Intern Review

The Vacation Scheme provided realistic insight into the daily tasks of a trainee solicitor. I was engaged in work on live deals, reviewing contracts and documents, working directly with an associate. Beyond this, we had various talks from different practice areas within the firm and workshops to develop our commercial skills.

The vacation scheme provided unparalleled insight into life at the firm. We had the freedom to meet and talk with solicitors at various levels, from trainee all the way up to Managing Partner. I've come away from the scheme with a real understanding of the nuances of different practice areas, the day-to-day of a trainee and how the firm continuously drives performance and efficiency through its cutting edge technology.

I learnt how to navigate complex legal documents and how solicitors communicate with clients and across teams to achieve their goals. The importance of commercial understanding underpinned all the work completed. The ability to engage with lawyers across all levels was invaluable, providing a solid foundation of professional networking skills.

Everyone at the firm was keen and willing to engage in conversations with the vacation schemers. Every conversation was honest and engaging, providing a real insight into the dynamics across the firm. There was a real focus on the people at the firm, where openness and friendliness genuinely existed at all levels. Within a firm so driven by commercial success, this was incredibly unique.

The insight was incredibly valuable. The work was demanding in some aspects, with 'trainee' tasks proving a challenge to those who hadn't yet experienced it. However, there was a genuine feeling of support, where no question felt it couldn't be asked, as buddies and supervisors consistently took the time to break things down. The talks were very engaging and allowed all vacation schemers to gain real insight into the firm's work and environment. Overall, it felt nothing was lacking from the experience, especially considering the short time-frame of the scheme itself.

Yes

Focus on really tailoring the application to your interests. Think extensively about the genuine reasons you want to become a solicitor and spend time making links between your experiences that have led you to your application. Fancy internships aren't necessary to be successful, so I would encourage you to be confident in the experiences you've had and leverage them to your best ability. Also, think about what particular areas of law you'd enjoy and reach out to trainees at the firm about their experiences - this really is the ultimate way to tailor your application. With this in place, by the time you come to interview with the firm, both virtually and in person, you will feel genuinely motivated to work in that environment, which will shine through in how natural your responses are.