Vacation Scheme Student Review

The vacation scheme was really enjoyable. There was a real mix of opportunities to develop personally as well as professionally. For example, I got involved in business development tasks and was encouraged to ask people out for coffee which took me out of my comfort zone. Also, the work was extremely interesting and it was really useful to compare both seats and how these practice areas operate in the City.

The firm made continuous efforts to make us feel valued at the firm from the day we received the vacation scheme offer. We were invited for interim events before the vacation scheme and were regularly kept updated. Upon arrival, we also received a 'goodie bag' containing a hoodie, bag, colouring set, sweets, and stationery. Lunches were often organised for us, and fantastic social events such as novelty darts and a three-course meal were organised for us and were great fun. Everyone was also incredibly grateful for the work we did for them, regardless of if they were a trainee or partner.

We had a half-day of induction on our first day which was incredibly important to settle us down and explain all the logistics of the scheme. We were also assigned a buddy and a supervisor for each seat of the scheme. In my experience, all of these individuals were really brilliant - the buddies were a fantastic first port of call, while the supervisors provided really substantial feedback on the tasks they assigned us as well as our general performance that week. Everyone in the firm was also very keen to share their wisdom with us!

It was definitely useful to get experience working in a City law firm, as it is very different to a regional law firm. I have certainly learned the value of networking, eg. when we were prompted out of our comfort zone and encouraged to invite people for coffee, as law is a network-heavy industry.

The structure of the insight made lots of sense. It was important to have our half-day induction on the first day as it gave us important information, without necessarily dragging on too long. I also feel that a two-week vacation scheme is perfect (as three weeks is a little long, while one week is barely sufficient), and doing a different seat each week worked well. Most lunchtimes, we had a 'Focus On' session (when a department would come and present their team and the work they do) which was really useful as it existed as a break and also information session.

I felt so welcome by the firm, as the people and the culture is so wholesome. Everyone is incredibly friendly and chatty and happy to engage and guide you. Although we were pushed out of our comfort zone by lots of networking and taking on a variety of work, there was never a stressful atmosphere or pressure to stay late.

The firm prepared a brochure for us which we received upon arriving for the first day of our vacation scheme. This brochure was simple but really effective as it included a 'Legal Glossary' as well as hints and tips for our vacation scheme. The firm also organised Focus On sessions where each department presented themselves, and we also received really useful handouts relating to specific practice areas eg. key terms, the structure of a deal. I also had the opportunity to work on billable work for clients, but also on business development tasks which exposed me to realities of working life at the firm, and developed this understanding for me. There were also opportunities to attend general talks occurring at the firm, eg. a talk by Ewan McKendrick on the recent development of tort law.

The vacation scheme was really useful to give a tangible experience in working at the firm. We were not 'babied' but there were also realistic expectations of the work we could do, depending on our individual stages of a legal career. The vacation scheme itself was quite packed with activities for us so may have shown less reality of working at a desk all day. However, I feel the packed programme was really beneficial and valuable to learn about the firm so it should not diminish the fact that we would be at our desks more often in reality.

Being at Taylor Wessing felt like being in a family. Everyone, including senior associates and many partners, were interested in you and were so excited to share their opinions and views. We also had many opportunities to speak to a variety of people, through drinks receptions, trainee events, meetings, Focus On sessions, and being in our departments. This all taught me how the firm is really strong in their culture and prides itself for this -rightly so! The firm looks great from the outside, but it is even better from the inside.

Even before starting, I felt relatively confident that I want to pursue a legal career. Taylor Wessing showed that wanting to work in the City isn't scary - at least in their firm. There were so many opportunities to talk openly to people about their paths and ask about tips in deciding my own path.

I felt that our payment was highly adequate and in fact very generous, especially considering many of our lunches were provided for and there were also social events. Our reimbursement was sufficient to cover rent and transport for the two weeks as well as leave some money as saving money.

Networking was heavily encouraged at the firm, both officially and unofficially. Graduate recruitment encouraged us to do so by inviting people out for coffee, and our buddies were happy to introduce us to other employees. Our social events were hosted and attended by other trainees, and two of the drinks receptions that were organised were attended by all. There was also a partner lunch.

There were a real plethora of networking/social opportunities: buddy lunch, welcome drinks, novelty darts, three-course dinner and cocktail reception, partner lunch, farewell drinks. These were all meticulously organised and really good fun. Although I was very happy to attend all the events, I am conscious that most if not all included alcohol, which may not be considerate for everybody.

We had a presentation from one of the Pro Bono schemes that the firm runs, and the individuals involved shared their experiences and anecdotes about this. Other additional activities were not so explicitly presented to us, but we did learn about specific clubs such as Culture Club and Football/Lacrosse Club through conversations with employees if the topic arose.

100%. This was a really fantastic experience, and Taylor Wessing make you feel so welcome, which is very difficult to find in the City. The work is high-profile City work, so very exciting, and you are very generously remunerated. The experience has certainly helped me develop a sense of what I want to do in the future and how I am to interact in the workplace.