Winter Vacation Scheme Review

I felt like the scheme was quite enjoyable. There were a number of talks from practice groups and socials to give us a full picture of the firm. They also engaged our intellectual sides through projects and client pitches. Overall, the scheme really gave an accurate picture of what it would be like to work at the firm.

There is quite a flat structure when it comes to social interaction. On the work front, there is a hierarchy but one that is necessary in order to gain experience and have structure in completing tasks. Despite being a vacation scheme student, I did feel as though I could approach anyone to ask questions and generally they were quite receptive to any advances.

There was a number of feedback sessions whilst on the scheme. We were paired with a Trainee buddy who served as our first port of call for any questions. We were also given a graduate recruitment contact who we could ask questions to we had with the wider firm. On the work front, the instructions were quite clear and my principle was always willing to answer questions if needed.

At this stage I am already done with my degree but it does help with commercial awareness. There is only so much you can do in two weeks. One thing I did gain was looking at issues practically and not just legally. So whilst it is a legal role, the application is more commercial than legal.

We had a timetable that detailed what was going on throughout the scheme. We also had personal calendars that reminded us when we had an event.

Diverse, Inclusive, my seat was quite lively as well. Very friendly and supportive.

Some of the activities on the scheme was quite expensive to be fair. We had a number of dinners, socials and even went to the theatre.

It helped massively. Although you can do research on what it is like to be at a firm, you don't really know until you get there. They organised a number of networking sessions where we got to talk to people at different levels from different departments.

The company culture is quite transparent. They organised talks from different people ranging from Diversity graduate recruitment to the managing partner. They all spoke on their roles and what they are trying to achieve at the firm. There is no way you don't know about the culture by the end of the scheme.

They emphasised that it was a two way process. Although, we were trying to impress them, they were also trying to impress us. They made sure to inform us of the process if/when we join the firm. Definitely gives you a good picture of what to expect.

We were paid weekly.

There were a lot of organised networking sessions. They also encouraged messaging people for coffee if you wanted to have a chat.

Friendly, open and very frequent.

They have a number of networks within the firm and encouraged us to join some of them.

Yes