Vacation Scheme Student Review

In the vacation scheme, there were a lot of talks that involved lawyers and solicitors from various departments. There were introductions to many practice areas and the solicitors shared insights into the day to day work that they complete and some of the most interesting deals they have completed. There were also many tasks and networking sessions that allowed all the vacation scheme students including myself to get a better understanding of what work each solicitor does. There were also activities that allowed for networking and the putting of myself in the position of a partner that were insightful. Similarly, there were many socials that allowed bonding outside of the business context.

There are many new and existing skills that I had developed on and continue to develop on the vacation scheme. The work completed were also extremely challenging and hence worked on research and development skills in addition to legal amelioration of work with new regulation. Furthermore, on the Linklaters Spring Vacation Scheme, there were many presentations that allowed for the development of communication skills. Some new skills including specific work into the practice areas that the principals and trainees assign you allow for the development of legal curiosity. All in all, there were many new skills and existing skills that were worked on and developed. It is thoroughly educational.

The business and potential roles available were varied and diverse. Supporting roles including paralegals and secretaries were introduced as an important resource that solicitors get to use to increase their productivity and efficiency. The varied practice areas including the Dispute Resolution, Litigation, Arbitration, and Investigation department to the Corporate departments that include Mergers and Acquisition, Private Equity, Funds, to Capital Markets among many others. It is very helpful to craft out what you would like to work towards in the training contract and beyond. Furthermore, having an understanding of what the culture of the work is helps with joining particular seats in the future.

The company culture and general atmostphere was very welcoming. There were many individuals that all the vacation scheme students were exposed to. And throughout the company, there was a consistent feeling that everybody was willing to teach and willing to spend time explaining a variety of concepts. There were also many diversity equity and inclusion events that helped with the less stuffy atmosphere within the company. And firm leadership charts out specific targets in the future which helps define and shape the company culture.

The insight was very enjoyabble. It was enjoyable for a variety of reasons. The solicitors and lawyers within the firm were very welcoming and thus made it very comfortable and familial in the two weeks that I was there. There were many socials as well and nice lunches which allowed for soft interaction and networking and experiences that people on the outside would otherwise not have. I thoroughly enjoyed this insight and would be working towards making this a reality

Yes

For any tips or advice that I would give to others applying to Linklaters, the top advice would be just be yourself and be true to what you believe in. It is also very important to have commercial awareness and this can be in many different areas from the breadth and scope of the work that commercial City solicitors do and also in the specific work that Linklaters has worked on in the past few years. These are extremely important in assessment centres and interviews which can focus on these areas.