Vac Scheme Review

It was absolutely brilliant. The firm is so friendly and everyone is incredibly generous with their time. Numerous people offered work and chances for me to shadow them whilst doing conference calls and even a completion which was really exciting. You are assigned a supervisor (associate or partner) and buddy (trainee) and they are all wonderful and really obliging.

You immediately feel part of the team. You are integrated incredibly well both by your supervisor and other lawyers within the firm. Additionally, there are many opportunities to socialise with the trainees who were all lovely and great at offering advice. There were numerous times when people went out of their way to involve me in various tasks. You are by no means made to feel an inconvenience, in fact it is quite the opposite.

There was a great deal of guidance and support in terms of the tasks which you were given during the scheme. Also, many people offered for you to email them if you wanted advice further down the line. There were talks from various departments every day and they offered a lot of guidance in terms of deciding which practice area is better suited to certain individuals.

I feel as though I acquired a great deal of information in terms of what the day-to-day life of a commercial lawyer is like. Naturally, being immersed in a legal environment and as a non-law student I learnt a lot of terminology and information regarding legal procedure. I also felt that because I was so well integrated I learnt a lot about how to discuss matters with both lawyers and clients.

I think that it was perfectly structured because we had numerous talks and social activities but we also had a great deal of time at our desks, able to carry out tasks and learn from those around us. I think it's far better that way than spending a lot of time doing activities which aren't representative of what a trainee would be asked to do.

It is honestly such a friendly firm. Everyone who I met was lovely without fail and I don't believe that to be a coincidence. However it also felt fast-paced and really exciting. It genuinely has such a great atmosphere and the offices are beautiful!

Everyone massively invested time and was so generous offering work and shadowing. Feedback was always offered as well. Because there was so much access to work and despite coming from a non-law background, I learnt a great deal about how work is performed which was really valuable for the future.

It really helped both in terms of providing an image of what an associate's or partner's day-to-day looks like and in terms of what is expected of trainees. Additionally, people offered very genuine advice about what the life of a commercial lawyer is like. The firm seems to have far more of a work-life balance than other commercial firms.

It really helped because many law firms seem to use similar buzz words in terms of their culture. I found that what the firm claimed about their culture was absolutely true. The firms is incredibly friendly, it certainly seemed to have a flat hierarchy and everyone was also extremely down-to-earth.

It was extremely valuable. It made me realise that the work I performed was very well suited to my skillset and interests. Conversing with lawyers and clients was also valuable as I imagine that not everyone would enjoy the marketing side whereas for others it would really appeal. In terms of which areas of the law I am interested in, I feel that it made me more open to different areas. I hadn't considered Marine and International Trade (shipping) before but found the work really interesting.

Very generously. We were reimbursed for all travel expenses and given just under £700 for the two weeks. on top of this, many lunches were provided and social events with drinks and snacks etc. I also went to court on two occasions and was bought lunch each time which was really nice.

Yes there were many. We were given tours of the practice areas we were working in and were introduced to people during this. There were numerous events with the trainees who were extremely friendly. Additionally, I attended the legal walk and was able to chat to many people during that. We had talks every day which were given by members of each practice area.

There was a social with the trainees in the first week and another in the second. Both were very fun and informal. The first was drinks and snacks within the firm. The second involved going to a snooker bar which was super fun. My cohort of vac schemers were all super lovely and sociable.

Yes, many of us took part in the legal walk which was really fun. I was also told about the various clubs - tag rugby, choir, football - which the firm organise and many participate in. The firm is incredibly sociable and many people stressed that these activities can be very important for building connections within the firm.

Absolutely. It was genuinely such a fantastic week. It is brilliantly organised and run very smoothly and thoughtfully. The people are just brilliant and I believe that you can gain as much as you wish while you are there. No one is unwilling to offer their time and you are given really interesting work to do.