Summer Placement Review

I had a fantastic week at Shoosmiths. Everybody that I met was very welcoming and the team that I sat with went out of their way to help me get the most out of the week. The work that was set was engaging and challenging, which gave me a great insight into the life of a trainee solicitor and made the week thoroughly enjoyable.

The culture at Shoosmiths meant that I was treated as a part of the team throughout the week. I was set real work to complete, which provided a very valuable insight. When I was set work, the team ensured that I understood the context of the task so that I could see how the work that I was doing fed into actual projects. Similarly, when I completed tasks, members of the team were more than happy to provide me feedback and explain various technical issues that I had not come across before.

The support that is provided on a Shoosmiths summer placement is excellent. The graduate recruitment team were very communicative both in the build up to the placement and throughout the week. They sent emails and arranged calls during the placement to check how my week was going and answer any questions that I may have had. Moreover, the team that I sat with were very generous in giving their time to support me on any work that had been set. I felt able to approach anybody in the team to ask questions, whenever the need arose.

As a non-law graduate, the placement provided a very good insight into the work that a trainee solicitor can expect to be given. Additionally, the exposure to real work meant that I was able to gain an understanding of how the law works in practice, which is very valuable as I am due to start my GDL shortly.

The placement week was very well structured. It is evident that a lot of thought has been put into maximizing the week. I was kept very busy on various tasks set by both the graduate recruitment team and my host team. However, it is very noticeable that you are not constrained by the structure but are given a lot of freedom to organise your tasks and workload, which is a strength of the scheme.

The atmosphere in the Shoosmiths office was very welcoming. I was able to meet a whole range of different people each day and people went out of their way to greet me and get to know me. The open plan office meant that I felt able to approach any person in the firm, regardless of their seniority. Moreover, I was included in any social events that were happening and taken out to lunch by the trainees, which allowed me to chat to people in a more informal setting as well.

Everyone at the firm was very generous in giving their time to provide me with feedback for the tasks that I was set. This allowed me to progress during the week as I was able to correct mistakes that I made along the way and apply the things that I was learning to future tasks that I was set. Similarly, I was able to discuss my ideas for a presentation that I was set with my supervisors, which allowed me to improve and refine the final product.

The fact that I was set real work to complete by both trainees and paralegals meant that I got a very good insight into the jobs that they were working on. Additionally, the inclusion in team meetings and in client calls meant that I could understand how the wider team operated and what was expected of each team member.

The placement week provided a very good insight into the company culture. The graduate recruitment team provide a lot of information on the website, so it was possible to get a good idea of Shoosmiths' values before the placement. However, the placement allowed me to really test and confirm the opinions that I had formed. Moreover, the graduate recruitment tasks during the week meant that I could specifically think about the company's culture.

There were numerous opportunities throughout the week to meet new people. Everyone was very approachable and happy to spend time talking to me. I was invited to a few lunches during the week, which allowed me to meet people that were working in other teams and even other offices.

I would absolutely recommend the summer placement to anyone that is interested in finding out more about Shoosmiths. It is clear that the firm as put a lot of thought into the week, which results in a really positive experience. I found that the work stretched me and really allowed me to develop other the course of the placement. The atmosphere is very friendly and I was made very welcome, which meant that I could really focus on maximizing my time with Shoosmiths.