A&O First Attendee Review

The scheme was interesting and offered a diverse range of opportunities from classroom sessions to work shadowing. The sessions were all enjoyable and directly relevant to a future career in the legal sector. I would recommend the scheme to anyone who is looking to gain an insight into what a career as a corporate lawyer may be.

As the scheme was only two days long, it was hard to get fully involved in work and contribute anything of value. However, I felt valued in other ways in that lawyers of all levels were willing to give their time to talk to me about their experiences and career development at the firm.

Throughout the scheme, it was made clear to us that the aim was for us to learn as much as possible and this really rang true. The formal classroom sessions gave us in-depth guidance on how to make a successful training contract application to the firm and how to succeed at the assessment centre.

Not necessarily my degree (as I study non-law) but onwards for my career, the skills I learned on the scheme will be very helpful. We were taught how to craft the perfect application to the firm and also had soft skills sessions on how to sell ourselves, and working on personal brand.

The scheme was well structured and the classroom sessions were well thought out and relevant. However, I just wish the scheme had been longer! Being only two days long, it was hard to get a full feeling for the firm and its ethos, additionally, we only had a half-day to work shadow so it was hard to get a feel for what being a trainee there might be like.

The atmosphere was great and so social! From the very start, we were encouraged to socialise and we were told that there was no need to be competitive. The social in the evening after the first day was a great way to improve the atmosphere even more. Everyone I met at all levels of the firm were lovely and so welcoming.

The firm invested in us through classroom sessions and also through handouts we were given during the scheme. We were given 'the commercial law handbook' and 'a guide to interviews and assessment centres' these were both hugely useful for personal development. The training sessions were well thought out and delivered by experts in the field to ensure that we got the most out of them possible.

It was hard to get a proper appreciation for what being a trainee at the firm would be like due to the limited time spent work shadowing due to the short length of the scheme. However, the firm tried to compensate for this by giving us lots of opportunities to network with lawyers of all levels.

Again, due to the short length of the scheme, it was hard to get a true feel for the culture of the firm. The networking opportunities were quite fixed and due to the large number of attendees, it was hard to have an in-depth conversation. The social in the evening did not have any of the firm's lawyers in attendance which could have provided a good chance to get a better feel for the culture.

The scheme was really well planned out to ensure that the content covered all the major questions around the legal profession and the scheme was valuable in confirming that I wish to go into corporate law. The work shadowing was short but what I saw was interesting and it was work I could really see myself doing.

Travel expenses were reimbursed and a hotel was provided for the night between the two days of the scheme. Breakfast and lunch were provided both days and on the night of the first day, during the social, a meal and all drinks were provided by the firm. The hotel was very posh and less than a 10 minute walk away from the firm.

Yes, there were panel events with members of the firm across all levels where we could ask questions. There were also networking sessions over lunch and breakfast where we got to learn about the firm's pro bono offering, societies, sports and diversity networks. When work shadowing in the department, there were also informal opportunities to network through my buddy making introductions.

The social event in the evening after the first day was amazing. It was ideally planned out to ensure that everyone was involved and we socialised with everyone. The networking opportunities were good, but it would have been better if there had been more firm representatives in attendance as it was hard to have a conversation in such large groups.

Yes, we heard from trainees on the Trainee Social committee who told us about how the firm encourages them to do things outside of work. We also heard lots about pro bono opportunities and things non-law related such as the firm choir and their sports teams. Hearing how lawyers of all levels and support staff are involved in these was very positive to hear.

Yes, I would definitely recommend this scheme to a friend. The two days were a really good way to gain an insight into the firm. After the scheme, we were invited to interview directly for a training contract (or vacation scheme, but I chose the direct training contract route) for the firm so it is a really good way to get into the firm without the extra stress of a vacation scheme.