Winter Vacation Scheme Review
at Simmons & Simmons LLP
Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)
Corporate Law
London
Review Submitted: December 2023
Overall Rating
4.9 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
5/5
-
Overview of Experience
5/5
-
Skills Development
4.8/5
-
Company Culture
5/5
-
Overall Experience
5/5
-
Recommendations and Advice
Overview of Experience
Please give an overview of the insight and what was involved on a day-to-day basis.
During the week, I sat in the Funds department. Every vac schemer gets assigned a trainee buddy and supervisor, usually an associate. There was a good mixture of graduate recruitment events such as introduction to Legal Tech, department time, and socials. We were generally assigned typical trainee tasks, such as contract review/drafting and case law/statute research. Some vac schemers got the chance to attend in-person/virtual client meetings.
What was it like understanding all about the business and potential roles available?
My understanding was developed through a mixture of informal networking (e.g. practice group afternoon tea, social with other trainees), and attending various presentations organised by graduate recruitment. There were many opportunities to find out more about practice areas you were interested in, and graduate recruitment had been very transparent throughout the week about the training contract decision-making. I thought I left the scheme with a good knowledge of the business.
Please rate how insightful you found the insight
5/5
How would you rate the structure of the insight
5/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
As someone with a non-law degree, I got to develop my legal knowledge and skills throughout the week through various tasks. I also got to improve my soft skills, such as time management as I had to control my workload while trying to make maximum use of the limited time. I also strengthened my teamwork in particular after the group case study, as we had to deliver a well-researched presentation under time constraints. The experience was extremely valuable.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
5/5
How would you rate the knowledge learned around industry-specific skills during the experience?
5/5
How would you rate the knowledge learned around personal or professional skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how the knowledge learned has helped you with regards to your career development
5/5
Company Culture
How would you rate business leader involvement during the insight
4/5
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
The lawyers were more approachable than others I had met at other insight days. I was told by senior members of the firm that everyone deliberately chose to be there for the culture, because renumeration would be higher elsewhere. Everyone I met knew when to have fun but could also be professional when needed. Overall very positive - there seemed to also be relatively flexible WFH arrangements too. It was also quite diverse in terms of nationality, race, sexuality etc.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the networking opportunities?
5/5
Please rate how valued you felt during your insight?
5/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
The scheme exceeded my expectations. Given the packed schedule, I did not expect to get real substantive work but I was involved in a few projects. There was no competitiveness amongst the vac schemers because the firm recruited as many interns as there were training contract places available. The graduate recruitment team was also very supportive throughout the week so I got an ideal balance between independence and structure.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on the insight
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5
Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
I was paid
Recommendations and Advice
Please rate the future employment prospects at Simmons & Simmons LLP
5/5
Would you recommend Simmons & Simmons LLP to a friend?
Yes
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Simmons & Simmons LLP
Simmons has quite a few distinguishing features from other international (UK) firms, so I would suggest doing a lot of research and really coming up with a compelling answer for why Simmons. As there are no written questions in the application, this will have to be demonstrated in the video interview stage. I also think Simmons focuses on their key values/competencies during recruitment so I would consider how you had demonstrated them in the past during interview.
