Vacation Placement Review

I was given a real variety of work, ranging from researching clients for business development, to researching obscure areas of law. I was also given the opportunity to do a lot of things I would as a trainee. For example, I sat in on a telephone court hearing and attended lunchtime talks about where the practice I was sitting in wanted to grow in the future, as well as a client video conference where they discussed the challenges that the energy market was facing at the moment.

I was made to feel like a real part of the team. The work I was given was mostly tasks that my trainee buddy would normally do himself. I was given support from my supervisor and trainee buddy. Additionally, no-one made me feel like I was a burden on their time and genuinely seemed to appreciate the effort I had put in. On the first day they took me round the whole floor and introduced me to everyone, which whilst a bit intimidating, was lovely as I then knew people's names and knew who I could turn to for advice. Finally, I was allowed to contact Information Services and use the PA's just like a trainee would, in order to facilitate the work I was doing.

They were genuinely very very helpful. I had objectives set at the beginning of each week and then review meetings at the end of the week to discuss my process, reflecting the trainee appraisal process. My supervisor and trainee gave me a lot of advice on the interview process, as did other members of the team (e.g. fee-earners) and really helped me feel comfortable about going into them. Obviously, I was nervous, but I felt prepared. The open plan arrangements mean that you can easily approach people and they always make the time for you if you don't understand something, to quickly explain it. Finally, I was not sat in my preferred department, but when we are quiet my trainee had emailed litigation to arrange a meeting with a trainee there and to get a research task off him so that I got experience in it!

Some days were absolutely manic, especially in the first week when a lot of the office were out doing training or completions in London. However I was normally finished by 5.30 (the contracted time). There were some days that were quite quiet but sending around a capacity email normally got me some work to do. Additionally I did a few tasks for other departments when we were really quiet e.g. Projects and Litigation as those departments were quite busy. It was very rare that I couldn't find work to do, I just had to be a bit proactive about it!

Obviously as a placement student, there is only so much that you can do. However I did a lot of research tasks which helped my trainee complete his submissions. Additionally I picked up some research tasks off fee-earners and partners which were quite important and they needed help with as they didn't have time to do everything! I got involved in a lot of preparation, research and although there was the odd time I had to do a bit of photocopying/bundling/proof-reading the vast majority of my time I was doing real legal work.

I don't think that the skills will particularly help me with my degree, as law in practice is very different to law in an academic environment. However, I definitely think that in terms of applying for future training contracts (if I don't get one at this firm) I have built up key skills e.g. time management, legal research, drafting etc which will help me in completing legal tasks in a similar environment. Moreover, even if I don't get this job (which would be a shame!) I have gained useful interview practice as the assessment centres were quite difficult (there were two tasks to complete, as well as 2 interviews (one behavioural, one commercial). So at the very least, that is what I have taken away from it.

The atmosphere is very friendly and inclusive. Everyone is very approachable and although they are busy people, they definitely have a laugh! Whether it is about difficult situations to make them easier to deal with, or topical celebrity news, there is always something going on!

The one thing that was lacking (thus 9 stars) was the fact that sometimes it was very quiet and you had to be proactive to get work. However I think that is as much because they're trying to test your ability to be useful and get stuck in! Other than that there was an itinerary, some fantastic socials and you always knew what you were doing and when. It was greatly organised.

We were paid for our work so probably quite a lot but I think it will be further down the line if we get a training contract that the training and development really comes into play!

I'd absolutely love to work here and I have applied for a training contract here, I won't here until September though.

Absolutely fantastic. I don't know whether it was just my intake, or because the firm encouraged it but people got on very very well. The company arranged socials were great for bonding (e.g. a walking treasure hunt around Leeds with a bottle of champagne for the winners, a snooker tournament in a very retro bar and a wine-tasting evening with a lot of people that knew nothing about wine!) However on my placement it definitely went beyond that. We had lunch together every day. Additionally we arranged nights out both just a few drinks at the pub and going out properly at the weekends. Additionally, at the end of the first week we went out for a meal together. Although not everyone attended, the vast majority did and it really helped us get on as a group! I definitely think I have made some friends that I will keep in touch with!

Not too bad, all company things were paid for by them, with food and drinks tokens. The socialising that we did separately was generally reasonable (probably as we picked cheap places) although I would say that some of the bars were a bit pricey!

Good, when we experienced it. More for the people than anything though.

We attended socials, a corporate responsibility event for Martin House and there was the opportunity to do sports (although I wasn't interested in that).