Placement Scheme Student Review

Along with departmental talks, I sat in two different departments, one for each week, and fortunately was given two of the three which I had requested seats in. In each department I did work for trainees, associates and sometimes partners, depending on who was in the office and who was particularly busy. I was also given shadowing opportunities. Highlights include attending a disclosure hearing and completing a research note for an associate.

Yes, many! First and importantly I learnt to use Westlaw and Lexis PSL, along with other legal library services, efficiently (I am a non-law student), in order to complete research. I learnt about legal note-taking, gathering evidence and analysing charter-parties. I would say I developed particularly my close-reading skills.

Everyone was willing to have a chat at different levels of the firm, so I gained valuable insight into potential roles, especially the trainee role, which is what us placement scheme students were particularly interested in. An emphasis was placed early in the scheme on the firm's business strategy and where each role would fit into its expansion plans, allowing us a greater understanding of the firm's operation as a business.

The atmosphere was very attractive. I was sitting in partners' offices in both departments which, I think, summarises the ethos at SH of working collaboratively at all levels. Everyone was generous with their time and people were down to earth, while being very smart!! [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] was great as my buddy was unwell for some of the first week, and she really helped me out and offered me advice in lieu of him!

I enjoyed it very much, especially feeling helpful when there was lots of work to get involved in, and I also enjoyed the realistic talks given by associates. I particularly enjoyed my time in MIT where there was lots of work to contribute to. My buddy [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] was very helpful and [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] (associate) made lots of effort to introduce me to people and include me on work he was giving to [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions].

Yes

Look into the firm's growth strategy and consider which factors might affect this the most. Also, SH is a full-service firm with 50% contentious and 50% non-contentious work across the board, not just shipping - I think it is potentially a misconception that SH's MIT/ship finance work is it's main work, but in fact it offers such a wide range.