Winter Vacation Schem Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my vac scheme at Simmons; I felt very much included in my team and was invited to its weekly meeting, as well as to its Christmas lunch and drinks. I enjoyed meeting the other vac schemers too: a particular highlight was our trip to Wok and Roll!

I felt fairly valued during my time at the firm. I was kept busy and was given work from a range of people, which both gave me a greater insight into the daily workings of a Simmons lawyer as well as allowing me to give something back to the firm.

The half-day at the start enabled us to get to grips with the firm's IT system, and gave a sense of what we were going to be doing for the rest of the week. We were given trainee buddies and supervisors too, who gave us our work and acted us our key contacts throughout the week. Coupled with the support that HR offered, I felt thoroughly supported throughout the week and felt that the welcome pack provided us with significant guidance.

Having proper exposure to how a city firm works will equip me better for my future as a commercial solicitor; I learnt how to proofread and mark-up documents as well as how the firm's filing system works. These skills have built on my undergraduate degree and will carry on developing throughout my legal career.

The vac scheme was fairly well-structured, in the sense that we had talks most days and the first day was jam-packed with induction talks. The aim for the week was to gain a sense of the daily life of a Simmons lawyer, and we had plenty of time to focus on the work we had been given.

The atmosphere during the vac scheme was positive and motivating; everyone seemed keen to introduce themselves to all the vac schemers. Whilst the firm has a reputation for hard work, this did not impact the atmosphere at all. None of the vac schemers seemed competitive either, which helped ease me into the vac scheme too.

We had a series of talks and workshops which demonstrated how, for example, pro bono work differs from the firm's usual work. We also learnt about Compass and partook in a workshop, which demonstrates the importance of our personal image and brand. These all demonstrated to me how Simmons values its trainees/vac schemers.

I was given a lot of work which, despite it being stressful at times, demonstrated to me exactly what a training contract with the firm would look like. I was treated like a trainee and my trainee buddy game me work to do which she had done the previous week. I therefore feel that I have a solid understanding of what it would be like to work full time with Simmons.

Continuing on the same vein, having the chance to liaise with colleagues at all levels demonstrated a lot about the company's culture. Simmons has a fairly open-door policy, so I even had the chance to speak to several partners who treated me in the same way as all my other colleagues. The vac scheme gave me a proper insight into the firm's culture.

The vac scheme instilled in me the desire to continue pursuing a career in law. I enjoyed the firm's atmosphere as well as the content of the work and know that this is the right career for me. This was particularly aided by the fact that I received a significant amount of work.

We were paid adequately for this experience, and it helped cover food and travel costs.

We had drinks with HR and our trainee buddies and supervisors on the first night, which allowed us to talk to members of the firm from other teams. The Christmas lunch and drinks with my team allowed me to meet more people from my team too, so I felt that there were enough opportunities for networking with other employees.

As stated above, we had drinks on the first night which allowed us to get to know other Simmons employees as well as our fellow vac schemers. We also went to Wok and Roll on the Thursday evening. I really enjoyed these chances to meet the other vac schemers, and wish that there had been more!

I managed to find out quite a bit about the firm's activities; my trainee buddy mentioned a number of sports societies/networks that the firm has, such as a netball and football team and a Women's network. I also spoke to a number of the employees who participated in different activities, such as yoga in the mornings!

I would definitely recommend the vac scheme to a friend; the experience was informative and comprehensive, enabling me to learn more about what a commercial solicitor does on a daily basis. I also liked the firm's culture and atmosphere.