Internship student Review

It was great to be put in contact with so many other applicants in the same position as me, despite the internship having to occur virtually. I feel that my knowledge of the firm has increased a lot and everyone who spoke to us was insightful and passionate, which I found really inspiring.

I appreciate this was made harder due to the experience taking place over Zoom, but a real effort was made to engage us all in asking questions and being interactive which increased my feeling of being a valued voice. All members of the firm were extremely encouraging and positive about us achieving our place on the programme which definitely boosted my confidence and made me feel valued.

It was great to be allocated a Buddy, whom I spoke with via email and on the phone numerous times. He was always on hand to answer all the questions I had. Additionally, the trainee drop-in sessions to give advice about the group presentations were invaluable and made me feel really supported in the project.

The information I gained about the firm will certainly help in my pursuit of a career with the firm. The group project made me feel a lot more comfortable with presenting and I surprised myself with how I relaxed into it, especially since I am usually not as confident in those scenarios.

The graduate team had evidently worked really hard to put together a brilliant programme under the current circumstances and we were all so grateful for that. The programme worked extremely well and we heard from a great variety of speakers. I really liked how we had Zoom sessions in the morning followed by group work in the afternoons - it really helped to maintain structure in my day.

The atmosphere on Zoom was great due to the enthusiasm of all the speakers and their willingness to engage with us through questions and answers. this would obviously have been much better if we were together in person, but given the programme was online I thought a great job was done to make the atmosphere enjoyable and relaxed.

I think the firm went to a lot of effort to give us the resources/contacts necessary to further develop our knowledge in the future. As the programme was cut short, I think we would have needed more time to properly develop more skills as we didn't have the opportunity to get involved in real work or see this taking place, but other skills such as communicating online and group cooperation were definitely focused on.

It was great to get insight into the working days of trainees, associates and partners from their descriptions. As we were unable to physically see what it would be like doing the work on a daily basis, it was a good substitute to have this described by various people in the firm.

I gained a lot of insight into the company culture, particularly due to the diverse range of people we had the opportunity to hear from and their various personalities/backgrounds. Talks about pro-bono and the diversity and inclusion initiatives also really helped with understanding the culture at DLA, and it certainly came across in a very positive light.

I found the programme extremely useful in helping me to cement my desire to work for the firm in the future. I had a great week and felt really happy with how it went. DLA is an amazing firm from what I experienced and it has been the best way for me to decide what I want for my future career.

I personally didn't have any expenses to be reimbursed, but I know that the firm was willing to do this for anyone who required it which is great. The pay is a generous added bonus which I appreciate, especially the food vouchers etc which were a very kind gesture in my opinion.

There were lots of networking opportunities particularly with the group work as we were able to get to know our group members quite well. In terms of DLA employees, it was great to be put in contact with a Buddy and other trainees through the drop-in sessions. Additionally, we had talks for a wide variety of employees across the firm all of whom were more than willing for us to contact them in the future with questions or to gain further insight which is vary valuable.

given these were online, it is harder to network and socialise with people but I felt that the firm went to a lot of effort to give us those opportunities, for example by organising the quiz on the first evening so that we could all interact in a fun way and get to know each other better on a personal basis.

Yes, we had very useful talks about the initiatives that employees can get involved in. Specific to the office I applied to, we were informed about the social side of sport groups, for example, which was great to hear. The information provided about pro-bono was also great and something that really attracts me to life at the firm.

I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone. I found it insightful and enjoyable, as it gave me the opportunity to learn about the firm and myself as a future lawyer as well as making me feel relaxed enough to enjoy myself throughout. It is a great programme for anyone considering a career in law. Thank you DLA!