Vacation Scheme Review

The vacation scheme was a fantastic experience which offered a variety of different challenges and opportunities. A good balance was struck between giving us engaging work and allowing us to gain a real insight about the firm.

The work that I was asked to carry out always involved real clients and seemed to be valued by people at the firm. Everyone seemed appreciative of the work we carried out.

There was a formal trainee buddy/ supervisor format to ensure that we had support throughout the whole scheme, and then other individuals at the firm were happy to offer their time to respond to any questions I had.

Whilst I don't think the skills developed and knowledge gained will significantly help me in my degree studies, they certainly help with a future career in commercial law.

We were given a formal timetable at the beginning of the 2 weeks which was followed very carefully, and offered an insight into every practice area at the firm.

The atmosphere is very welcoming and warm, and people at all levels were extremely friendly. The atmosphere at the firm was one of the highlights of the placement.

We were given an hour and a half of each department's time in the day, so we could get an overview of every practice area at the firm. This allows us to gain a great understanding of the full service they have to offer. I received feedback on all of the work carried out, and appraisals from each of my different supervisors in both weeks. Both formally and informally, everyone was happy to invest their time to improve our understanding of the kind of work on offer.

We had formal working hours but had different levels of work depending on which department we were sat in, which reflects a normal working life. We were also given a group task at the start of the placement which we had to present at the end, which gave us responsibility to meet in our groups and work on that whilst balancing the work we were given in our departments. This allowed me to become accustomed to balancing a variety of tasks which is a necessary skill for the full time role at the firm.

We were given formal presentations on the firm's culture but I was also able to experience what it was like first hand when sat in my departments.

Over the 2 weeks I enquired as to the career ladder at the firm and was again given extensive advice and guidance on my career options over the next 5-10 years.

We were paid a competitive amount for the 2 weeks.

There were formal networking events during the vacation scheme, but at the very start we were actively encouraged to meet and speak to as many people at the firm we were comfortable with. When I tried to contact other employees who weren't in my department everyone was very welcoming and keen to answer my questions.

There were formal networking and socials during the 2 weeks. There were partners present at some which offered a nice opportunity to network, and then trainees on others which presented a nice contrast as we could speak to them as honestly and openly as anyone at the firm.

We were offered the opportunity to be involved with some pro bono work and were included by all of the trainees when they organised social/sports activities.

I would definitely recommend this vacation scheme to anyone interested in a career in commercial law.