A&O First Attendee Review

The insight scheme was very enjoyable. Several interesting talks were given by a range of individuals working both in the firm and from external stakeholders. The firm has made a great effort at engaging with students and paired us all up with trainees who were able to give us a better insight into work at the firm.

The firm made significant efforts to make us feel valued. They held a social event which was very enjoyable and made the effort to engage with each of us individually. The firm also invested significant resources in the activities and workshops held, including by arranging talks with very senior members of the firm.

We received a great deal of guidance and support from various individuals. Graduate recruitment were always available to answer any questions we had. Our trainee buddies also provided guidance and support which was particularly helpful as they had been students just a few years ago. Even senior partners were very welcoming and provided guidance during the work shadowing.

The skills developed and information received will be of importance in my future endeavours. Several workshops were held during the insight scheme to help us develop skills including commercial awareness and negotiation skills. This will be of use regardless of which career path I ultimately pursue. The information received was helpful but much of it was understandably focussed upon the firm and the legal marketplace.

Structure was good. We were given an outline of the structure of each day at the start of the insight scheme. This was mostly followed though there were a few delays beyond the firm's control. Overall, it was structured well as sufficient time was generally allowed for each activity organised.

The atmosphere was generally positive. Most employees were very friendly and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. It was clear during the work shadowing that the trainees work incredibly hard though this is to be expected at a leading firm. Even the partners during the work shadowing made efforts to make us feel comfortable.

They invested significantly in our personal training and development. We work shadowed in one practice area and had the opportunity to contribute to genuine work carried out by trainees. We also had a presentation on legal drafting as well as competing in competitions organised to improve our personal skills. Other workshops were also organised and were very helpful.

The work shadowing helped significantly in understanding how life as a trainee at the firm would be like. It would have been nicer if we could have work shadowed in a broader range of practice areas which would have allowed us to compare the work conducted in each of the practice areas

We interacted with various people at the firm and were given access to most of the office. This allowed us to gauge the culture at the firm. Trainees, associates and partners were generally very open when discussing the culture, pointing out both what they enjoyed about the firm and what could improve.

It was overall quite helpful as we were given exposure to the daily work at a leading international law firm. The work shadowing was probably most helpful in this respect but the time we were able to spend work shadowing was quite limited. A longer duration of work shadowing would have helped us to better decide on future careers.

The firm was willing to reimburse expenses up to around £150. They also paid for hotel rooms in London for students who required them. They were even willing to pay for hotel rooms for some students studying in London so that they could live closer to the firm during the insight scheme.

There were numerous networking opportunities. A social event was held which allowed us to better get to know graduate recruitment. We were also able to network with employees during the work shadowing. The atmosphere did not seem hierarchical which made networking much easier. We were also given a few minutes following each presentation to speak to the presenter(s).

They were very good overall. The main social event was at a table tennis club. The firm were very generous in paying for all food and drink not only for this social event but also for the entire insight scheme. The networking opportunities were also very helpful and many such opportunities were given to us.

Yes, we were told about numerous activities which employees can get involved in outside of work. In particular, we were told a great deal about the pro bono work which the firm conducts. Every employee is encouraged to do some pro bono work and some trainees are able to complete secondments at charities.

Yes, I would recommend this scheme to any student keen on gaining a greater insight into life at a leading commercial law firm. The firm was very welcoming and invested substantially in all students who were selected. While the selection process was rather rigorous, the insight scheme made the application process worthwhile.