Vacation Scheme Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the insight. The extremely informative induction day in London gave me a great insight into the firm which I then got to experience for myself over the following two weeks.

Everyone was extremely approachable and I was really made to feel a part of the firm during my two weeks with my own desk, trainee buddy and supervisor. Having the opportunity to sit in on client calls as well as committee meetings for various activities allowed me to feel truly valued.

My trainee buddy was brilliant support and I knew that I could go to anyone to ask any question, no matter how 'silly'. Everyone was very willing to explain things, even if very busy and I really appreciated that. Graduate recruitment ensured we set a list of goals and objectives on the first day, which guided us throughout the two weeks and my buddy and supervisor we both very supportive and helping me achieve them.

As my very first vacation scheme, my two week experience was invaluable in terms of the skills I developed. We were all of different levels in my department, so the work we were given was flexible in order to advance us and develop our skills throughout the two weeks from easier to harder tasks. It was also a great insight into life in a law firm, giving me the opportunity to see both the highs and the lows - nothing was covered up and I got to see the day-to-day runnings for myself, which I felt was very important and made it extremely helpful in confirming my decision to be a commercial lawyer.

It was obvious that a great amount of time was spent organising the two weeks and ensuring we all got the most out of the experience. The social events were well balanced to ensure that we got the opportunity to meet not just trainees but a wide variety of members of the firm, yet there weren't too many in order to allow us to complete our assessments once we had finished work that day. Having the induction day in London was a brilliant idea in order to meet all the other vacation scheme students from the offices, which really represented the 'One Pinsent Masons Culture', which I thought was very important to witness first hand. The welcome speech by David Ryan, the Head of the London Office, was extremely informative as well as highly influential which really set the scene for a great two weeks at the firm and was very well structured, allowing us to join our offices on the Tuesday and get straight into work. Finally, the practice presentations every morning really broke the day up and was a fascinating insight into all the other departments which we would never have got the opportunity to learn about in so much depth anywhere else. It was good we were in just the one department for the two weeks as it allowed us to get familiar with our surroundings as well as the work and really allowed us to develop our skills in that department, yet the practice presentations still allowed us to explore other areas of the law and there were further opportunities after the presentations to meet with associates/ trainees in those departments to ask further questions, which was extremely helpful.

There was a very positive atmosphere during the two weeks as everyone was so friendly and supportive and really wanted to ensure we were getting the most out of our time at the firm.

It's obvious that they really wanted us all to do well during the insight due to the time invested in us during the two weeks. In terms of the assessments, these were made very transparent - no one was trying to catch us out and it was obvious that graduate recruitment saw us very much as potential trainees and they wanted us to prove why they have invested the time in us that they have, which is very comforting to know.

I left Pinsent Masons feeling as if I really had got a true insight into what life was like in the firm. Everyone was very open and honest and we were exposed to both the highs and the lows of the life of a trainee in a commercial law firm, which I think is a very important thing to see, by getting a real range of jobs a trainee would be expected to do.

I learnt about the 'One Pinsent Masons' culture on the graduate recruitment website; however, the two week placement allowed me to witness this culture with my very own eyes, which I felt was extremely important. Even having the induction in London and meeting all the other vacation scheme students around the country allowed us to truly understand this culture, as well as having the opportunity to assist my buddy on work she was doing for other offices as well as having the opportunity to read on the firm's intranet everything that was going on in the other offices. I really felt apart of the 'One Pinsent Masons' Culture' during my two weeks at the firm. Additionally, the firm's culture in investing in people was extremely obvious and allowed me to truly understand how much career progression and support there is in the firm, which for me was very important.

Being given a range of work allowed me to make an informed decision that this was the right career path for me. The practice presentations also allowed me to think ahead and decide on what direction I would like to take my training contract into, which is extremely valuable in helping to decide on what future career path to take.

The trip to London from the Leeds Office for the induction day was fully reimbursed and I was paid for the two week vacation placement.

The opportunity to meet other vacation scheme students from the other offices in London on the first day was extremely important as well as the opportunity to speak to London trainees during the lunch hour. Back in the Leeds office, there were two socials - one on each week - which was a brilliant opportunity to meet all the trainees and really get to know them. In the first week, there was also a secondment lunch which was a brilliant opportunity to meet a variety of people from the firm who had all done a secondment at various points of their time at Pinsent Masons which was extremely insightful and a fantastic opportunity to meet more members of the firm. The partner lunch in the second week was also a great opportunity to meet and get to know two partners from the firm - an opportunity not many people have which I really valued. Finally, Friday drinks was a great opportunity to celebrate the end of the week with not just your department, but all members of the firm and it was a fantastic opportunity to meet more people and also speak to graduate recruitment, which I found very informative.

All the social events were extremely well organised and it was obvious that a lot of thought had been put into them to ensure we got the most out of them. They were also great chances to really get to know your fellow vacation scheme students, which I think is a really important part of the placement.

My buddy was very supportive in this respect and she got involved in a wide variety of activities, some of which I had the opportunity to attend during my two week placement, such as attending committee meetings. I felt that I could really ask any question and I got a real insight into the various types of activities that trainees could get involved in outside of work from volunteering to sport.

Definitely. I've learnt so much from the experience and met so many people, which has made it a truly invaluable experience which I'm extremely thankful for.