Vacation Scheme Student Review

The insight was a great balance of insight into work in practice areas, networking with a range of individuals at the firm, practical tasks, research, and fun outside of the office. People were welcoming, friendly and giving of their time. It was well-organised and I enjoyed my time at the firm.

In spite of the fact that I felt reasonably under qualified to handle any work in the office, my supervisors did genuinely set me work that was valuable to them. I was tasked with the production of tracker documents, research and assessment of documents, which my supervisors used, and helped me see how the work I had completed was used in their own work.

Everyone was very supportive throughout the insight. I was given a trainee buddy in each of my practice areas, which presented a first port of call for any query great or small, as well as a friendly face to ask about their experiences. My supervisors were always very supportive and explained tasks clearly, open to any queries I had. The graduate recruitment team were also very present throughout the team, and made it clear that they were available should we have any questions, or need support.

Skills improved included communication, attention to detail, time management and independence, all improved through contact with a range of individuals, set tasks throughout the insight and assigned tasks within practice areas. Information throughout the scheme was hugely useful, for learning about the firm, corporate law and practice more generally, and the skills a corporate lawyer needs.

The vacation scheme was structured over four weeks, with two weeks each in different practice areas. We were assigned a trainee buddy and a supervisor during this period and given work, and met teams accordingly. Seminars/talks/group tasks were held most days for the vacation scheme participants and twice a week socials were organised during the evenings to network with various members of the Linklaters team. Networking within the firm, and opportunities to meet a range of employees at the firm were incorporated. The insight was very well structured.

Everyone was friendly and very willing to say hello and be generous with their time. Supervisors, partners, trainees, HR staff and secretaries all took time out to talk to me, welcoming me to the office, asking me about my experiences and being more than willing to share their own. The atmosphere between the vacation scheme participants was also exceptionally positive and not competitive, as a result of the ethos and attitude of the firm in approaching the insight.

Training was given principally through assigned tasks, either through graduate recruitment as part of the insight process, or within the practice areas. The may have involved an ongoing project, a mitigation workshop, a pitching workshop, legal research, or the drafting of client correspondence. Training was also provided through seminars and talks throughout the insight.

Four weeks is a very good amount of time to gauge the ethos and culture of a firm. It was possible within four weeks to see the values of the firm, and employees, and witness what work would be like. Although as a vacation scheme participant you yourself are not working the hours, or completing the calibre of work of a lawyer, it is easy to see this as the insight goes on.

Four weeks is ample to gauge the firm's culture. I was able to speak with supervisors, trainee buddies and a range of other individuals I met along the way in light of this. All those I contacted were willing to meet up and be incredibly giving of their time to discuss matters casually over coffee, and a friendly, open and supportive firm culture shone through over four weeks.

I had almost certainly decided that corporate law was for me, and the insight confirmed that this is the actor in which I would like to qualify into. Being able to watch lawyers work, and share in this work, improving my understanding of corporate law practice, and knowledge within this scope was exciting and insightful over the vacation scheme.

I was paid £400 per week for the scheme. This was the only funding I received. The firm recommended accommodation options for those of us who needed this service, and the firm also provided food (generally) two nights a week during social events, and sometimes for networking when this was during meal times.

Yes! Networking was a priority throughout the four weeks, and we were not only given platforms from which to meet individuals, through networking breakfasts/lunches/socials, but also encouraged to reach out to those we met. Having done so on a number of occasions, I found people always willing to give of their time, and share their experiences with me.

Breakfasts and networking lunches provided an opportunity to mix with a broad range of employees from across a variety of practice areas. This was useful as it enabled us to speak to those from practice areas we had not previously sat in. Socials also provided a great platform for more casual networking and were a great way to meet and chat to employees, especially trainees.

A little. This was discussed on a personal basis, usually with my supervisors who I spent most of my time with in the office, as well as trainees and others who were regularly in the offices and practice areas I was placed in. People were always very open to chat socially about their activities outside of work.

Definitely! The vacation scheme provides a fantastic insight into corporate law. It's longer than most and as such provides more of an opportunity to improve your skills and meet a really broad range of people. It's a great way to see if the firm, and corporate law more generally is for you.