Overall Rating
4.3 /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!
4/5
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Overview of Role
4/5
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Skills Development
4/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
As a Solicitor Apprentice, I work with my team to fill out court documents, contact clients and experts with regards to conference dates, take attendance notes, instruct experts and Counsel, and draft a large variety of emails and letters from instructions to updates on the case.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
The programme is fast paced and engaging. There is always something to be learning and opportunities to build on skills. The teams are really friendly and helpful in pushing you to get the most out of your apprenticeship experience. I enjoy learning and growing within my team and also building relationships with other trainees and apprentices.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
In this job, you are constantly developing your skills. Recently, I have been building up knowledge of procedures, becoming more forward thinking when it comes to the next steps of claims and building on my soft skills such as communication with peers and clients, and note taking skills in meetings.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
There is a very well structured plan of 4 days working on the job and 1 day university work. The boundaries are respected on university days, and we also receive extra study leave for exams. The broader structure of the first 4 years being 1 year long seats and then entering our training contract 6 monthly rotations is great as it allows us to really get a feel for the teams and build up our skills.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
We have quite a lot of contacts and points of call for assistance. We have supervisors, who are our main point of call, and a whole host of other people such as secretaries and apprentice buddies. We also have a lot of guidance on our system Horizon, which I have found particularly helpful.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
The University of Law have a lot of training sessions running alongside our standard course to help make sure we have support with any skill we struggle with. We also have a Skills Coach, who we have meetings with 4-5 times a year to check in, run through our progress and set us targets to help us build up our skills as a solicitor.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
The Law Degree helps assist me in my role as it provides me with the theoretical knowledge of the law my team specialises in. This provides a baseline so we have the knowledge, but it is then about applying this and the skills we learn such as researching, into our practical work.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
5/5
CMS offers a broad range of extra curricular activities ranging from needlework (such as crochet) to sports teams. We have a CMS world cup, where CMS offices from around the world send football teams to compete, netball, where we play in a weekly league but also have opportunities to go abroad, and we often as trainees and apprentices arrange our own social get togethers.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend CMS to a friend?
Yes
Why?
It is a firm that focuses on its people. We all have equal opportunity to grow, build up our skills and take on extra roles to boost our careers to the next level. The offices are friendly and relaxed and everyone is supportive, inclusive and encouraging.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to CMS?
Be confident in yourself and don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Learn about the firm to show you have a passion in the firm, not just law in general. I would also say to be prepared for hard work, as juggling university life and work life can be difficult, but it is definitely worth it!
