Spring Insight Scheme Review

The insight was thoroughly enjoyable. It was a combination of great deal of insight and fun. I particularly enjoyed the practice insight group session where partners from different practice area gave a presentation which was followed by a Q&A, thus making the session much interactive. During socials, I had the opportunity to meet a lot of trainees and the graduate recruitment team in a much more informal setting, which was invaluable.

I can feel that Simmons is a firm which really invests in its people. The insight scheme was indeed very well organized and aims to provide all attendees a holistic overview of the type of work and the culture at the firm. However, during the session where we get to shadow the trainee, I felt like it could have been a little bit longer for us to do more work.

Everyone in the firm was extremely friendly and willing to answer questions. During the practice insight group presentation, the partners were very keen to answer all sorts of questions posed by us. When shadowing the trainee, he regularly checked on me and provided me with an in-depth explanation of what the practice area entails.

I thought that the information which I have received during the practice insight group presentation was very valuable as I had a clearer idea about what each group's scope of work is like. Apart from that, the pitching session was also very insightful as it is quite a unique experience and, through the feedback provided, I have learnt a lot more about the firm which will greatly assists me during my interviews with the firm in the future.

The insight was indeed very well-structured. All the sessions flowed smoothly. The fact that we all could take taxis to Sky Garden also showed great attention and care from the graduate recruitment team.

Everyone, ranging from trainee, graduate recruitment team to partners, was very friendly and welcoming during the scheme. It was a very pleasant atmosphere that I am honoured to be in. As the insight scheme was smaller in scale (there were only around 20 students), it was much easier to know other students and build connections with other motivated and friendly individuals, which is definitely a plus side of the scheme.

As I have only been on the scheme for 2 days, it is rather difficult for me to give an accurate and holistic opinion. However, the general sentiment that i have received through talking to trainees is that the firm does invest a lot in its people through training provided e.g. Compass. I did feel that there was a lot if investment on me as an insight scheme student as well.

The insight helped a great deal in terms of enhancing my understanding of the firm. For example, the practice insight group session was extremely valuable. Apart from that, the opportunity to talk to trainees during socials also helped me learnt about their daily tasks and what it is like to be at Simmons.

The insight was very helpful in helping me understand the company culture. Talking to the trainees and graduate recruitment teams told me a lot about how friendly and supportive Simmons is. Working for a few hours during the shadowing session was also very helpful as I get to talk to the trainee in charge of me and he was always very willing to explain to me whatever enquiries which I have, which goes on to show how friendly Simmons is.

Following the insight scheme, I have become more interested in one particular practice group because of the very attractive presentation given by the partner. Apart from that, I thought that I really like Simmons as a firm and would like to potentially pursue my career at the firm.

I think this is one of the few 2-day scheme where participants get paid a salary, which makes me feel like I am attending a vacation scheme. Participants also get reimbursed for travelling, which is really good as some students have travelled from afar. Overall, I think the reimbursement and pay were really good.

There was a lot of opportunity for us to meet and network with employees of the company. For example, the Q&A session was a great opportunity for us to ask questions in the context of work whereas the socials were good as we also had the opportunity to learn about the application process from trainees in a more informal setting.

The networking/social event opportunities were really good. We were given adequate opportunity to interact with employees during lunch time. Socials at Sky Garden was really good as well as there were many trainees present at the event and the ration of spring insight scheme attendee to employees was in fact around 1:1 which means that we really had a lot of opportunity to talk to a lot of people. One thing though is that Sky garden was a little bit too noisy but I guess that was unavoidable .

I did find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work through presentation by the graduate recruitment team as well as through talking to trainees and other employees. There are a lot of networks and sports groups which employees can get involved in and those who are involved seems to have enjoyed them.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend as it was a great opportunity for first year students to learn about the firm and network with employees from the firm. Moreover, Simmons & Simmons is a really great and friendly firm which makes attending the scheme a much more pleasant experience.