Vacation Scheme Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my vacation scheme at Pinsent Masons. It was an excellent two weeks which struck the right balance of hard work, opportunities to learn more about the firm and great social events.

I felt very welcomed into the firm at the beginning of my placement and continuously throughout the two weeks. I felt like I was a valued member of my department, often approached by different solicitors of varying seniority with a range of different tasks and responsibilities. As the placement progressed, I was trusted more and more with difficult and time-sensitive work.

A lot of support was provided. A trainee buddy for day to day questions and guidance, and a supervisor to oversee your work, make sure you are meeting your personal objectives and give feedback on behalf of the department.

As a Law and French student, the skills have given me a more practical understanding of the law and how it can be used to one's advantage. Learning about the different practice areas of the firm through presentations has shown me what modules of my degree will me most relevant to different practice areas of a commercial law firm.

The two weeks were well organised with allocated slots for practice group presentations in the morning and adequate working time in our departments. Spending two weeks in one department rather than two is fairly unique compared with other law firm vacation schemes.I felt this was a positive aspect to the vacation scheme as it allowed you to get to know the department members and the type of work that they do much better. It also meant that I was able to see transactions develop and work on different aspects of the deal.

Extremely nurturing and positive. I felt welcomed into a firm of outgoing yet down to earth lawyers who know how to balance work life with a social life.

At the start of our placement, we were asked to consider what our personal goals and objectives were for the placement. Together with my supervisor's assistance and feedback, I was able to ensure that I was meeting these targets and getting the most out of my placement. Furthermore, when I was given a task, the person who delegated me the task would always sit down with me in the kitchen to discuss what/who the task was for, the context surrounding the transaction and how my work would fit into the bigger picture. This was hugely beneficial in terms of my understanding of how the tasks of a trainee contribute to a transaction.

I was given similar tasks to what a trainee would be given in my department therefore I was able to see clearly what a training contract would be like at Pinsent Masons.

Sitting next to a trainee and a partner, and more generally, in an open-plan office allowed me to get a good insight into the people at the firm and what the firm values in their employees.

It confirmed my aspirations of becoming a commercial lawyer and the type of law firm I would like to work in.

I was paid accordingly for my placement and was not out of pocket on any occasion.

Many opportunities including a lunch with trainees, a lunch with partners, a lunch with both trainees and partners and a lunch with those who had been on a secondment to clients or abroad. In addition, I was invited to my department barbecue and quiz evening which gave me a much more informal networking opportunity.

Very useful. They ranged from more formal sit-down lunches where we could ask the questions we wanted to ask, to more casual drinks on a Friday afternoon to chat with members of the firm and get to know the lawyers and our fellow vacation scheme students better.

Yes, we were included in all e-mails for sports games going on during the two weeks of our placement. I was also included in the e-mails for my department's social evening.

I would highly recommend this insight to a friend interested in a career in commercial law at a mid-sized international firm that offers an excellent level of training.