Placement Scheme Candidate Review

Throughout the placement scheme, I consistently liaised with my trainee buddy and supervisor for work. The work primarily consisted of legal and administrative tasks e.g. proof-reading contracts, writing newsletter emails, and researching niche legal concepts. I also had the opportunity to network with associates and partners through socials and coffee chats. This gave me deeper insight into their motivations for joining Stephenson Harwood and their experiences working at the firm. I also attended presentations organised by the Future Talent team, which allowed me to learn more about what distinguished the firm's practice areas and strategy from others. Questions were also welcomed throughout the scheme, which spoke to the firm's open-door policy.

Being responsible for completing deadline-sensitive tasks honed my organisational and efficiency skills. I learned to discard unnecessary information and keep my work concise and tailored toward the intended audience. As this was my first placement scheme, speaking with senior lawyers was daunting at first. However, I learned to put myself out of my comfort zone by initiating coffee chats with managing associates and partners. I made an effort to get to know as many people in the seat I was sitting in, and as such developed better communication and networking skills.

The Future Talent team were helpful and transparent about what graduate roles were available, as were associates and partners. I talked to many associates who had moved over from different firms to understand what the availabilities for roles were at Stephenson Harwood. Additionally, the presentation hosted by BPP was insightful for understanding what training was expected of future trainees. As for the business aspect of the firm, a presentation hosted by a partner gave us a clear understanding of the firm's 5-year strategy and target, including how it was going to achieve that i.e., through internal/external growth.

The company culture and general atmosphere at Stephenson Harwood left the greatest impression on me. Everyone, no matter their role or seniority, was extremely friendly and willing to engage in conversation with me. The small placement intake not only meant that I was given a lot of responsibility/ownership over the matters I was involved in, but also that every trainee/associate/partner in the team made an effort to get to know me personally.

I am extremely grateful for the level of insight I was able to gain during my time at the firm. Without partaking in the insight scheme, I do not believe I would have been able to fully understand the work culture. I got to see first-hand that there was no face-time culture, and that diversity could genuinely be found in all corners of the firm. My respective teams were also very willing to share their insight into their work at the firm and future aspirations. I would love to work again at the firm.

Yes

Make sure you do research on the firm's practice areas and what distinguishes the firm from others. Use all of your resources (e.g. university fairs, open days, graduate websites, the firm's website, conversations with employees etc.) to get a good picture of what it is you like about the firm – be as precise as possible on your application form! As for the assessment centre, try your best to be relaxed and yourself. The firm is truly interested in getting to know who you are as a person – so make sure you know your experiences and qualities inside out.