Student Review

The Vacation Scheme at Baker McKenzie was very enjoyable, and the Graduate Recruitment team worked hard to make it so. There were a variety of socials organised for us, ranging from a painting class to darts, which allowed Schemers to get to know each other better outside of the office environment.

The different departments were very welcoming to me as a Vac Schemer, and gave me a surprising amount of responsibility while I was there. To be given meaningful work on particular deals that are currently in progress helped both to develop my legal analysis skills, but also engage with a variety of employees at different levels.

We were each assigned a trainee 'buddy' and associate supervisor in each department, who were very generous with their time and advice, and wanted you to succeed and be happy. When given pieces of work, the context of the matter was always explained in detail, and we were encouraged to ask any questions if we were unsure.

Both the information and guidance I received, and the skills that I was able to develop, will be very valuable as I move into my final year of university. Exposure to legal documents is not generally part of a law degree, and so being able to see knowledge I'd learned in practice was great!

The Scheme was very well structured, with a great balance between informative sessions about the firm's pro bono framework and corporate responsibility projects, alongside presentations about the various departments in the firm. The socials were well-placed during the week, and the slightly longer week and a half spent in each department allowed me to develop stronger relationships with those in the department, and to see progress on any matters I had been involved in.

Generally, there was a very positive atmosphere during the insight and people seemed to be enjoying themselves and getting involved where they could. At times, and very rarely, interns had quiet periods in which they had no work to do, and the amount of work varied from department to department.

The firm clearly takes personal development very seriously, which can be seen through the willingness of more senior employees to discuss their progression through the firm and their advice on how to succeed. There are always other projects and activities to be getting involved with aside from pure billable legal work, with a focus on personal development outside of work.

As previously mentioned, the slightly longer time spent in each department compared to previous Schemes allowed me to develop stronger relationships with the members of that department, but also improve my understanding of the types of work in each department. It gave me a very clear picture of what it would be like to work in the firm on a permanent basis.

The Scheme was extremely helpful in showing me the culture of the firm, and I was delighted to be able to see how the firm's reputation as friendly and welcoming was evident in practice. We were exposed to a variety of people from across the firm, which allowed us to gain an insight into the culture at all levels of the organisation.

The informative sessions which provided overviews of the various departments were very useful in preparation for selecting seats for Training Contracts. The Scheme gave a comprehensive overview of each department, the type of work one can expect to do in those departments at all levels, and how law fits into the wider commercial world.

We were paid a weekly salary every Friday, and all socials were paid for by the firm.

There were very many networking opportunities, including networking drinks on the first evening, four socials, departmental drinks and lunches with various committees within the firm.

The networking and social event opportunities were very well organised and structured, and were not too lengthy. Socials were local to the office, which made travel and tickets much easier, and there was a good balance of different activities. We were able to meet a variety of people, from trainees to partners, during these events.

We were given a presentation about the pro bono opportunities at the firm, and spent half a day volunteering at Barnado's, a local charity. In terms of other activities however, there was no information about the various sports teams that exist at the firm, which would have been very interesting for a few of the Schemers.

I would actively encourage people thinking about a career in law to apply to this Scheme. It was well-organised, with time perfectly balanced between working in departments, socials, and information about the firm. Everyone at the firm made time to talk to you about any issues or questions you had, and the Graduate Recruitment team were brilliant at making it all run smoothly.