Vacation Placement Review

I have loved my time at Pinsents. The people were friendly, the tasks were challenging and representative of trainee work, and the socials were great.

As well as my supervisors and trainee buddy frequently coming over for a chat, several members of the team also took me aside to talk. They were genuinely interested in me and what I thought about the firm. Everyone was very appreciative of the work that I did for them and were happy to explain aspects to it and give feedback.

I received feedback on every single piece of work which I submitted. Both my supervisors and trainee buddy were happy to offer clarification and advice on the difficult aspects to my work. Questions were actively encouraged, both in regards to my work and life at Pinsent Masons.

The skills are more likely to be helpful on the LPC and as a trainee as opposed to during my degree. However the research, drafting and proof reading skills were very valuable. By the final day I could see the improvement in my work. The information from individuals and the practice presentations will really assist me in deciding what areas interest me.

The placement was very well structured, with presentations by the practice areas every morning, and some presentations on corporate responsibility over lunch too. Unfortunately, some of the presentations could have been slightly more detailed, as on 2 occasions the person meant to give the talk was unable to attend, so a replacement had to be found last minute. However this is understandable, given the busy nature of a law firm, and all replacements tried hard to ensure the quality of the talk didn't suffer too much. Further the first day of the placement did involve a trip to the London office for induction, and to see the office. This was difficult and made for a very long day when the rest of the fortnight was in the Leeds office. It was still valuable to see the London office, however it might have been preferrable for the event to end an hour or two earlier, as I was very tired by my first day in my department.

Great- employees at all levels were really engaging. There was a real collegial feel to the department and between the open plan office and open door policy, everyone got on well and seemed happy and relaxed.

At the induction there was IT training, which was helpful. My trainee buddy gave me the opportunity to use some up to date precedent forming technology, which was really interesting. There was little in the way of formal training, it was more learning what the job entailed whilst doing the work. However, this personally appeals to me, as I feel it is a more effective and hands on way of developing skills.

The work that I was given was exactly the same as a trainee would receive. I asked my buddy to give me a range of work which was representative of what he normally did. On the final day he said that I'd done pretty much everything that he'd done whilst in that department. The insights into the atmosphere of the firm were really valuable, too.

The company's open door policy made for a really friendly atmosphere. It was great to see how the Leeds office interacted and worked with the other UK and international offices. Further the attitude towards women in the workplace was really great to see. There were several women who worked part time, and many at partner level. A talk on Project Sky, the initiative to increase female retention and promotion was really interesting, and shows the firms positive attitude to their employees as individuals.

The salary was good and I was reimbursed the expensive of travelling to the London office for the first day.

Yes- there were networking opportunities with both partners and trainees. Individuals from other teams were happy to discuss their practice area. When a small group of the vacation students were sat together, a high-up partner wandered over to have his lunch with us and discuss how we were finding the fortnight.

The social opportunities were good- we saw most of the trainees at one event or another. There was also a couple of lunches with partners present. These events were relaxed and the individuals were really friendly. It would have been good to see more associates, as the informal office drinks (where everyone was invited) had quite a low turn out.

Yes- there were sports events planned, and the office newsletter showed all the things that members of staff had done for charity.

Definitely- it's a great law firm, with friendly people and challenging work. I learnt a lot and developed many skills which will be really helpful in my later career.