Summer Intern Review

The first week was spent in the London office and consisted of attending talks, networking events and some mitigation and negotiation tasks. The second two weeks were spent at our regional offices and we gave preferences as to the departments we wanted experience in (one week in each department). During these two weeks we had 5 objectives to meet, with a performance meeting at the start and end of each week.

In the first week I improved on my negotiating, networking and presentation skills. The following two weeks were more independent and I worked on contract review, due diligence and legal research. I also attended many client calls which was exciting and allowed me to understand how to navigate such situations.

The organisation of the internship (one week together in London, two weeks in regional offices) gave a comprehensive overview of the business both globally and on a location-specific basis. It was very clear how the business worked and how future career progression operates.

DLA Piper is a friendly firm which values global, full service work. The culture is led by the DLA Piper values, and it feels like a very collaborative and supportive workplace. The atmosphere was sometimes strained by the Early Careers Team, and it did feel like you were under microscopic surveillance for three weeks. I didn't find that this attitude was apparent in associates or Partners though, who were welcoming and often pretty laidback.

I really enjoyed the internship and could imagine myself training at DLA Piper and being very happy there. I got on really well with the other interns which is a good reflection of the vigorous recruitment process and will make for collaborative and successful teams in the future. I left feeling like I properly understood the firm, and the internship allowed me to understand holistically how the world of corporate law works.

Yes

Be honest - don't just regurgitate Financial Times articles but talk truthfully about what appeals to you about DLA Piper and why you think you'd be a good fit there. The firm cares about more than your intelligence and legal capabilities (your grades speak for you on those points), but they want to see how you share the firms' values. I would emphasise these as much as you can throughout the recruitment process.