Intern Review

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to hear from some extremely inspiring people at all levels of seniority. Despite the obvious limitations of Zoom, Grad succeeded in making us feel part of the DLA Piper community. This created a relaxed atmosphere in which everyone could be themselves. There was a huge emphasis on there being no fixed mould of Trainee at DLA Piper. As my career path has not been conventional, this was particularly refreshing. Unlike with other firms, I have not felt disadvantaged by my age or sex at any time during the process at DLA Piper. The only reason I have rated it 9 and not 10 is because my eyes did struggle being on Zoom for long periods. However, this is by no fault of DLA Piper. My enjoyment of the content of the Internship is 10.

Absolutely. Despite the limitations of Zoom, Grad made us feel part of the DLA Piper community. I felt like DLA Piper genuinely wanted us to succeed and encouraged us to network. We were introduced to many inspiring people who took an interest in hearing our thoughts and were happy to answer any questions we had.

I had was assigned a lovely buddy who was keen to answer all of my questions, even before the Internship commenced. During the week, we were introduced to the Office Managing Partner and Office Trainee Partner for the office we had applied for. They were extremely supportive. The Office Managing Partner was very passionate about DLA Piper and also Trainee development. The Office Trainee Partner introduced me to key contacts at the firm in areas that I have a particular interest. This was particularly helpful.

I have already completed my degree and the LPC. However, I felt I have a greater understanding of what kind of law firm I want to train at. Culture is hugely important. As I am older than applicants tend to be, it is a relief to find that not all firms dismiss mature candidates.

Clear structure, format and content. Despite it being virtual, the whole week ran smoothly. Grad did a great job adapting everything. Zoom codes all worked and I did not have any problem connecting. I cannot stress enough how well it worked. There were over 100 of us so imagine all those codes!

Extremely friendly, encouraging and supportive. There was a bouyant atmosphere throughout the week. Everyone was genuinely interested to hear more about each of us. We were allocated in to project groups. My group was really nice and I enjoyed working with them. The other Interns I met were also very pleasant.

Due to Covid, unfortunately the Internship was reduced to 1 week. There was not enough time for training. However, in terms of development, we learnt a lot about the legal profession and heard from inspiring leaders. This certainly assisted my professional and personal development. We also heard from Business Development, which also provided some useful tips for success.

Absolutely, we gained insight in to a whole host of practice areas and were able to ask as many questions as time allowed. This gave a real flavour of what life would be like. We were also enouraged to get in touch with key contacts if we wanted to know more.

Yes, yes, yes. Huge push at DLA Piper on culture and it really shone through. I was blown away with how genuine everyone was, irrespectie of title. It is not merely a marketing trick, DLA Piper is supportive and do care about employee wellbeing. I don't think you can know that until you have spent time with a firm.

I already work for a law firm, but DLA Piper offers a wealth of additional opportunity. I feel I know roughly which areas I am interested in and the Internship helped me to learn more about them. I also have become interested in areas that I had not previously considered.

Yes, very generously.

Yes, absolutely. Throughout the week we were introduced to current Trainees, NQ's, Senior Associates and Partners. We had a quiz with the Trainees on the first night and also had smaller sessions with our offices in order to network more intimately. We were actively enouraged to reach out and make contact.

Really useful. I had some informative discussions with Trainees and Associates at DLA Piper. The quiz on the first night with Trainees definitely helped to break the ice early on. It was lighthearted and enabled us to become familiar with eachother on a personal level. I am sure if it had been an in person experience, DLA Piper would have hosted more events. However, this was not possible.

Lots of opportunities. They have several Employee Networks, such as Iris that looks to support LGBT plus employees and create positions of equality within the firm. There are also various sports teams and activities to get involved in. Pro Bono is also of huge importance, as well as volunteering and CSR. Trainees also meet up.

Without a doubt. Why would you not want the opportunity to undertake an Internship at DLA Piper? I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to experience such a well structured and infomative Internship. I have undertaken other Vac Schemes in the past, but this was by far the most professional.