Vacation Scheme Student Review

Everyone was very keen to ensure that I had a valuable experience here. I was given good quality work, had a lot of fun social events, and met a lot of new friends!

The feedback I received on my work was constructive and designed to help me to improve - but it was generally very positive. At times I felt as though I could have been given more responsibility or more challenging work.

There were always people available to support you, but at times it felt as though they were too busy to help and so as a result I did not want to bother them. The help that I did receive was very honest and useful. however.

In terms of organisation and time management, a placement at a firm like Linklaters will really develop your skills for the future! I relied heavily on the use of these skills throughout my placement.

It was incredibly well-planned and a lot of time and effort had gone into designing an effective structure. Some of the lectures we received could have been more spaced out throughout the scheme, and there were a few issues with transportation for a few of the social events. Other than that it went very smoothly.

The people on the scheme were quite quiet generally, especially at first, but towards the second week and into the third the atmosphere became a lot more relaxed. Everyone was good fun to socialise with.

The lecture programme was very well-structured. We had talks from the major departments in the firm, as well as ones on firm strategy and training contracts. These were often hosted by more senior lawyers and even partners.

I was encouraged to make full use of the excellent facilities as if I was a trainee at the firm. The only slightly misleading thing was that we were encouraged to leave by 5.30pm. which almost certainly would not happen in real life.

I got to see how the departments work together during the day, as well as how they socialise outside of work. The firm's 175th anniversary party was an especially interesting insight into the culture of the company and how much it values employees (and how loyal they are). One person had attended the firm's 150th anniversary party!

I was given varied work in both departments that I sat in. I think that as a trainee I would be given more challenging work. However, it has definitely confirmed that I would like to be a commercial lawyer in the City, at a Magic Circle firm like Linklaters.

We were paid £300 pounds per week. I found this sufficient to cover travel and food costs, with a bit left over.

There were at least 2 social events every week. These allowed us to network with other employees of the firm - both trainees, graduate recruitment and more senior lawyers and partners.

The social events were very well planned and varied. We did a lot of cool stuff - like a Duck Tour and a trip on the London Eye, as well as some delicious dinners around London. The only downside was that some of the transportation was late turning up to collect us on some of the days.

Yes. I made good use of the fitness centre. There were quite a few talks scheduled and events going on each week at the firm. A circular was sent around weekly about events in the City that employees could get involved with.

Definitely. The application process is long and challenging, but is worth it for a work placement of this quality.