Vacation Scheme Participant Review

The vacation scheme was very enjoyable overall, with two departments in two weeks as well as "Focus On" sessions to cover other areas to maximise our insight. We were given a wide range of tasks (to reflect what a trainee may experience) and there were also a variety of social/networking events.

I felt very valued, taking into consideration how difficult it is to do so from the trainees/associates/partners' perspective. As well as this, outside any specific departmental work, the Talent team were very quick to remember and acknowledge us individually (which is easier said than done given two consecutive Summer Vacation Scheme intakes, with 20-odd participants each).

The buddy and supervisor system was implemented and utilised extremely well. This ensured two immediate, distinct points of contact when starting in a new department. Vitally, the end-of-week appraisals from our supervisors were extremely helpful, for example in addressing any key areas of development for the second week. I felt that those providing guidance/support were very adept at doing so and were selected well.

I believe the skills developed/information received will assist me, but more for general commercial awareness and soft skills in the workplace, rather than in any academic studies. However, as a non-law student going into a career as a commercial solicitor, gaining better understanding of legal language and any encounters of black letter law will almost certainly be useful for my GDL and LPC.

The vacation scheme was well structured overall and ensured insight and experience into a wide array of legal work/skills-based projects. One caveat however was the relative difficulty to do as much legal work in the second week (compared to the first), given the frequency/length of Focus sessions and the group project; it was harder to be able to demonstrate self-improvement following the first-week appraisal.

I felt that the general atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming, as well as it being reflective of the true nature of the firm itself (as opposed manufacturing a "nicer environment" purely for vacation scheme participants, which can be the case in other law firms - or so I have heard).

I felt that the firm did invest in me in terms of personal training/development, albeit primarily through the supervisor and appraisal system. Compared to other firms, there could possibly have been more scope for personal training (e.g. negotiation skills workshop); however, I understand that this can often be at the expense of ensuring that enough actual legal work can be carried out.

Taking into consideration the limitations arising from a short, two week timeframe (and factors such as induction, vacation scheme sessions and settling in to new departments both weeks), I believe the insight did manage to help me gain a better understanding of the day-to-day happenings for a trainee at the firm. This was enabled especially via the buddy system.

The insight was very helpful in understanding the culture of the firm. This was done by hosting a wide range of social and networking events, such as lunch with partners, as well as initiatives like the group project which (for my intake) was focused on ideas of diversity and how this affects the firm in particular.

The whole experience was incredibly valuable in helping me decide my future career path. On top of the main fact that the vacation scheme is part of the final assessment in applying for a training contract (and future career), the wide range of legal experiences and open-door policy of Taylor Wessing meant that I gained a full understanding of training in a full-service firm.

The amount I was paid was generous and (to my knowledge) in line with the rest of the industry. One important (and often forgotten) positive was the firm's transparency and punctuality in renumeration. This was also the case for reimbursing travel costs associated to the assessment centre, prior to starting the vacation scheme.

There were plenty of networking opportunities, as well as variety of said opportunities, such as the welcome drinks, partner lunch and darts/drinks/dinner with the trainee committee. The open-door environment of the firm meant that I was able to go beyond what my buddy/supervisor gave me. I was encouraged to use my initiative in seeking all kinds of work, even beyond my set department at the time (whenever appropriate).

The networking events themselves were well organised and were run by people who were clearly passionate in being involved (namely, the trainee committee during the evening social events). A stand out moment was the pre-vacation scheme social event (during Easter), which meant I was starting the actual vacation scheme with some familiar faces, both in terms of fellow participants and trainees.

Mildly so. I was able to hear about out-of-work opportunities such as sport and pro bono work, and was helpfully sign-posted to any relevant individuals, but was unable to experience any. This was perfectly understandable however, especially for pro bono work which was only open to a smaller number of individuals (and dependent on factors outside the firm's control).

I would absolutely recommend the vacation scheme to a friend, although some prior interest in at least one specialisation/focus of the firm would be important (even as a full service firm), given how this helps the "two-way process" of the scheme. In summary: be open-minded, but not too much of a generalist.