Winter Vacation Scheme Participant Review

The Vacation Scheme consisted of daily talks, workshops, social events and time with a dedicated trainer.
The talks and workshops spanned the four core practise areas: Finance, Corporate, ENRI and Disputes. They provided overviews of the day-to-day work carried out by the teams in each practise area, the opportunity to gain hands on experience through completing case study exercises, and the chance to ask any questions to the speakers.
Time spent with a dedicated trainer spanned from 3-5 hours every day, and provided the opportunity to complete tasks specific to the trainer's practise area. This time could also be filled by meeting with other lawyers and trainees to discuss their workstream and understand more about life at the firm.
We also engaged in social events, such as the celebration dinner at Guacho, which provided the opportunity to get to know fellow Winter Vacation Scheme participants, the HR team and other members of staff involved in the early careers recruitment process better in a relaxed setting.

It was a really insightful experience. Every individual I came across at the firm was open to chat and share their personal experience. This played a pivotal role in building a picture of life at the firm, different roles available and how the business operated. The talks and workshops also gave varied exposure to different practise areas and more practical details regarding life at the firm.

Through participating in the scheme, I developed a plethora of new skills and built upon some pre-existing ones. Learnt new skills ranged from learning how to approach technical tasks in early stage M&A to conducting myself when engaging with a range of professionals at the firm. I also built upon existing abilities such as problem solving and time management.

The company culture and general atmosphere was extremely hard working yet friendly. There is a widely acknowledged high expectation of employees combined with very little tolerance for unfriendly behaviour.

I thoroughly enjoyed the insight. I felt the Vacation Scheme was extremely immersive yet provided structured sessions to ensure the basics were covered and understood. For me, the most beneficial insight was achieved through spending time with my trainer and meeting with a wide array of individuals from other practise areas.

Yes

Make sure to equip yourself with up to date commercial news knowledge that genuinely interests you and be prepared to justify why you want a career in commercial law, specifically at A&O Shearman.