Summer Vacation Scheme Review

A great mix of social events, informative department presentations and educational-based workshops. I really enjoyed my time at the firm and felt that the scheme was an invaluable experience for an aspiring lawyer.

Being a student with a disability, I felt that everyone at the firm appreciated me for who I was and took into consideration my individuals needs. Such support by graduate recruitment was maintained prior and throughout the whole scheme and I always felt that I could approach them with any query I had. Both my supervisors and the departments that I sat in were very welcoming. I was introduced to everyone in each department and whoever walked into my supervisors office made an effort to get to know me, I wasn't just the "vac schemer".I felt I was able to meet a diverse range of individuals who each provided valuable insights into the firm.

Both my supervisors were always on hand to answer any questions I had and always made sure after particular meetings and conference calls that they explained things through, which was a nice gesture despite their busy time constraints! With feedback on all my tasks and a feedback briefing at the end of the scheme, I knew where to improve and what I was doing well at, which was much appreciated.

I was consistently occupied with varied pieces of work with deadlines ranging from the end of the week to the next day, which always meant I was busy. To a certain extent, your work load does very much depend on how busy your supervisor is, but as I experienced during the scheme, there is always the opportunity to be given work from other members of the department, as other trainees and associates will always seek to get you involved as much as possible. Such an experience really gives one the taste of being a real trainee, as mixing varied pieces of work with differing deadlines brings out the best of your organisation skills. I was fortunate to experience the closing stages of a transaction which really gave me a real taste of the ever changing nature of the legal industry.

I was given a lot of responsibility and all my tasks were contributions to the various client matters which were on going at the time. Such responsibility, although challenging at first, allows for one to really get to grips with the actual daily role of a trainee.

I will certainly take on board the feedback I got from both my supervisors and other feedback I received during the scheme. The negotiation workshop also proved to be very valuable as I was able to learn new techniques and have a greater understanding of the skills which are required to be a good negotiator. I will hopefully look to successfuly use such skills in any future university negotiation competition.

Very friendly but equally hardworking. Being there when the merger was announced was particularly exciting.

Very organised, I was able to sit in the departments I requested and graduate recruitment were always willing to let you meet other partners etc in other departments if you ever had any questions or wanted to sit there for a day. The presentations were always at breakfast and lunch time which allowed for more time at the desk and a greater flavour of the daily role of a city solicitor. There were a varied amount of presentations and workshops for the first two weeks which allowed one to get a full insight into the firm. There were always social events during the 3 weeks which meant they the vac schemers were all able to bond well as a group, which was important.

There was always chance for appraisal, which was helpful from a personal and professional perspective. The interactive nature of the workshops and presentations allowed for many educational opportunities.

I would definitely like to work there. The vacation scheme really confirmed my opinions about the firm and was definitely an invaluable experience for seeing what the role of a city solicitor is like.

Excellent, we all went out a number of times.

I got involved in Pro Bono and the firm's football team. There is a plethora of opportunities for vac schemers to definitely get involved in !