Student Review

I had a brilliant time on the insight days. The ability to shadow a trainee for the afternoon is something I had not experienced on any of the other insight opportunities with law firms and I feel it really made Herbert Smith Freehills stand out from the rest. Aside from this, it was fantastic to spend some time outside the firm with everyone and visiting The Shard was a great chance to chat to the trainees in an informal environment which I found very beneficial.

Even though it was only an insight opportunity, I felt as though I was really incorporated into the firm and that they wanted me to be there. Both trainees and senior associates willingly took time out of their day to answer any questions I had which meant I left feeling as though there was nothing I had left unanswered. I felt particularly valued during the shadowing opportunity as both the trainee and senior associate welcomed me into their office and made sure I gained as much from the experience as possible. I also left with two business cards which gives me an opportunity to keep in contact with the firm.

As mentioned previously, there were endless opportunities to ask questions and gain an understanding of the firm, their culture and the work they do.

The information I received has made me keen to apply for all future Herbert Smith Freehills opportunities. It has also made me even more determined to succeed in my degree in order to end up working at a firm such as this. I felt I really developed my networking and confidence skills during the two days and so I shall continue applying for schemes such as this and ensuring I gain as much from them as possible.

It was well structured, there was a really good balance between work and enjoyment. Having the shadowing opportunity on the second day meant that I had already acclimatised to the firm and felt comfortable to ask as many questions as I needed to.

You really cannot fault the atmosphere at Herbert Smith Freehills at all. It is certainly one of the things that stood out about the firm. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be working there and this reflected in how they communicated with us. All firms seem to advocate that they have friendly and supportive working environments but HSF genuinely do.

As mentioned previously, I felt as though I had been integrated into the firm, particularly during the shadowing opportunity. There were presentations from various departments of the firm which enabled us to gain a wide understanding of the work which takes place. Also, members from each department of the firm devoted their time for us to rotate around tables and ask them any questions we had.

I do not think the insight could have done any more to help me understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the firm. The experience did not lack in anything and so I now feel like I completely understand what it would be like to work there full time, and the reasons behind why I feel the firm would be somewhere that I would like to work.

It was extremely helpful. The opportunity to sit with a senior associate and trainee gave me the ability to gain this understanding beyond just asking employees questions and it meant I was able to gain an understanding of the working environment. Everyone I spoke to said that they chose Herbert Smith Freehills because of the people that work there and the environment they work in and I can now see why this is the case.

It was extremely valuable. I had already decided that I wanted to be a solicitor but the insight gave me an opportunity to really consider which departments I would be interested in, thus I left feeling much more informed in that respect. If anything, it definitely verified for me that I am making the correct decisions for me in respect of my career path as I would embrace the intellectual challenge of being a solicitor.

The firm reimbursed expenses up to £100.

In all the events that took place there was an opportunity to network and meet other employees of the firm.

Really good, everyone was really helpful and willing to answer any questions I had. The Shard was also an informal opportunity to chat to the trainees and find out more about their lives outside the firm which was nice.

There was not that much mentioned about this but it was not something I asked people about.

Definitely. I really enjoyed my time with the firm and would encourage anyone else to get involved with them too.