Vacation Scheme Student Review

My time at the firm was extremely enjoyable. The Early Careers Recruitment Team was helpful in answering any questions I had both before and during the scheme, and my trainer was committed to furthering my learning throughout the scheme, taking the time to go through every task I was assigned in detail and provide me with useful feedback.

My main responsibilities included drafting and proofreading legal documents, conducting research tasks and preparing legal memos to support my team’s work on various transactions. I enjoyed the challenging nature of the work, in particular the research tasks which really pushed me to think creatively to come up with effective solutions to the problems presented.

Although two weeks is not enough time to see a matter through to completion, I had many opportunities to support my team at different stages of a variety of matters and to meaningfully follow up on the tasks I was assigned.

We were given the opportunity to participate in several social events throughout the scheme and were provided with substantial support in relation to accommodation and transport which was especially valuable to me as an international student.

Although the role was just a brief taste of what I can expect as a future solicitor, a combination of hands-on, practical tasks and learning through observing the work of lawyers at the firm gave me a much deeper understanding of the type of work I can expect to complete as I begin my career in the legal industry.

The Early Careers Recruitment Team was extremely involved in providing support throughout the scheme, and my mentor took a significant amount of time out of his busy schedule to review my work with me and provide meaningful feedback. My trainee buddy also reached out to me multiple times throughout the scheme to check in.

There were certainly busier days on which I found myself having to remain at the office slightly later to complete my assigned tasks. However, my mentor was incredibly considerate of my workload and made sure to encourage me to leave the office if he noticed that I was working late.

Everyone at the firm was quite welcoming, and I did not have much trouble approaching people to have conversations about their work as they were all very willing to make time despite their busy schedules.

The firm hosted a lunch event during which we were able to speak with representatives from the firm’s affinity groups which reflected the firm’s desire to consider feedback and take concrete measures to implement initiatives which further diversity, inclusion and accessibility.

Yes

Beyond providing opportunities to work on market-leading, innovative deals, the firm was a strong culture of growth and inclusion, striving to continually improve itself and seek consistent quality and performance.

The firm was quite transparent about their expectations of vacation scheme participants throughout the recruitment process and wanted to make sure that we understood what skills and attitudes were necessary to succeed at the firm.