Vacation Placement Review

The Vacation Scheme was really enjoyable as there were equal parts social events and equal parts interesting work given. I was never bored and was given work to complete a trainee may do. Several social events with the trainees were scheduled over the two weeks that not only gave us an insight into the firm and training contract, but also allowed all the vacation placement students to bond which was nice.

I always had work to do which made me feel valued. Additionally, the work was not just proofreading or printing, I was given the opportunity to draft client advice and grievance letters among other things. Whenever I completed a piece, I was given feedback that also made me feel valued. The team were also very good at thanking me for my time as well.

I had a trainee buddy for the first week, and a supervisor for both weeks who were always on deck to answer any questions or give me guidance during the insight. Graduate Recruitment was also really helpful in ensuring I felt supported over the two weeks and knew what aspects were coming next.

I believe the skills developed and information received will be of use to me throughout my life. Transferable skills such as communication, presentation skills, attention to detail, research skills etc. were all developed and will likely be very helpful in any career. I definitely think it will be of more help after my law degree though.

Extremely well structured. There was never a time when I felt I didn't know what I was doing or where I was going or where I was mean to be going next. At the induction day, the structure of the placement was laid out to us in detail which was very helpful in addition to calendar invites sent via email.

I enjoyed every day spent working at Pinsent Masons. There was no time when I felt I didn't want to go into work, I didn't have anyone to eat with at lunch, or negative in general. Everyone was really friendly despite being very busy which created a very pleasant general atmosphere.

In terms of personal training, it was perhaps not as developed or focused on relative to other aspects. Any training would only be particularly relevant to the work that needed to be done or specific Pinsent Masons internal workings. However, there were a lot of networking opportunities which shows an investment in confidence building and development.

During the two weeks, I was treated as a regular member of the team (although I obviously needed a lot more support and guidance). I went to team meetings, lunches, and sat with them during the day. I got to know when people would arrive and when they would leave. Overall through this, I was able to see what a full time role would look like with PM.

I think it was really easy to understand the company culture at Pinsent Masons. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, friendly and down to earth. Everyone was happy to answer my questions - whether they knew me or not. It was clear the company culture was being approachable and bold in particular.

I was already interested in pursuing employment lawyer. Working in the team for two weeks and being involved with the work the team was doing increased this interest. I was also able to reach out to NQs from other departments who also made me more interested in some other areas such as property dispute resolution. Overall, it perhaps made me less sure as to my future career path as everything seemed so interesting!

There were numerous opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of Pinsent Masons over the two weeks. There were two drinks evenings, a breakfast event, a general networking event, an event at an external venue, and a networking lunch. Everything (such as food) was also provided which was good as it didn't exclude anyone who perhaps otherwise would have been unable to afford the events.

All of them appeared very well planned and were enjoyable. My favourite was the external event where the vacation scheme students and a few trainees went to Roof East in Stratford for an evening of fun activities. I also really enjoyed the in office events as they gave me an opening to reach out to some people I met there in the future and learn more about their department.

Yes. I was made of several sports teams and interest groups PM has such as netball, tag rugby, running, and softball. In addition to this, I went to lunch time talk which gave me insight into the kind of charity work PM does (which involved a trip to Kenya this year) which was very interesting.

100% would recommend to anyone who is looking to pursue a career at a city law firm, is hard working, approachable, connected, bold, and loves to learn. Especially if there is a particular sector they are interested in that Pinsent Masons advises on or are interested in innovative uses of Artificial Intelligence, they should apply!