Lawyer Review

This was really helpful to me as i knew i wanted to have a job in the legal sector however i had no idea in what area i wanted to specialise in. Before i had no idea what a commercial law firm was or what they did but thanks to this placement i know a lot about it now. What really interested me was the marine and international trade sector and now im even considering looking into it for my future.

I was treated very nicely by this company, i was really nervous at first but all the staff that were talking to me were so friendly and everyone made me feel so welcome, at the beginning of each session for 15 minutes we would have a friendly chat and we were asked how we are, things we did and even after lunch breaks she would ask what we had for lunch so it made us feel very welcome.

I received so much support during this placement as not only did i learn about a commercial law firm, i gained support and guidance through situations that i would have to face in the future. For example i had an interview session which was very helpful as i was told things i was doing good and things i needed to improve on and we practiced many questions. We also had guidance through what we had to wear in a professional environment etc.

I was taught many skills that are going to be very useful for me in the future. These skills included how to dress in professional environments, what to say in an interview, how to act in an interview, what work experience is important to have etc. This scheme also helped me with my confidence as we had to do a group presentation in front of members from stephenson harwood and there were times where we had to ask questions and interact.

This scheme was very well structured as we started at the same time everyday, would always have 15 minutes at the start of the session to just have a chat and then we would go in to whatever was planned fo the day. We would also always have a lunch break at around the same time and for one hour or even a bit longer. Then we would always finish at around the same time so it wasn't confusing or all over the place.

The atmosphere was always great. All the members of staff were very friendly towards us. Some would have us interact, however i would prefer for there to be more interactions. However as it is a virtual experience you have to consider it’s harder to build a fun atmosphere. It was fun and very Interactive when we were put into ‘breakout rooms’ and this was when we were put into groups so this was fun as this allowed us to interact much more.

I never knew anything about company culture before but this work experience helped me understand it a lot. So for example Stephenson Harwood is a smaller firm meaning everyone knows each other and everyones like family however in a larger firm not everyone knows each other therefore its not much like family. Stephenson harwood also had a friendly environment so everyones doors are open showing that everyone is welcoming and doesn't mind others talking to them.

It was very baluable as i learnt about things i never knew anything about before. For example i learnt about the rail industry and about marine and international trade. I found marine and international trade very interesting that i am now considering to specialise in that area in the future. I feel so much better now knowing that i find something interesting as before i knew i was interested in law but i had no idea which area but now i have something.

There are activities that employees can get involved in outside of work. For example once a week there are sports events and Stephenson harwood have a football team and netball team. It was nice for me to know this as i like football and its also a nice way to get along with employees and to relax from stress from work. There are also charity event that i could get involved in and some dinners.

I would definitely recommend this to my friends as i have friends that are interested In law but do not know which area of law they would like to Specialise in so this would be very useful and helpful for them to find out what a commercial law firm is like and maybe they'll find something that they may like or be interested like me as i had no idea which area of law i would be interested in but now im interested in marine and international trade.