Vacation Placement Student Review

I really enjoyed the placement and met some lovely people whilst at the firm. Everyone was so down to earth and as summer students, we all got on great!

I spent my three weeks in the Planning & Environment Team. Everyone was really welcoming and friendly and I really felt like I was a real part of the team. Members of the team provided me with positive feedback on my work and this made me feel that my contribution was valued.

I received a lot of guidance and support from my trainee buddy and generally anyone I asked for assistance was more than happy to help me out.

The placement has given me the opportunity to observe the internal workings of a large commercial law firm and really see how the law operates in practice. This will be particularly helpful in terms of being able to see the bigger picture rather than just focusing on the academic side of law. I was given quite a few legal research tasks which have certainly improved my skills in this area.

The placement was really well structured and we were given a timetable of all events and presenations that were happening over the course of our three weeks with the firm. A good amount of time was dedicated to working in our practice groups which gave us the chance to get to know members of the team and get a real insight into the type of work that the firm does.

The atmosphere was very friendly and everyone I met welcomed me to the firm and was happy to help if I had any problems.

We were given a practice presentation most mornings from a each practice group in the firm. It was really valuable in terms of finding out about the services the firm offers but also getting an insight into other practice areas and not just the one I spend my three weeks in. We were also encouraged to have regular contact with our supervisor to review our progress.

Being allocated a trainee buddy allowed me to experience the kind of work that trainees are exposed to and has given me an idea of what to expect as a trainee. Also, everyone that I spoke to in the firm was really honest about their experiences e.g. what the working hours/socials were like.

Just being part of the team and being given the opportunity to shadow an Associate at a client meeting gave me a real insight into how the firm works and their general way of doing things.

I felt my days were always varied, having different tasks to get on with and I was given high quality work.

£250 a week.

Socials organised by the trainee, being taken out for lunch by Partners, Friday drinks, practice presentations, interviews and assessments.

The trainees put in a lot of effort to make sure we all had a great time outside of the office. There was a games/pizza night and we had a night out at a golf simulator lounge and a pub quiz was organised in our last week.

I attended a yoga class with my trainee buddy and other placement students one lunch time. We were also given a presentation about the firm's CSR programme and the sorts of things that the firm does to raise money for charity.

I would definitely recommend a placement at Pinsent Masons. I have met some really lovely and inspiring people and learned a lot about myself and how a large commercial firm works.