Vacation Scheme Participant Review

I had a great time on this vacation scheme at DLA Piper. The induction week in London was great and all the presentations and tasks gave me a variety of things to do. The two weeks in Sheffield were just as good as there were plenty of things organised after work and overall, this was a very enjoyable vacation scheme.

I felt very well valued! During the 1st week in London, every single person from the firm wanted to spend their time speaking with me which made me feel extremely valued. In both my departments, every person would answer any questions or queries I had but they would also ask me questions to find out more about my life and the stage of my studies I was out.

I received a lot of guidance from graduate recruitment during the scheme. Even though I had a booklet which had a schedule of the scheme, graduate recruitment would often go through the agenda for the day which I felt was beneficial to me. They also reassured us that their phone numbers were in the booklet if we wanted to speak to them about anything. I also appreciated how graduate recruitment were really transparent as to when we would find out about the training contract, everything was really transparent.

I feel that the three weeks have allowed me develop skills which are relevant for the legal professional but also everyday life which I will carry with me throughout my studies. I have gained knowledge in certain areas of law which will be relevant for my future career. Additionally, I have development my communication skills and the networking skills which I believe are crucial for my studies and becoming successful in my career.

This vacation scheme was really well structured. The induction week was great and I enjoyed the following weeks spent in the Sheffield office. There was a good variety of events and plenty of networking opportunities during the vacation scheme. The graduate recruitment team did a great job in ensuring the whole scheme ran very smoothly!

The atmosphere was really good throughout the whole scheme. The graduate recruitment team were amazing, full of energy and really funny which put me at ease throughout my time there. It was a shame that there was not a member of graduate recruitment in my respective office as I think it definitely made a difference when we had a member of the team with us.

The firm invested a great deal into me as a lot of the sessions were to help us develop different skills such as presentation skills, personal branding and networking. In my different departments, the partners would speak to me about their experiences and were prepared to go the extra mile to ensure I understood any work that they would give me.

In the induction week, there were a lot of presentations from different people who each gave an understanding of what it was like to work for the firm and how their careers had progressed. This allowed me to develop an understanding of what it would be like to have a full time role with the firm. I also had the opportunity to ask questions which meant I could find out any extra things which I wanted to know about working for the firm. In my local office, the same applied as each person would introduce themselves, explain what they enjoy about their job and what their normal day consists of.

By spending 3 weeks with the firm and meeting lots of different people, this gave me a great understanding into the culture at DLA Piper and in particular the firm's values. During the different presentations, those speaking would explain the values which they think are the most important. Overall, I have a much better understanding of the culture at DLA Piper.

The content of the day gave me an insight into what day-to-day life as a commercial solicitor entails. I was set different objectives throughout the week which were all varied and this gave me an insight to the kind of work I would be doing as a solicitor. As I had never done any legal work experience prior to this, it confirmed I wanted to pursue a career in law.

I was paid for my time spent at DLA Piper.

There were lots of different opportunities to meet others employees throughout the scheme. Throughout the day, different employees would often come into the office I was sat in and introduce themselves. Additionally, a lot of the work involved working in teams so I had many opportunities to meet other employees. The social events which were organised also allowed me to meet other people.

I really enjoyed the networking and socialising at DLA Piper.

Yes, there are lots of different activities that employees can get involved in.

Yes, I would absolutely recommend this insight to a friend!