Summer Vacation Scheme Review

Really enjoyed the variety and amount of work I was given - the people in the office were very welcoming and friendly. The work I was given was challenging but at the right level for me and people were willing to help when you needed them. Social opportunities were available.

Everyone was very friendly and genuine. In the first week a social lunch was arranged to get to know some of the people in the office better. Found it easy to chat to and form connections with the people working there. This helped me understand what working there would actually be like.

Got some feedback on set tasks, these were tasks that trainees might be set to work through. Feedback on these was very encouraging and my supervisor would talk through both points well done and points for improvement. There was little feedback on more day to day genuine tasks but this is to be expected.

I believe I have a better understanding of what being a trainee at Gateley entails as a result of this placement. Felt like I began to develop genuine skills that will be useful to my career in the future. Being responsible for my own work meant that time management and organisation skills were key.

Talks from every department were scheduled so SVP students could get a taste from every department. Other than this there was very little structuring - however this meant we were able to organise our own work and take on work form different departments. As a result a better understanding of what seats I would like to undertake was gained.

Atmosphere was great, very friendly. Feel like it was easy to make genuine connections and people were willing to have a chat! Often went to make a cup of tea and would be able to talk to whoever was in there. Everyone in the office clearly cared about one another and this showed in the atmosphere.

The summer vacation scheme gave a real sense of what a training contract with Gateley Legal would entail as well as rounded experience form a number of departments. During the placement I was given trainee tasks to complete and received excellent and constructive feedback from this which really helped me assess my strengths and work on weaknesses.

The SVP did it’s best to fit a comprehensive experience of what a full time training contract would be like. This included undertaking trainee tasks that were usually and regularly undertaken by Gateley’s current trainees. As a result, I felt I had an excellent idea of what working full time at Gateley Legal would be like.

Not only did the placement really help me to understand the culture of Gateley further, I found that I also throughly enjoyed such. Everyone was very welcoming and the social lunch half way through the placement allowed the SVP students to get to know colleagues on a more personal level.

After undertaking the two week placement I felt very excited by the prospect of a training contract and Gateley Legal. I was overjoyed to receive and accept an offer of a training contract after completing this scheme. As a result, I feel this was highly valuable in deciding my future career.

I was very happy with the money I received for undertaking this two week scheme and feel it was very much in line with competitor offers. I was not reimbursed regular travel. However, as the induction day is in the Birmingham office, expenses for travelling to and from this were reimbursed.

The Reading branch of Gateley Legal has an open plan office. This meant it was easy to chat to anyone in the office and everyone was very happy to do so. On the first day in the office the partners responsible for the SVP students also gave me an introduction to everyone in the office which was highly useful.

As part of the scheme we were taken on a lunch around halfway through the scheme. This was an excellent opportunity to get to know a handful of my colleagues more personally. I was also invited to a less official Friday night drinks which felt very friendly and welcoming, a common theme at Gateley Legal.

Activities that could be undertaken outside of work made up a large amount of information at the induction but were less discussed during the placement. These activities ranged from drinks to sports, so there’s really something for everyone if you’re interested. Trainees are encouraged to be very involved in the arrangement of such activities.

I would absolutely recommend this scheme to a friend who was interested in a career in law. Gateley Legal was one of the most friendly and welcoming firms not only did I feel very at home on my placement but I was given real and interesting work to do which also made me feel valued within the team.