SPARK Scheme Review

Overall, the scheme consisted of talks by all the practice areas, contact with a trainee buddy, and talks about the opportunities in the training contract itself. As well as this, every morning began with a calming social – this included yoga sessions, and focused breathing sessions. In the evenings, there were also some social activities, which was a great way to bond with the rest of my cohort. Another big part of this game were the daily tasks and challenges based on the talks and our reflections.

Unlike most of the firms that I completed first year schemes with, Clifford Chance gave all the candidates on the scheme access to the internal training portal. Through this I was able to enroll in a number of courses, handpicked by graduate recruitment based on the feedback I was given from my previous assessment centre. As such the skills I developed were tailored specifically to me. As well as this the daily challenges and tasks developed my public speaking, written communication and teamwork skills.

Throughout the scheme, I had great access to resources and people to learn more about the business and the role of a trainee. I had a personal trainee body who I was able to ask questions about the role of a trainee to. As well as this, I was able to get a candid understanding of the culture of the law firm from the eyes of a trainee. We also had talks from partners from the different practice areas which gave a better understanding of the industry as a whole and the firms strategy in the coming years.

The company culture at the firm was fantastic and really sets the firm apart. We had numerous social and networking events during the scheme. I was able to network with my cohort, and also with people at the firm. We also had talks from the different diversity initiatives which made the firm sound like a very welcoming and inclusive place to work. As well as this we learned more about the firms pro bono and outreach/community work which shows the extent of the law firms values in practice.

I really enjoyed this game. At the end of this scheme, there were training contract interviews and following my experience I was able to give a really good interview and display how much I had gained from this insight. My expectations going into the scheme were quite high anyways on account of all that I had heard from previous candidates. However this scheme even exceeded those expectations. I enjoyed the work I did, I enjoyed the people I was working with and it is definitely somewhere I would like to go back again.

Yes

The recruitment process for the firm is very hard because it is one of the best law firms in the world, however don't let that put you off from applying or contacting people from the firm. One thing that I found really useful was finding people at the firm on LinkedIn and asking about their experiences there. I found that people from Clifford Chance where is the most responsive and willing to help me, despite the fact I knew very little about commercial law at the time- and that is a reflection of the culture. The assessment centre in particular was quite intense and I think it is really important to research for firms website inside out and also prepare heavily for a case study by reading their publications.