Paralegal Review

Given that this was the first (and hopefully last) occasion on which the firm has to transfer its vacation scheme into a virtual format, it was well thought through and well organised. The graduate recruitment team were always on hand to resolve any issues and did a good job of balancing talks with group project work.

As the Internship had to be done virtually, the majority of the time was spent on a large video call with all of the interns. This made it difficult to participate much in discussions. However, we were always given the opportunity to ask questions and we were made to feel like everyone's input was valued. No one was favoured. Whether you had already had multiple interactions with the firm or this was your first opportunity, everyone was treated equally.

During the week, we were provided regular updates from the Graduate Recruitment team and they were always on hand to help resolve any issues. We received a schedule every day that detailed the events that would take place for the following day, providing all of the information that would be required. However, it would have been good to have found out more information about how the Internship was going to be run sooner than we did.

We had many talks from people who worked at the firm throughout the week. We received these both as a large group and in smaller groups from members of the office that we applied to. These provided a lot of useful information and helped you to make an informed decision about the firm and know whether it was the right firm for you.

As previously stated, we received an e-mail every day with a schedule for the following day's events. The Graduate Recruitment team made sure to give everyone breaks between talks and gave us sufficient time to work on our projects as a group. Whilst the breaks were sometimes cut short, this was only because too many people were eager to ask questions that the talks sometimes ran over.

The atmosphere was very positive. The Graduate Recruitment team set the tone from the start and made sure that everyone was relaxed, despite the unusual circumstances in which we found ourselves. Everyone seemed to be happy and comfortable being themselves, providing a very good advertisement for the kind of people that work at the firm.

Through no fault of the firm, or the organisers, most of the time was spent on large group calls with all of the participants from the Internship. This meant that there was not much individual contact and it was therefore difficult to receive much personal training or development. However, I am sure that the firm would provide you with any help or feedback if you requested it.

The Graduate Recruitment team made sure that we had several talks with people throughout the firm, covering a wide range of matters and speakers. This provided a great insight into life at the firm and showed what kind of work would be involved in day-to-day life should you choose a career with them.

The Internship gave the speakers the opportunity to show off their personality and explain what about the firm they valued. This showed off the types of people that the firm looks for, and people were always happy to provide a personal insight into their work whenever they were asked to.

The firm paid us for the week that we spent with them at the same rate that was initially offered for the full internship (although obviously we only received one week's payment not three!). I did not incur any expenses that needed to be reimbursed, however they did ask for people to provide details of any such expenses so I think that this is something that the firm organised.

As we spent most of our time on a large video call, and did not have the privilege of visiting any of the offices, it was more difficult than usual to meet employees at the firm. However, we were always invited to follow up with any questions that we had either by e-mail or LinkedIn.

On a firm-wide scale, we were told about the firm's employee networks and the events that they run throughout the year. In addition, when talking with people from the office to which we applied, people were very keen to tell us about what we could get involved in on a more local level (which apparently involves a choir).

I really enjoyed my time on the Virtual Internship and I think that the Graduate Recruitment team did a very good job of putting it together at relatively short notice (as a result of the circumstances). This is especially so given that it is the first time that the firm has ever had to organise an event like this.