Rating
- 1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
- 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
- 3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
- 4. How valued do you feel by Pinsent Masons?
- 5. How well organised/structured is your programme?
- 6a. How much support do you receive from your training provider?
- 6b. How much support do you receive from your employer?
- 7. How well does your salary/package meet your costs?
- 8. Are there many opportunities outside of work?
- 9. Would you recommend Pinsent Masons to a friend?
- 9b. Why?
- 10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Pinsent Masons?
My role was a work experience student. The work during the week was very varied from spending time in individual practice areas to group discussions, talks from people and business exercise. During the 5 days I spent time in 4 of the practice groups: Restructuring, Projects, Employment and Property.
My communication skills have developed over the programme as I have communicated with people throughout. For example communicating with the trainee solicitors about their role in the department to with the other work experience students on the programme as during the business exercise we worked together to find solutions to problems and also pitched these ideas which aided my confidence.
I found the programme very enjoyable and useful as I got an insight in the work undertaken by a commercial law firm. Furthermore everyone was so friendly and made you feel very welcome which I really appreciated as I believe not all law firms take this approach.
I felt very valued throughout this experience from both the trainee solicitors to the associates. Everyone shared the same positive friendly attitude and treated you as one of the team.
From the application process the organisation has been very good. I received an email of the schedule of the week, uniform and location of Pinsent Masons well in advance of starting the programme. On arrival we received a pack of information which contained lots of detail such as: The practice groups we would visit, timetable of everyone on the placement and a schedule for each day.
The trainee solicitors were very approachable and friendly offering support any time of the day. They made it very clear that if we had any questions (related to the work or not) we were able to ask them.
Pinsent Masons projects and regulatory officer offered lots of support via email about our email log on and just generally if we had any queries. Also we each had our own desk to work on in each practice group and there was work pre prepared which made placement worthwhile as there was always something to do.
It was voluntary.
As I was only there a very short period of time I did not experience the opportunities outside of work. Although when chatting to trainee solicitors I understand the firm is very sociable organising going out for drinks regularly, holding Pilates session once a week at lunch time and competing in netball matches vs. other law firms.
Yes
If you are interested in law or want to discover more about what the subject of law entails (like I did) then this is a great placement as it is extremely insightful and a really enjoyable week. Furthermore it is a great opportunity to meet new people and get experience in an professional environment.
Spend a lot of time on the application process to make it the best you can be. Also mention extra curricular activities and unique experiences you have had that make you stand out from other applicants.
Details
Work Experience
Legal/Law
North West
October 2015