First Year Workshop Attendee Review

It was very enjoyable - everybody was very friendly which definitely helped! Whilst there was definitely a packed schedule and a lot of information to absorb, the trainees, associates and partners alike were easygoing and welcoming, and there were plenty of opportunities to learn more about them and their interests at the end of the first day.

It might have been hard to feel valued during our time at HSF considering that we were only here for 2 days and any 'real' impact that we could've had to their commercial work would have been during the job shadowing, which was only for one afternoon. "Reverse mentoring" is something that I have heard of but I do recognise it might not be particularly appropriate; it would be more useful to do this with trainees or future joiners. The firm did deploy a considerable amount of resources for our learning though; and their earnest request for feedback did make me feel quite valued.

We received a lot of guidance/support during the insight - and this was especially the case during the corporate negotiation and mediation workshops and trainee shadowing. The mini law fair and social event on the first day were both very well attended by firm personnel and allowed for a great opportunity to learn from lawyers from all stages of their careers.

The negotiation skills that we picked up on during the workshops are ones that will be very useful if we decided to eventually pursue a legal profession, even if it would be a few years down the line since trainee solicitors do not regularly participate in the negotiation process itself. However, the information that we received from graduate recruitment, trainee solicitors, associates and partners alike were all conducive in helping me to reach a decision as to whether or not a career at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP after graduation would be suitable for me!

Very well structured - as soon as we settled down at our tables, we received a timetable detailing what we would be doing over the 2-day workshop; and for all of the workshops (which lasted for 1h45min) the associate would explain their plan for the entire duration. There was sufficient time provided for meals and refreshment breaks in between sessions!

As I alluded to earlier, the general atmosphere was very friendly and everybody was there to learn - not only from the information sessions but also from one another as attendees. The experience definitely affirmed HSF's reputation as being a very approachable firm (we saw their open-door policy in action during trainee shadowing) and we received honest feedback for any and all questions.

They definitely invested a lot in terms of time and personnel! For each workshop there were about 5 trainees helping the associate out and I'm sure that they had paid work to be getting on with. Graduate recruitment was also in the room with us for the entire duration of the workshop, facilitating our requirements. The number of partners attending the social event was also a surprising investment - otherwise they probably wouldn't be out of the office by 6pm.

It was very helpful, especially because of the job shadowing which went on for about 5 hours. We got to help (in their words) our paired trainee with her work for the day, which involved reading through correspondence, proofreading and building a chronology of events for a particular case. She also told us more about the induction that would take place for that intake's batch of trainees as well as the ones more specific to individual departments.

It was very helpful - we actually got to see the firm's open door policy in action, other trainees popping in to see if somebody else could take up their mantle of responsibility for the afternoon and interactions with the Professional Support Lawyers! The interactions between first-seat trainees and partners at the social event were also quite telling.

I was definitely committed to a career in law even before heading to the workshop but now I am definitely giving my best shot at applying to HSF's vacation schemes next year!

The firm paid for my travel expenses, food and accommodation which I felt was quite generous - they must have anticipated that we would be spending considerable brainpower during the workshops and presentations!

Yes - there was the mini law fair (attended by trainees, associates and partners from HSF's key practice areas - usually 2-3 per table/practice area), lunch (approximately 1-2 trainees per table), the social event (in excess of 10 trainees and 10 partners). During the job shadowing itself, the trainee we were paired with would introduce us to other employees in their department!

Brilliant - there were trainees around during lunchtime on the first day and the social event had a very good turnout from attendees (I think everybody turned up!) and firm personnel alike - there were a surprising number of partners who chatted to us about recent work that they were involved in. Everybody who I chatted to was happy to keep in touch via email/LinkedIn after the workshop!

Yes! There was a presentation about pro-bono opportunities and the trainee that I was shadowing told us more details about her pro bono projects. She also mentioned her involvement in increasing diversity at the firm. Other trainees mentioned sports opportunities with the firm; and whilst we were on the office tour, I noticed that there were many posters for intra-firm social events around which definitely points towards activities outside work.

Would 100% recommend, not that it appears that the firm requires much help reaching out to students at my university - there were 4 of us at this workshop alone! Nonetheless I would definitely recommend this insight to friends, especially because they go into so much more detail relative to on-campus events.