Summer Vacation Scheme Student Review

The Summer Vacation Scheme was a genuinely rewarding two weeks, offering a real window into life at a global commercial law firm. There were three main components day-to-day: seminars and presentations, work within our team and networking across the wider firm. The presentations gave us exposure to a range of practice areas and sectors within the firm, broadening our understanding of what the firm does and how it serves clients at a strategic level - the seminar about the Markets Innovation Group was particularly fascinating. This was complemented by the work within our team, which gave us a detailed, hands-on understanding of the types of tasks and deals a specific practice group handles — for me, that meant reviewing and draft contracts, as well as researching areas of corporate governance. Finally, networking allowed us to properly understand the firm's culture through its people, offering real insight into different pathways into law and what day-to-day work looks like across practice areas, including through conversations with trainees, associates and partners alike.

The scheme gave me a much clearer insight into how the firm operates as a business. It was evident throughout that meeting clients' needs is treated as the firm's ultimate priority, which came through in how teams approached matters, and in the emphasis placed on commercial awareness alongside legal skill. Beyond that, I gained a genuine understanding of the mechanics behind running a law firm: discussions touched on how fee models are shifting and how the firm is internally responding to AI developments. This gave me a far more rounded picture of the firm as a commercial entity operating within a competitive market, rather than viewing it purely through the lens of the law itself.
The scheme also clarified the different pathways into the profession and the roles available. I came away with a clear understanding of the route to qualifying as a trainee solicitor, including guidance on training contracts, the SQE qualification route, and the range of opportunities available at different stages. This was particularly useful in helping me think practically about my own next steps and how the various routes into the firm align with own pathway.

Interacting daily with my team significantly honed my professional communication abilities. Learning to communicate effectively by asking considered questions at opportune moments and to communicate work progress and deadlines was essential. However, also maintaining the small talk that cultivates a sense of community, proved to be an essential balance. This extended to coffee chats with a wide variety of people, both senior colleagues across different practice areas and fellow Vacation Schemers, which underlined the importance of cultivating a genuine network across the firm.
Balancing substantive work with seminar commitments required a level of self-organisation I hadn't needed before, particularly around taking the initiative to arrange and book coffee chats around my own workload, while also ensuring promptness to seminars and social events.
Reviewing and redrafting contracts with technical clauses, particularly around data protection and IP, sharpened my attention to detail considerably. There was no room for mistakes or ambiguity, which made clear how much precision is expected even in seemingly small drafting decisions.
I developed genuine research skills, using Practical Law and internal firm knowledge resources to guide research on corporate governance matters. I also learnt the mechanics of running redlines and writing and reviewing tracked changes, which are essential skills in daily life as a trainee solicitor.

The atmosphere was genuinely learning-oriented, with a clear sense that no question was too silly. Everyone that I interacted with was authentically willing to help, demonstrated practically, for example, by colleagues taking the time to walk me through redlining and tracked changes to help develop my understanding of legal drafting. My supervisor in particular was patient and constructive in her approach, framing feedback around targeted areas for improvement in a way that felt supportive rather than critical.
More broadly, the firm's friendliness stood out. Every trainee on my team was willing to have a coffee chat with me (I wasn't turned down once), which spoke to a wider culture where people made time to invest in junior talent, even amid busy workloads. Beyond the professional interest, it was clear that people in my team were genuinely interested in me and my background, which made the experience feel incredibly personal and welcoming.

I thoroughly enjoyed the insight, on several levels. Getting to know a wide variety of people across the firm was genuinely one of the highlights, and I loved learning about the individuals who make the firm run. The networking opportunities, whether at coffee chats, social events or simply within my team, gave me real insight into different types of work, experiences of the training contract, and the various pathways into the profession.
I also valued the community built around the scheme itself. Getting to know my fellow Vacation Schemers, helped along by socials organised by Early Careers, gave us genuine opportunities to share our experiences of the scheme and insights into the legal world as we went.
Finally, getting stuck into the firm's work was something I found genuinely exciting. Being able to picture myself in the shoes of the lawyers on my team made the experience feel tangible rather than abstract. Hearing about different practice areas also sparked interest in areas I'd had no prior exposure to, such as Debt Finance.

Yes

Use the unlimited word count in the application to your advantage - really explore the breadth of skills developed and knowledge acquired across your different work experiences, rather than sticking to a narrow account of one role. Also explicitly link these back to how they translate into value as a commercial lawyer; it's not enough to describe an experience, you need to show the connection to legal practice and client-facing commercial work.
For the interview, make sure your commercial awareness is genuinely strong - not just knowledge of what's currently in the news, but a solid understanding of how businesses and financial markets actually operate. This is something you'll be expected to demonstrate fluently, so it's worth focusing on.
Don't be afraid to network with as wide a variety of people as possible during the scheme, across seniority levels, practice areas and backgrounds. Be proactive with your supervisor: tell them what you're working on, communicate deadlines and how you're prioritising your workload, and don't wait to be asked. Finally, take thorough notes from feedback, coffee chats and seminars - the scheme moves quickly, and detailed notes are what let you actually extract and retain the value of everything you're exposed to.