Vacation Scheme Review

Thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was a balanced scheme between getting on with work in the departments and having time to socialise with fellow students, trainees etc. Would definitely recommend it to a friend.

Was trusted to take part in real work without feeling a burden on the team. Everyone made the effort to get to know a bit more about me and answer any questions I had. Everyone felt very approachable. People went out of their way to make sure I had stuff to be getting on with.

Clear instructions given when I was tasked with a piece of work. Talked through each piece of work completed at length with my supervisor to cover any points that I was unclear on. Trainee mentor was always available to talk to about any issue.

Put a commercial spin on some of the topics I had used at university. Will push me even harder at university to try and get a training contract at such a firm. Has allowed me to focus on the commercial issues for clients, allowing me to look at the bigger picture. Gave me a great insight into 3 distinct departments, allowing me to make a judgement on which areas I want to form part of my training contract.

Very well structured. Good mixture between social events, talks and time in seats. Could maybe spread the talks better between the first and second weeks to allow more time in the first seat. Structure of the assessments was good with a presentation and an interview. No other tests e.g. Watson Glazer etc which allowed me to enjoy the scheme more without being nervous about constant assessments.

Good atmosphere. Made to feel like part of the team but did not have too much pressure on me to complete the work quickly and perfectly the first time round.

Everyone from each department invested a lot of time in me in order to make sure I had ample work to be getting on with and that I was understanding each task.

Great exposure to each department I was sat in. Lawyers answered my questions about the firm honestly and genuinely. Would have been good to have a bit more exposure to the departments I was not sitting in during the 3 weeks.

Insights are always more useful as people cannot keep up a false front for the entire 3 weeks. Insight reflected what I had previously read about the firm being friendly and genuine.

Definitely affirmed my passion to work in London for an internationally commercial law firm. Felt that the firm was a perfect fit for my ambitions. Gave me a good insight into different departments which I can use when deciding on training contract seats.

Paid £300 a week which was a very fair amount. Firm also paid for a variety of social events, dinners etc.

A whole host of events were put on by the firm. Partner lunches were really good as they allowed for everyday conversations between the partners and students. Social events (ping pong and dragon boat racing) allowed students to engage more with trainees and find out a little more about their roles in the firm. Summer reception was excellent as it allowed me to talk with future joiners which was really useful.

See above answer.

Spoke to trainees about what activities they can attend with the firm. Interesting talk about pro bono opportunities. Firm could have arranged a brief 30 minute talk about the various social events e.g. sports teams etc.

Already have recommended it to friends. Thoroughly enjoyable 3 weeks with a great firm.