Open Day Participant Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my virtual experience with Dentons. The splitting up of the day was a great way to keep enjoyment up throughout whilst being sat at home looking at a computer. Starting with a presentation before moving onto an interactive task and finishing with a Q&A was great! I also liked that several people were used to keep each element of the day feeling different. So starting the day with a partner talk, having trainees for the task and then finishing with future trainees & graduate recruitment for the Q&A made the day enjoyable.

I did feel valued by the firm. By making the task interactive and splitting us up into small breakout groups meant I felt that my voice was heard. I also liked that each group was given a trainee so it felt like they valued our time by enabling us to connect with an employee of theirs on a 3-1 basis. The fact an application had to be completed and numbers were restricted for the day also added to the feeling of value. The fact there were prizes up for winning the task also demonstrated that the firm valued our time.

There was loads of guidance during the virtual experience! Throughout the presentations I felt free to ask questions and be involved. Having the trainee sit in on our negotiation preparation was great as they could chime in to steer us in the right direction, which was very helpful since I am new to starting negotiation scenarios with complete strangers. The presentations themselves were also very thorough, so support throughout the firm was explained in detail.

The application presentation will be great for any future applications I fill out, whether that be for Dentons or other law firms - as well as any other job applications. The negotiation task will definitely help me if I am successful in applications and reach assessment centres as this is something many firms use to assess their applicants. The partner presentation on Dentons and what they do will also help me with my law degree and approach to situations and how I can relate that to the work a law firm does.

The structure was great! As said above it was split into a presentation, a task and a Q&A which meant there was a clear goal for each part of the day. Dentons also factored in times for breaks throughout the day so I did not feel bombarded with information or tied to my desk for hours on end. There was also opportunity throughout the day to ask questions which I thought was good, since leaving all questions to the end of the day can make it feel dragged out.

It was a highly engaging experience. Everyone who took part on behalf of Dentons was great and managed to keep an experience with the world's largest law firm very enjoyable whilst also informative. Even in the negotiation task where there was the potential for conflict all applicants were very friendly and the day felt like a learning opportunity rather than competition, which the area of law firm applications can sometimes become. Dentons did a great job setting the atmosphere.

My group won the negotiation task on the day and as a prize we have each been offered an hour phone call with a trainee at the firm. For me this highlights how much Dentons value investing in us as individuals who took part in the experience. Also the fact there were lawyers of all levels at the open day, from partners to graduate recruitment and trainees, showed that they were investing their time in us - which they could have invested in earning money.

The virtual experience definitely helped me understand Dentons a little more than just reading their website or researching their lawyer and word. Obviously actually seeking the office for myself would have been more beneficial, but considering the circumstances I know this is not possible. Again the fact we could speak to everyone from future trainees to partners meant we got to understand every role in the company, which helps me paint a picture of what working there would look like.

By enabling us to chat to all levels of the firm in a casual setting in the breaks the virtual experience meant we could get the culture without it feeling forced. They weren't listing bullet points of their culture, we were being shown it by their approach to us. The use of trainees in the negotiation task demonstrated Dentons culture of valuing the opinion of trainees and trusting them to give a good impression of the firm to potential applicants.

Incredibly! Before attending the open day I was unsure whether I would be applying to vacation schemes this year. However, the negotiation task changed this for me. Taking part and feeling such a rush and wanting to put my suggestions to the group was something I thoroughly enjoyed and would love to do again! So the virtual experience at Dentons actually set me back on track to applying to law firms this year, so thanks to them for that!

I was not reimbursed or reimbursed expenses since no expenses had occurred. However, when the day was initially going to be held in person in March, then could not be due to the coronavirus pandemic, we would have been offered reimbursed expenses. I was actually still reimbursed for the train ticket I bought to attend the open day, even though the day did not itself go ahead! I also received a prize of an hour of a trainees time - so although this is not payment it is definitely valuable to me!

Yes constantly! We could ask questions whenever we wanted and everyone was incredibly helpful with these questions. Before starting the negotiation task preparation we actually got the opportunity to chat to our trainee and learn about what she does personally, which was very insightful and something I would not have had the chance to do if the virtual experience had not taken place. Although there was no dedicated section of the day to networking I do not think this took from the experience at all.

As already mentioned there was no designated networking opportunity, but the breaks throughout the day could have been used for this since graduate recruitment were available to us all day. The Q&A also enabled interaction but there was no social event per se. Although the negotiation task did allow me to meet others on the virtual experience, but I understand this is limited due to the experience being virtual - which obviously right now cannot be prevented.

Yes. Dentons told us about their pro bono work in the firm and a lot of people asked questions on this during the partner presentation. Also if I wanted to delve into this in particular I could have asked my trainee in the negotiation task or graduate recruitment at the end of the day. However, I felt that the partner presentation was sufficient to cover this topic and other people's questions explored this on top of that.

Definitely. It was enjoyable, only took up the afternoon of one day and left me feeling inspired and actually excited to apply to the firm. I have taken part in other virtual experiences and none were as interactive as this one, I would absolutely tell my other friends interested in law firms to take part. The information you receive during the day cannot be found elsewhere and the opportunity to meet Dentons employees is still possible despite not meeting anyone in person.