Vacation Scheme Student Review

The best thing about my vacation scheme was that it made me finally understand what I wanted to do once I finish university. The people at HL were fantastic - both the employees and the other vac schemers. The atmosphere was great: I was happy to come into work every morning.

A part of me was concerned with distracting my supervisors, as I knew that as an untrained vacation scheme student, I wouldn't be much help - but I think this was more of a personal reservation than what the supervisors thought of me. They seemed to appreciate the work and research that I did, and other associates from the departments were happy to give me work, so I think I can infer from that that I was in fact valued.

Despite being very busy, all of my supervisors (and other members of the seats I sat in) were very accommodating. Everyone, from trainee level to partner level, whom I spoke to were happy to talk to me and answer my questions. They also explained the tasks well - but this didn't mean that my work wasn't hard, because it was!

I think that the skills that I've learned are invaluable: I worked well under pressure, was set a number of tasks at the same time, which meant that I had several deadlines to consider, and my reading comprehension and research skills have improved greatly. In terms of information, I think that the fact that I know that I want to work for a firm like Hogan Lovells - an international large law firm - is very important, as I now have a target to work towards.

The structure of vacation scheme was great. We had a wonderful balance between the informal social events, presentations and workshops and actual work at our departments. We were given plenty of time to prepare for our presentations, and our interviews were also at a very convenient time - the penultimate date of the vacation scheme, meaning that we had one more day to enjoy the work without the pressure and worry that usually accompanies interviews.

The firm is exceptionally friendly, and there seems to be a very great relationship between the different levels of lawyers: the trainees, associates and partners really do look beyond their positions and engage with each other very well. Everyone was very welcoming and helpful throughout the three weeks!

We had two research classes, which were important for the work that we would have to do, but it was made clear that trainees go through a far more rigorous training. In terms of my development, I think the work that I did and the skills that I gained from it were the crux of the development, and the firm did play a part in this.

As I've said previously, everyone was very honest with me with regard to the hours and life as a lawyer. The work I was set was also work that had to be done by the employees of the firm; I didn't have to do any meaningless tasks.

The workshops, particularly the Pro Bono presentation and the talk from the CEO, David Harris, were the most useful in helping me understand the company culture. I think the fact that the CEO is willing to take time out of his busy schedule to come to speak to some students about the firm speaks a lot about the management of the firm and their personalities. Hogan Lovells definitely has one of the friendlier cultures I have come across. The Pro Bono workshop illustrated just how important the Corporate Social Responsibility is to the employees of Hogan Lovells.

I am now certain about what I want to do in the future.

I was paid £300 a week, which I think is a very good salary for a vacation scheme. We were also often provided with lunches and dinners, which were free of charge to us - additional perks!

There were plenty of social events very rigorously planned out for us every week.

The mentor training nights were particularly fun, as we got to do Dragon Boat Racing and bowling - both activities were fun and allowed us to relax and interact with HL trainees outside the office. We had partner lunches (and a dinner at the Ivy) every week. The fact that the partners, who are very busy, took time to spend with us meant a lot, and we got to hear about the culture of the firm as a partner.

We learned about Pro Bono, and heard a lot about an inter-office HL event called "Legally Ballroom", where many employees train and compete in a dance competition. The proceeds of this event go to charity.

Definitely - an extremely enjoyable experience.