.

We were given a considerable amount of time to spend in our seats, which gave us the opportunity to sit down and carry out work similar to that of a trainee. The number of 'fun' events and socials, as well as networking, is unlikely to closely resemble what a full-time role would be like, but a good balance was struck.

I believe that the firm did this very well. The amount of time we were given to speak to trainees, associates and often even partners were significantly greater than at any other firm where I have spent time. This allowed us to gain a very good idea of the characters working at the firm and how everyone is treated.

In my case, and I would imagine for many others, I took part on the scheme having a very good idea of the nature of legal work in general, and I was already decided on my future career path. However, I can imagine it would also be very insightful to those who haven't yet decided.

Payment for the vacation scheme was very fair, and very competitive.

As previously mentioned (see above), there were very many opportunities to meet employees. These opportunities came in many settings, as well as providing the chance to meet people at every level of seniority, and across very many different areas of law and sector specialisms. This was a strong emphasis of the scheme.

The networking and social event opportunities were very well done. The most common form for such events to take is to be given small bites to each while a large number of students stand up in a room with a small number of employees to crowd around. Simmons & Simmons did not do this - they made sure we were sat down, rotating around tables (or otherwise in a social setting) to speak to different people.

We were given adequate information relating to the different opportunities that employees have outside of work. I would have enjoyed an opportunity to play with a sports team, or personally get involved with such an event, but the information was there. There was a good level of information relating to pro bono opportunities.

I would recommend this insight to any friend who wanted to gain insight into a 'city' law firm that carries out high-level work in areas such as financial services, employment and corporate law. Considering the nature of work, and compared to competitors, I cannot think of a better place to gain insight into such work.