Virtual Vacation Scheme Review

The virtual experience was really well done, with many informative talks. I enjoyed it quite a lot, as it was clear that the Graduate Recruitment team put in effort to make us feel included and learn as much as we could without the in person experience of being in the law firm offices. I particularly enjoyed the one-on-one chats with trainees and partners, which gave a more personalised insight into the firm itself and the culture.

I definitely learnt a lot about the various departments within Herbert Smith Freehill's London office, which was extremely insightful. As well as learning the differences between trainee, associate, and partner duties, we learnt what the general qualities were of trainees and how they differentiated in each department. This information was extremely useful in giving a clearer insight into the culture of the firm. It is quite hard to state any particular skills that were developed.

The scheme generally started at around 9.30 and ended at 5. We had plenty of timetabled breaks and a good length of time allocated for lunch. We were provided with a timetable prior to the scheme which was useful as we knew exactly what we were doing each day and could prepare accordingly. There wasn't too much time spent in any one area so that a broad insight could be provided, which was done well.

The Graduate Recruitment team was very welcoming and provided for anything that we needed during the scheme. Furthermore, we participated in talks with both trainees and partners, and in all of these conversations I was able to speak very candidly and honestly with them, which was extremely helpful in gaining a proper insight into the culture of the firm, which was obviously constrained as a result of the virtual nature of the scheme. The atmosphere was very friendly.

We were given multiple talks on different departments that we would be sitting in as our seats during a training contract. This provided an understanding of what it would be like to have a full time role within the firm, and the partners who delivered the talks answered any questions that we had at the end of these talks so that we had a fuller insight into the department. We found out more about miscellaneous areas of the firm and general working life from the trainees.

We participated in chats with a trainee mentor and a partner mentor separately. This allowed for candid discussions on the company culture, and we also received a general knowledge on the culture through the general demeanour of everyone that we interacted with. At HSF everyone was very friendly and welcoming, and happy to talk to us about anything that we wanted to discuss. We also heard about the culture more generally in talks from various departments.

The virtual Vacation Scheme was useful in helping me solidify the fact that I want to go into this area of law in future. However, I did also have the benefit of other vacation schemes and also first year schemes that allowed me to see into the exact nature of what it would be like to work in a corporate law firm. Nonetheless, I particuarly enjoyed the virtual vacation scheme as I gained a deeper insight into the exact duties of a trainee.

We had the chance to chat with our trainee buddy once and our partner mentor twice, as well as another one-on-one chat with a partner. These provided invaluable insight into their exact working lives. We also participated in a Networks carousel, so that we met employees who were on the committees for various programmes that HSF run for diversity and inclusion. These allowed us to gain greater exposure into the life of a trainee past work.

We completed a terrarium-making social event. This involved the firm delivering us a package with compost, small plants, a terrarium pot and various other necessary items. We then completed a one hour Zoom call, where we were instructed on how to construct our terrarium properly. It was nice seeing the other vacation schemers on the call, and I now have something to remember the scheme by. It was quite creative compared to the usual in-person socials.

I would recommend this virtual experience to a friend. In this situation, it was undertaken in lieu of a traditional Vacation Scheme, and whilst we subsequently missed out on certain exposure to the office, the graduate recruitment team were extremely good at making sure that we were as immersed as possible into the culture of HSF even from our homes. Furthermore, it provided a good opportunity to find out more about HSF prior to my decision whether or not to join the firm.