Summer Placement Review

It was a 3 day virtual placement, held in June 2021. At the beginning of the placement we listened to sector heads discuss their work and there were several interactive workshops with current Shoosmiths lawyers. On the first day we were given the instructions to our main project, which we then presented to two partners on the final day. There was also informal networking and a virtual 'escape room'.

It was very interesting, as although you can get an impression of a firm on their website, it is only after you have spoken to their employees that you understand their culture. As there were talks from various Shoosmiths lawyers in different departments such as Real Estate, Corporate and Medical Negligence, the various career paths available at Shoosmiths were made clear.

Yes, it was very insightful as it allowed me to see 'behind the scenes' in a large commercial law firm. One task involved prioritising activities as if I was a trainee solicitor, which will be very useful in the future. Further, considering it was a virtual placement, it developed my communication skills in this setting, which will be important as more hybrid working models emerge post pandemic.

The company culture was very welcoming. I arranged to have several informal chats with Shoosmiths employees, and they were all willing to take time out of their day to talk with me. Further, the other applicants were very friendly, and willing to help one another in tasks, it did not seem as though we were in direct competition with one another. The graduate recruitment team reinforced this concept, which was very helpful.

Although it was the week before my GDL exams, I found the insight very enjoyable. This was because the activities were varied, and there was lots of opportunity to network with Shoosmiths employees. Furthermore, the fact the final project was on current affairs, meant doing the research was interesting.

Yes