Insight Programme Attendee Review

The first week at CMS focused on the business of law, consisting of commercial awareness, diversity and inclusion and legal tech workshop. We also had the opportunity to participate in a responsible business day to help regenerate Cody Dock. In the second week, I had the opportunity to shadow a trainee and work on real-life trainee tasks, including research, drafting and pro-bono work.

I was able to develop my skills in drafting and research during the second week within a practice group. I was also able to build on my knowledge of commercial awareness and what it means to CMS. As CMS is a future-focused law firm, it was also great to have the opportunity to learn about their legal tech tools and the developments in this space. I was then able to use some of these tech tools myself during the second week to complete trainee tasks which developed my skills in this area.

We had specific commercial awareness workshops and Q&A sessions with trainees, associates and partners. This meant that I was able to expand my knowledge on how CMS operates, and get first-hand insight into the work of the firm across a range of business sectors.

The company culture was great, everyone was so welcoming and genuinely happy to help. My trainee buddy was able to help develop my skills on effective research and answer any of my questions. I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the office.

I really enjoyed the insight as I felt I learnt so much through my time there and was encouraged to take any opportunity that came about. I also loved being able to attend one of the firm's CMS Women events and meet more people at the firm. I felt that my ability to complete trainee tasks improved, as did my confidence.

Yes

Think about how you can tailor your own experiences to the application questions. Be authentic when answering questions and have a good understanding of commercial awareness.