Vacation Scheme Student Review

This was my first vacation scheme and I was so nervous - from the first day graduate recruitment made me feel so at ease, which meant I could enjoy the experience and really soak up the culture of the firm. The other vat schemers were really nice which made the experience much more enjoyable as we ate lunch together each day.

For a vacation schemer - very! Both weeks I did work which was used by a partner and one of my tasks got sent to a client. I was able to attend client meetings to understand where my work was used, and gain more context to the matter. This was an invaluable experience as you got to feel like a trainee within the departments,.

Enough guidance to get you started on your task, and ensures that you know what you are doing, but enough freedom to learn to legal research and find your own way. The open door policy meant I could ask questions whenever I was confused, and everyone was more than happy to give me further guidance.

Learning about all of the firms practice areas was an eye opener as it has given me a better idea of what each sector involves and means I know which areas I have more of an interest than others. I learnt to carry out legal research, how to format documents in a legal manner, and how to draft (limited amounts - but every little helps!)

The first day is very admin based (which is necessary to get to know the firm). In the two week scheme you have talks almost every day on the firms practice areas, it is a nice way to break up the day and it means you can catch up with others on the scheme. The assessment center is on the second Wednesday of the scheme and all the information is provided in good time and there are no elements of surprise.

Amazing. Graduate recruitment (Holly, Rebecca and Sarah) are the best team I have met. They really take the time to get to know everyone and they do their best to accommodate for your requirements. The firm itself, everyone was really nice and always took time out to explain tasks to you and really engaged with the vacation scheme.

Daily practice session insight sessions, the associates I worked with provided constructive feedback and really guided me on how to improve. Outside of these formal training sessions, I was also able to attend trainee specific events (as my supervisor was running it) which allowed me to see what training a trainee at the firm would be receiving.

During both my weeks I was treated as a trainee. I was invited to client meetings and listened in on conference calls, whilst also shadowing the associates on that matter and seeing the type of work they were doing. I did research tasks alongside trainees and then compared which was really useful for development.

Everyone was so nice that you were constantly meeting other employees (ie making coffee, at lunch). It was really easy to get to know others as your buddy will normally give you a tour of the department so everyone knows you are there and will take an interest. There were formal networking sessions in both weeks, a more informal session with trainees and then a formal session with everyone supervisors which were welcoming and friendly.

Many of the employees go to a local gym together and play sports on behalf of the firm on a weekly basis. The probono activities often include fun things such as fire walks and sky diving, meaning staff can get involved in an outside of work scenario.

Yes! I had the best two weeks at the firm, especially as this was my first vacation scheme so I did not know what to expect, I was really able to take in all the culture and the quality of the work that trainees and associates do. The social side is also worth it, the firm is small enough to see familiar faces but big enough to not know everyone.