Vacation Placement Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement with Shoosmiths. I was made to feel very welcome, given interesting and realistic tasks, and detailed feedback.

My colleagues made a real effort to make me feel welcome and 'part of the team'. They gave me detailed feedback on the tasks I performed, and allowed me to assist with their real work - very satisfying.

My supervisor explained each of my tasks to me beforehand in a very detailed manner. He also took the time to discuss broader aspects of his job and of the legal profession as a whole.

I was kept pretty busy with my tasks, and at the same time I had an ongoing project to complete - so there was never a dull moment!

I was allowed to assist on 'real work' which was great - though of course my tasks were checked by my supervisor.

The key thing I gained from my placement was an understanding of what it is really like to work at a large national law firm. This helped me when it came to applying for training contracts, as I was able to draw on my experiences in interview, and I believe it will set me in good stead for beginning my career as a solicitor.

I was only there for a week so it is difficult to form a firm judgment on this. The trainees seemed like a fun group, planning social events together. In the office itself the mood seemed relaxed and cooperative.

The placement was well organised.

As I was only with the firm for a short time, there were not any dedicated training/development sessions. However, my supervisor took a lot of time to explain my tasks to me and to give me feedback on them. Also, in my mini-interview at the end of the week, my interviewer gave me overall feedback on the week.

As firm, it was a very appealing employment prospect. However, for the next stage in my career development I have opted to go elsewhere largely because of location.

There were only 3 of us on the placement, and we were only there for a week, so we did not socialise away from the office. We did, however, have lunch together everyday.

As I said above, there was not any socialising. The price of lunch on the business park was average.

Again, I didn't experience any Nightlife while I was on my placement. But I do know that the Nightlife in the Southampton area (where my office was located) is good!

Twice those on placements had lunch with the current trainees, but there was nothing else beyond that - probably because the firm is located on a business park and so there are limited activity opportunities.