Summer Vacation Student Review

The day-to-day at Gibson Dunn highly varied, from practice area talks by the firm’s departments to social events in- and outside the firm, alongside the world-class level exposure to work on the firm’s biggest cases. A typical day involved 2-4 of the above events alongside completing real work assigned by a supervisor for their ongoing cases.

The firm makes a great effort to help vacation students understand every aspect of its work in the London office. This is achieved through insightful Q&A sessions by the top Partners in each practice area, who answer both pre-submitted and live questions about their work and the firm’s expertise.

I continued to develop many of the necessary skills to be a successful commercial lawyer at the firm, including: initiave, teamwork, sociability, time-management and attention to detail.

Despite being a US firm, Gibson Dunn takes immense pride in its culture. This is visible throughout both the assessment process and the vacation scheme, which highlight the utmost importance placed on the human and social aspect of their hiring decisions. The culture is extremely open and one can confidently talk to a higher rank lawyer knowing they will be down to earth and have an open conversation.

I really enjoyed this insight into Gibson Dunn! The firm is unparalleled in terms of its work and sheer breadth of practices in London, alongside its international reputation. Such success often results in cut-throat cultures, but the firm has managed to successfully create a harmonious balance of both world-class work and a healthy working environment. From the moment our cohort stepped foot in the firm, it was clear everyone was excited to have us there, and this made the experience that much more enjoyable.

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