Vacation Scheme Review

There are a lot of enjoyable events on the Vacation Scheme ranging from a karaoke night to a pub quiz. I was also given quality work in my department and I was always kept busy, so in that sense I did really enjoy my time at Nabarro. It gave me a profound experience of what life will be like in a Commercial law firm. But - ultimately what I think people forget is that it is essentially a three week job interview and that you feel you are constantly assessed - so you can't go crazy!

I felt in my department that I was given quite a bit of responsibility. I had access to confidential matters, able to communicate with various third parties and conduct my own research. It is quite a feeling when you have completed a piece of work and your senior/supervisor thanks you for helping them. Even though I was an intern, I was still made to feel that my work had contributed to an overall difference for the client/ or the firm.

Nabarro is very unique as they offer 2 days in training before you start working in your respective departments. The training ranges on general business principles to IT and their online systems. There is also a mid-progress meeting where HR sit you down for coffee and ask you how you are doing. In your time with Nabarro you are given a buddy (usually a trainee) and a supervisor (usually an associate) who are genuinely keen to see how you are doing. If you are stuck with a piece of work - they both guide you to the find the right answer on your own without explicitly telling you the answer.

There is an in depth training from representatives from PLC, Westlaw and LexisNexis - which has really helped my legal research skills throughout the scheme. I know that having experience using these online resources will help me on my LPC and also whenever I become a trainee. Nabarro also offer a 'Networking Event' where we are taught some tricks when you are in a networking situation in the future.

It was very structured. At the beginning of the scheme each intern receives a pack with all the information you could possibly need! I knew exactly what socials were planned and which meetings I needed to attend.

I felt the general atmosphere was great. The people at Nabarro are just lovely! From Partners to Trainees - everyone is very friendly.

We were given 2 days of training which showed how Nabarro wanted to help you progress on the Vacation Scheme. They also gave us training on life/ business skills for our future.

My department gave me a very good understanding of what it would be like to be a trainee - as the work I was given was similar. Nabarro structures their Vacation Scheme so you have your entire 3 weeks in one department. This gives a better insight into the culture of the department and what type of work you will be doing. The weaknesses to this approach, however, is that not all departments are the same - and other interns had a completely different experience to what I had. So I cannot say with certainty what it would be like to have a full time role with the firm - as I only experienced one part of the firm.

Project Nabarro is a great example of learning and understanding about the culture of the firm. We were able to learn about the key aspects of the firm and how important 'Clarity Matters' was. We had to practise it in our presentation and our written assessment. Networking events around the firm and the partner dinner was an opportunity to ask different people of what they thought of the company culture.

I think we are paid £275 per week.

Every few days there was an opportunity to meet a range of trainees, associates and partners from different departments.

It was fab! Plenty of food and drink, fun events like bowling, karaoke and a pub quiz.

We were given talks about Nabarro in community. Other interns had the opportunity to play sports with the other employees of the company and clients.

Yes - I would recommend this insight to anyone who are applying for Training Contract.