Trainee Solicitor Review

I really enjoyed my placement at Shoosmiths. It was very informative both in terms of what the firm did but also i was given the opportunity to really do some hands on work within the area i was sat

Everyone was very friendly and I was encouraged to go and introduce myself to the people in the office, however most people were so busy this did feel a little difficult to do

My supervisor had lots of work on herself which demonstrated to me just what I wanted to know that the firm was busy and successful, sometimes this meant that my instructions were a little rushed but I did not mind.

on the first day there was not that much work available, however as soon as I was settled in and other staff in the office knew I was there and could be given work to do I was much busier, and the work was of a varied nature.

I was given quite a lot of responsibility towards the end especially with researching things which the solicitors and even the partners would then use when advising their clients. I also prepared a lot of bundles for court and instructions to counsel on one case. These were looked over by my supervisor and I was given feedback which was a good learning experience.

I think I learned some really valuable skills for life. The mini-project that we were given to complete really tested my organisational and research skills as well as working within a time limit. I was given many opportunities to learn about financial markets and also legal processes which until that point I was totally unfamiliar with.

The office environment I would describe as quiet but warm and friendly at the same time. Having never worked in an open-plan office I was intrigued as to what it would be like but I found it less distracting than i was expecting and the informality really helped in meeting new people.

I think that the placement was organised overall quite well. I think that on the first day I was a little perturbed to find some people were not expecting us to be there but apart from that it did seem well planned.

I was happy to find that busy solicitors would take the time out of their work to explain in detail what I was doing and why, explaining the background and what part it paid in the larger process. I thought that the informal exit interview was brilliant I was given some really useful practical advice, both for the rest of the vacation placement and generally for what to do with the year in between my employment

It is quite a new office and therefore is only employing two trainees, but it was a good experience. There was a lot of chances to experience what work was like there. The next step is waiting to see if you have made it onto the assessment centre day.

There was nothing really happened on an evening. The trainees and fellow work placement students all went to lunch together which was really informal, fun and relaxing. The trainees would answer any questions we had and advised me on what to do with my evenings as I was staying in a hotel for the week

There was not a lot of evening socialising that happened but going out for lunch was cheap as we mainly went to sandwich bars. The area was relatively affluent though.

I didn't really get to experience the night-life with the firm I went out for evening meals and drinks only with friends who were already in the city. I thought the night-life was excellent and certainly more vibrant that the York night-life i was used to.

I was not aware of anything else happening but there was a lot of work to be done in the firm that week and some of the partners and the solicitors were going away