Vacation Scheme Student Review

The main reason the placement scheme was so enjoyable was down to the people. Everyone at the firm (including senior partners) is friendly and approachable.

During the two weeks I was there, partners and associates would pop their heads into my office and introduce themselves and find out a bit more about me. This made me feel really valued and welcome.

Everyone is quite busy as you would expect however if you are willing to ask for help and guidance you will get it! All you have to do is ask!

It was very well structured. It was a two week placement and you spent one week in each department. The first week involved a lot of introductory seminars which was a good way to gently ease us in. Then each day we had a seminar on a different practice area which meant that even if you didn't sit in that department you were still able to get a feel for the type of work they do.

As I mentioned before the general atmosphere is very much a friendly and open one. Everyone has an "open door" policy so you never feel awkward asking for advice and guidance.

It was only a two week placement so it would have been difficult for the firm to offer much training and development however they did put on a session which allowed us to practice the skills necessary for Assessment centres and we were also able to join in some of the trainees' training sessions. For example one day I attended a briefing on "Environmental Law" in the Real Estate department.

Stephenson Harwood make sure that you are exposed to a wide variety of parts of the business enabling you to get a full view of what life there is like.

The company culture is open, friendly and approachable. Although many law firms claim that they have a friendly culture on their website, completing this placement scheme confirmed that this is definitely the case at Stephenson Harwood.

We were adequately paid for the time we spent there.

Yes, we had two organised drinks events in the evening with our trainee buddys, one each week on a Thursday. These were really well organised and good fun. I have read other reviews on here that complained about these events but I think you really get out of them, what you put in. If you are friendly and chatty then you will find that the trainees are great fun and willing to give you lots of handy tips and advice.

The social events were great opportunities to network with trainees and associates. There are also opportunities to network with partners during the day and at lunches and in seminars.

Yes, we were told about the various sporting and pro bono activities staff can get involved in and were even invited to be included in the weekly prize draws for concert tickets and football matches.

Stephenson Harwood gives you plenty of opportunity to gain valuable experience and really get a feel for the firm. I would thoroughly recommend this placement scheme to anybody looking to train with the firm or just generally gain legal experience.