The work our vacation schemers did

There’s a lot to take in on your vacation scheme, and the biggest thing is the level of work you’ll be exposed to. You can read more about the day-in-day-out work done by our vacation schemers, First Step students and trainees here [link to 3.0 The work you’ll do] – but for now, here are some of the most memorable projects from our current intake:

The reputational review

“My time in intellectual property included researching the reputation of a specific car model. The client, a major car manufacturer, needed to know whether their model has a reputation that another car manufacturer was infringing. It meant researching car forums and reading reviews to understand what car enthusiasts were saying.”
SANA, 2019 VACATION SCHEMER

The international perspective

“I worked on an environmental matter based in the DRC. Much of the work I did was for clients in emerging markets which made it even more exciting as it was all very new. On the last couple of days, I had a research project to complete on the real estate boom in Africa. I couldn’t have asked for more interesting work.”
ISOBEL,2019 VACATION SCHEMER

The national impact

“I was involved in researching the impact of renationalisation on the rail industry in the UK, for a major bank which had lent to a train operating company. I researched the likelihood of it happening and how it would proceed and affect shareholders if it did.”
NAJMA AHMAD, 2019 VACATION SCHEMER

The surprises we had

Students often imagine they’ll be taking a back seat during a vacation scheme and not contributing to high profile work. Not so. As these recent vacation schemers soon discovered, the reality can be very different to what you might expect.

The openness

“I was surprised at just how willing the associates and partners were to have a chat with you when you knocked on their door. It really made you feel welcomed and part of the team. The graduate recruitment team were the most welcoming I’ve come across.”
ISOBEL, 2019 VACATION SCHEMER

The client contact

“I didn’t expect to have contact with the client, so I was pleasantly surprised when my supervising partner allowed me to sit in on a call with him – and even draft the email to the client which explained the amendments to a facility agreement that had just been made.”
NAJMA, 2019 VACATION SCHEMER

The deep end

“I was surprised to find myself working on trainee-level tasks and learning about certain legal procedures alongside the trainees. Being thrown into the deep end as a vacation scheme participant, and being treated like a trainee, was truly rewarding.”
TIM, 2019 VACATION SCHEMER

The pressure

“I wasn’t expecting to work on a research task that would be refined by one of the partners and sent to the client the next day. It meant I had to track down accurate, relevant information by a tight deadline.”
SARAH, 2019 VACATION SCHEMER

The links we made

From mentors to trainee buddies to networking links, you’ll find constant support and guidance over the week – especially if you reach out as much as you can. Here are some of our trainees to tell you more:

The social side

“For me, the people were the highlight of the scheme. Departmental drinks were a great way to get to know them and pick their brains in a relaxed setting. And the underground cooking school social with other vacation schemers, trainee buddies and graduate recruitment was well run and great fun. It really helped me settle in and feel comfortable.

The vacation schemers often met up after work. On our final night together, we ended up visiting the Shard for goodbye drinks.”
BEN, 2019 VACATION SCHEMER

The introductions

“My trainee buddy took me round the floor to introduce me to everyone on my first day. That really helped me relax into the department. I saw her several times each day and we went for lunch quite a few times.”
SARAH, 2019 VACATION SCHEMER

The support network

“The team in my department was incredibly friendly and approachable. People made time to answer questions, have a chat or even help out if I was stuck. This behaviour wasn’t just towards me, but towards everyone in the office. I loved the sense of collegiality.”
TIM, 2019 VACATION SCHEMER

The shared expertise

“I really enjoyed being able to talk to people about the work they were doing. My department were really friendly, and more than a few people took the time out to expand on a deal I had an interest in. All you had to do was ask.”
SARAH, 2019 VACATION SCHEMER