Student Review

To a large extent, I enjoyed the virtual experience because it gives sufficient insights into the work of the firm. Having heard from the graduate recruitment team and the CEO of the UKIMEA region, Jeremy Cohen, I think it is really insightful. I particularly like the fact that we get to network with senior members of the firm. The speed networking session which gives this opportunity to speak to partners in a group of 6-7 is very helpful.

Having spoken to the partners of the firm, I think the skills I learn from them will be very useful for my later career journey. I heard about how they deal with clients and manage expectations during the pandemic. I also managed to enquire about the most important skill they looked for in a trainee when they joined their respective teams. This is exactly the information that I need to ensure I improve myself in the right direction.

I would say there is a nice balance between the presentations and speed networking. I attended the previous virtual insight day and during feedback suggested more opportunities to speak in person to the members of the firm so that we can get more information about individual experiences at the firm. I think the firm takes the feedback really well and I was given the opportunity to speak during the networking session, not just to partners but also graduate recruitment team.

As I was mainly placed in a breakout room, everyone in the breakout room was really friendly and sociable. People ask intelligent questions and those are very helpful for my applications. Partners and graduate recruitment members that are rotated into my breakout rooms are also very helpful in answering our questions although they may have answered the same questions repeatedly. The atmosphere was, in general, very pleasant. I certainly find it very enjoyable and insightful.

I think it does provide a lot of help because not only was I listening to presentations by members of the firm, I was also speaking to people who have worked at the firm for some time. I understand what is expected of a trainee. Through my experience with the firm, I am reassured that this is a firm that I want to work in because of the diverse culture and the international nature of the work.

Having the opportunity to speak to people who are actually working at the firm gives me a better understanding of not just their day-to-day work but also the overall culture of the firm. Seeing people from various backgrounds at the firm confirmed that it has a very diverse environment. The reverse mentoring and the various diversity networks available at the firm are also a good indication that the firm is committed to improving its diversity. This is very reassuring to me.

Yes, there was around 1.5 hour of networking session which I really appreciated because speaking to people is always a key part of understanding the firm. The fact that this virtual event focused more on networking through the speed networking session really appealed to me. The partners from different practice areas that I spoke to were friendly and they shared their experiences working on ground-breaking deals at the firm. They also advised on our application to the firm, it was interesting to know their perspectives.

I was assigned to a group of 6-7 people in a breakout room and the partners were rotated across different breakout rooms. Although at the first one, there was a lack of reminder on time, causing some awkwardness, the problem was handled really well in later breakout rooms. However, I thought it would be great if we can hear not just from partners but also trainees and associates (members of the firm at all levels) to get more thorough insights.

Yes, I did but this was not a huge focus of the event. People spoke about pro bono and the activities organised by their diversity networks. Those were very interesting information as it shows that the firm is not just focused on work but also gives the opportunity to socialise with other members of the firm through outside activities. Indeed, the event instigated my interest to carry out more research about the firm's social activities.

I would definitely recommend this virtual experience to a friend or even a junior who is interested to learn more about Dentons. I think it is really an enjoyable and insightful experience because I got to speak to people at the firm and ask any questions that I had about the firm. On top of that, listening about the strategy of the firm from CEO Jeremy Cohen also gives a better understanding of the rationale behind its expansions.