Work Experience Review

The Taylor Wessing summer vacation scheme was thoroughly enjoyable for all manner of reasons. The variety of work and level of responsibility entrusted to me, even at this embryonic stage of my legal career, was very rewarding and offered an accurate insight into life as a trainee at the firm. This was complimented by the different social events and networking opportunities available throughout the scheme, during which I could tap into the wisdom of trainees and fee earners alike.

The people at Taylor Wessing did make me feel valued and well integrated in such a short space of time. My work and effort in each of my two seats was recognised and most of all, appreciated. The level of support offered and the quality of work assigned to me demonstrated that the firm wishes to invest in my own personal development with the aim of helping me to become a sound legal and commercial adviser in the future.

For each seat on the scheme you are allocated a trainee buddy and a supervisor, who is a fee earner. They were always willing to give advice and answer any questions I had. I never felt lost at sea with the work I was doing; in fact if I wanted to learn more about the intricacies and technicalities of a deal I was working on, they were enthusiastic in educating me. Their support and guidance was never overbearing, instead there was a high degree of autonomy, and the feedback given was constructive and relevant.

The skills that I have developed during my two weeks at Taylor Wessing will no doubt assist me in the future. The majority of the tasks I was assigned were of the type usually given to trainees and so these experiences, along with the feedback received, will prove invaluable. I have also learnt a great deal in each of my seats, both commercially and legally, which I expect to use and build on in the years to come.

The vacation scheme was well structured and allowed me to develop an accurate portrayal of life at Taylor Wessing. The talks and events were communicated to us well in advance so that I could plan my day as far as possible. Presentations on each practice area were warmly welcomed because it gave me a chance to understand and evaluate the departments where I wasn’t sitting in this full service firm. This provided further scope to meet people outside the disciplines I had been allocated to. It was apparent that everything had been thought of and the scheme ran smoothly.

The people, both on the scheme and at the firm, contributed to an enjoyable but professional atmosphere which I think is unique to Taylor Wessing. I learnt a considerable amount during my two weeks and I had fun in the process. The London office has a ‘small firm’ feel about it, aided perhaps by its comparatively small trainee intake, but it conducts ‘big firm’ work which is highly appealing to an aspiring solicitor such as myself.

As mentioned previously, the level of support offered and the quality of work assigned to me demonstrated that the firm wishes to invest in my own personal development with the aim of helping me to become a sound legal and commercial adviser in the future. I was assigned work typically performed by trainees and received feedback on what I had done well and where I could improve.

The vacation scheme provided a fantastic insight into life as a trainee at Taylor Wessing. The quality of work and level of responsibility entrusted to me were, to a degree, representative of what I could expect as a trainee. For an insight into life beyond qualification, there was ample opportunity to discuss Taylor Wessing with fee earners and discover why they chose the firm over its competitors.

I felt well integrated into the firm which helped me understand Taylor Wessing’s culture. The people were in my opinion, the best way to gauge this, but the various talks and events – encompassing Taylor Wessing’s values – helped to permeate this culture into my day-to-day activities.

The vacation scheme has served as a great indicator to an aspiring solicitor such as myself. I began the scheme with the aim of justifying and reinforcing certain predispositions about a career in the legal industry, and more specifically, a career at Taylor Wessing. My experiences and my feelings following the scheme have helped me to establish that this is a career path that I can and want to commit to.

The amount I was paid more than covered my travel expenses across the two weeks.

As previously indicated, there were plenty of opportunities for networking and meeting other employees outside of my seats. This was facilitated through lunches, drinks and social events that were organised for our benefit.

The networking opportunities and social events provided a different experience to the working hours spent in my seats. They were all enjoyable and served as a great chance to discover more truths about Taylor Wessing and have any queries answered in an honest and relaxed atmosphere.

Yes, I was invited to take part in a number of opportunities outside of work. These included mixed touch rugby, 5-a-side football, and Pro Bono work. I was particularly pleased to have participated in Taylor Wessing’s Pro Bono work as it gave me an insight into the firm’s commitment and contribution to the local community.

I would have no hesitation in recommending the Taylor Wessing summer vacation scheme to a friend who is interested in pursuing a career at an international law firm, for the reasons evident in my responses to this survey.