Work Experience Student Review

My work experience with Pinsent Masons involved participating in many Teams calls from a range of their employees, each describing the type of work they do and the current seats they are in as trainee solicitors, as well as learning what a contract and a lease was, to then carry out some independent work. It was refreshing to hear from the perspectives of so many different people who work within the firm, especially those who are just starting out as trainee solicitors.

I learnt about what specific characteristics make a great trainee, such as a personal drive and a focus on detail, along with tips on how to write a strong CV application and interview tips, such as how to present the aesthetic and the content of my work which was really interesting. I have learnt the necessity that comes with preparation and presentation of my skillset, and that showcasing my capabilities is necessary to gain recognition from employers and prove that I have the ability to be a confident and driven employee.

This week of work experience has been really enlightening for me in terms of wanting to pursue a university degree (and potentially a career) in law, as it has been a nice combination of set independent work, along with informative presentations which provided us with some insight into different sectors within commercial law. I really loved the whole experience as it was also nice to be able to meet the students I would be working with in person beforehand (in the London office).

The organisation was immaculate as it was so easy to follow along with and join onto the Teams sessions, through the Forage website where we accessed all assignments and resources. The sessions were almost always on time and very well presented so I was able to take valuable notes from some of the slides, which will be useful in the future when making my choice for studying law in the future.

I learnt about Pinsent Mason's values as a company and how they prioritise their employees at a much higher standard than I had originally anticipated, which makes the entire culture of the company feel very welcoming. I heard from many perspectives what it is like to work at the firm, some of which were extremely down-to-Earth and made the prospect of working at a firm like this all the more appealing!

This work experience programme has been of paramount importance in helping me decide if law is a career that I would like to pursue. This is a decision which I feel much more reassured in now that I've been made aware of the type of work I could be engaging in, especially the repetition from trainee solicitors that every day is something different, which would keep the job exciting for me!

This work experience was voluntary (the way that I found out about the experience was through signing up to the mailing list for Young Professionals, who advertised the programme to me and I applied immediately. As the work experience was also conducted virtually, with us carrying out tasks for fictional companies, it was not necessary to be paid for this experience.

There were two opportunities to join a networking lunch, although not many people attended this so it may need more encouragement for other students. We were constantly presented with new faces of people who work for the firm, so it was great to communicate with people from such a range of departments.

Yes

Because I strongly agree with the firm's principles, especially for putting clients at the heart of their interest and ensuring that they can achieve the best possible outcome for them. I found all of the employees to be extremely welcoming and it was easy to interact with different people, so it was overall a really enjoyable experience.

Definitely showcase your personal characteristics or achievements if there are any that you have made already! Be your authentic self and allow that to show through your application, with a collected sense of confidence so you can apply to enter the programme knowing that you have a passion to discover more about law as a subject in general, and to really expand upon and develop your interest in the subject with a group of like minded students.