Vacation Placement Review

I've really enjoyed my two weeks at Pinsents. The scheme has given me an invaluable insight into what being a lawyer actually entails and the day to day tasks of a trainee in particular. I was given good quality, interesting work to do and the social side of the scheme was also really enjoyable.

I was involved in doing real work for real clients and so I felt that what I was doing was valuable. I never once felt like people were just creating work for me to do, everything I was involved with has been genuine work that the trainee needed to do. Whilst I did work on some more administrative tasks when nobody had work to give me, these times were definitely the exception rather than the rule and whenever I was asked to complete such tasks, the people giving them to me were always apologetic for doing so - even though I really didn't mind! I was also asked for my opinion on research that I had done for some of the more senior lawyers in the department, which felt really great as they were genuinely interested in what I thought about the issues.

I was allocated a trainee 'buddy' a few weeks prior to the start of my placement so I always had someone to contact if I had any questions prior to the start of the placement and then all the way throughout. My desk was located next to my buddy's for the duration of the two weeks and he was always willing to help me with anything and give me feedback on the work I had done. I didn't get much guidance from my supervisor, who was a partner at the firm, but this was purely because he was so busy and spent quite a bit of time out of the office. However, when we did get chance to sit down and have a chat he was really open and answered all my questions. I never once felt like I was thrown in at the deep end without a paddle, but equally I wasn't treated like I was incapable and I was given enough responsibility and freedom in the areas that I was more comfortable in.

I don't know how much the skills I've developed will assist with my degree, as I now truly understand that law in practice is very different to studying it. However, there have been small things that I've been able to build on, like attention to detail and organisation and prioritisation of tasks, which will definitely be useful for my future studies and life in general.

Everything has been really well structured. We were given a timetable at the start of the two weeks which has for the most part been stuck to. We were also given our own Outlook calendar to any updates were posted on there so we were notified of them. Everything just seemed to flow really well and we were always kept in the loop about what was going on.

Really great. Everyone is genuinely very friendly and happy to answer any questions. This applies to people at every level, from trainees to partners and from every department, not just the one I was sitting in. Pinsent Masons are doing really well in portraying their values and being approachable.

We were given quite intensive IT training at the start which was useful but aside from that I don't think there was much more that the firm could do since we were only there for two weeks.

It was a really great insight into what life would be like working full-time within the firm. I was given real trainee work so I could appreciate the range of tasks that a trainee solicitor would do day to day. If there was any work which I couldn't do as it was outside of my capabilities (since I haven't yet done the LPC), my trainee buddy would sit down with me and explain what he was doing and why, which I thought was really useful and interesting.

There were various social events and lunches which gave you a good insight into the culture of the firm. Equally, just being in the office all day and taking note of what was going on around me was really interesting and informative. Pinsent Masons prides itself on its 'friendly' office culture and this really shows.

Invaluable. I've learnt so much about the profession and doing the placement has only further confirmed and cemented my decision that this is the career path I want to follow.

We were paid £300 a week for the two weeks, which is pretty standard for a vacation scheme. For me personally the money wasn't important as I was able to stay at home, but for others who weren't local to the area it was important for them so they could pay for accommodation. Although I definitely think people apply to these kinds of things for so many other reasons aside from the money, its not an important factor to most.

There were several lunches and social events which allowed us to meet people from a range of departments at different levels within the firm. The office drinks on a Friday night were great as everyone was invited, so it was a good chance to mingle with new people and ask questions about different departments. Equally, everyone was really approachable so if there was anyone in particular from other departments that you wanted to meet with or ask any questions, we were given access to the firms intranet which gave contact details for all the employees.

Great fun. There was a range of lunches, both in and out of the office, and then we went to play ping pong one night and did a cocktail making class another. These were all really relaxed and enjoyable and were a good way to get to know not just people at the firm but the other vacation placement students, as you don't really get to spend much time with those who aren't in your department otherwise.

We were invited to get involved in one of the sports teams one night, but aside from that, not really. Perhaps there just wasn't much on over the two weeks. I'm sure if I had asked, I would have been given all the information but I wouldn't say it was made readily available.

100%.