Vacation Scheme Review

It has been a really enjoyable experience as everyone has been so welcoming and friendly. Also, the work I have given to complete has been very interesting too as I have done a wide variety of tasks. These have included drafting exercises, report writing, research tasks as well as attending client meetings.

I have felt very valued by everyone which has been extremely stimulating. I feel very comfortable in this working environment and valued by all, rather than simply a burden on trainees. This feeling has been strengthened by receiving lots of feedback on my work which has demonstrated how the firm is also trying to help me improve too, even at this early stage of my career.

I have received lots of feedback on my work which has helped me to improve for the next task that I have carried out. Regarding guidance, however, I have not received too much here. However, this is due to me carrying out the task on my own rather than a lack of support options. When I have needed help or a query to be answered, I have had numerous options as who to ask for help, which everyone has been extremely willing to give.

I have already completed my degree so the skills I have developed will not help me so much there. However, looking forwards to the future, I have developed the vital skills of being concise and clear which are so fundamental in being a solicitor. As a result, these will hopefully make the LPC and TC less of a steep learning curve due to already being one step ahead.

The structure was fantastic. It had a good mix of being with other vacation schemers and being left in the offices carrying out tasks. This mix allowed me to actually get a lot of work done, giving more of an insight to the life of a trainee, instead of making me focus on other group tasks instead. Overall, I have enjoyed spending my time in the offices the most which is why the structure has been so great for me.

The atmosphere has been really friendly and comforting. With only a small group of vacation schemers, I think this has brought us closer together and we feel as if we are a collective, rather than a big group of people who do not really know each other. In the offices the atmosphere has been great with everyone being welcoming and approachable.

I fee as though lots of people have invested a lot of time and effort into my being here which is an extremely nice feeling, given that I am effectively a stranger to everyone. Also, the tasks that I have completed are not merely tasks that other people have already done that I am simply reaffirming. I have been given new tasks that provides a lot of support to the team in them moving their cases forwards which has also made me feel very valued by all.

I have gained a much better understanding of what the long-term role entails by spending lots of time in the office completing tasks, rather than attending too many presentations about the firm. Through talking to people I have also gained a much greater understanding of the work-life balance than can be found on the internet.

The internet can be very informative about company culture, but there is nothing like living in it for two weeks. I have learnt so much about everybody that works here and how they live their lives and what they contribute to the firm, making me feel like I am a very good fit.

I was almost pretty certain about the path that I wanted to pursue but this experience has reaffirmed that, making me want to work here even more than I already did. It has also opened my eyes to a number of different options regarding different departments which I had never thought of before, so in fact this has broadened my horizons more than I would have expected.

There were lot of opportunities to meet other people from around the firm including lunches, after-work events, firm-wide presentations and department meetings too. Through getting involved in all parts of each department I have met a wide range of people which has made the experience even more enjoyable through learning about different experiences and paths into law.

These were good fun and it was nice to see everybody out of the working environment, getting to know them more personally rather than purely in a business sense.

Yes there are lots of opportunities which we found out about through presentations and speaking to everybody too.

This was the best vacation scheme that I have ever done, not only because of how interesting the work has been, nor how friendly everyone has been, but also the structure of the scheme got the best balance between work, socialising and being a collective of vacation schemers. As a result, I would recommend this scheme to anyone who is thinking of pursuing a legal career.