Insight Scheme Review

I really had a good time this scheme. The graduate recruitment team were very friendly and approachable, and I enjoyed networking with my fellow attendees (which was very easy to do since there were 84 of us and there were plenty of opportunities to talk to people you'd not met).

I did feel valued because the firm payed for us to stay in a hotel for three nights (for those of us coming from further afield), as well as giving us allowances for evening meals and paying for train travel. Attending the scheme also fast tracks any vacation scheme applications at the firm, which shows the firm's commitment to its insight scheme attendees.

There was plenty of guidance and support in that we could freely ask questions, and during the M&A activity there were a number of trainees around the room that we could go to for assistance if we needed it.

I feel like it was a good insight into how DLA Piper works, and by extension I now have more information on the legal industry generally in terms of how firms provide their services and where each firm sits within the market. Potentially these are things I could discuss at interview if it came up.

Very well structured. We got given a booklet at the start containing a programme for all three days which was well followed and meant we could see exactly what we would be doing next.

Really good. The members of the firm were enthusiastic and energetic, as were we, which made for a good atmosphere.

As mentioned before, attending the scheme fast tracks any vacation scheme applications, meaning that the firm is clearly keen to ensure its insight scheme attendees maintain contact with the firm and take steps towards securing a training contract there. Given the firm has already invested in attendees at the point of the insight scheme, it makes sense to make getting a vac scheme a bit quicker.

There was a lot of discussion of DLA Piper's new agile working policy and what the lifestyle of a full-time solicitor at the firm is like. I also had the opportunity to ask trainees about their work/life balance and hear their thoughts on what it is like to work there.

It greatly helped, since spending three days in the office meant I interacted with members of the firm, got a feel for the building itself, and gained an understanding of the firm's values. There is no better way to get a feel for a firm's culture than be speaking to people and visiting the office.

It was valuable since I know I am very much interested in the firm. I know I want to be a solicitor and I am strongly interested in firms with good international links, which is a box that DLA Piper very much ticks! The firm offers secondment opportunities too, which I would be interested in.

There were many opportunities. We had a group speed networking session with trainees, on the first day, and on the second or third day some trainees were present at lunch.

We learnt that DLA Piper has a LGBT network called Iris which employees can get involved in. There are also sports groups within the firm, as well as social events going on. The trainees are also a close cohort and regularly socialise with one another. There are also plenty of pro bono opportunities, though these are encouraged within work and are not necessarily outside of work.

Definitely, it was a great experience and really useful.