Work Experience Student Review

The work experience consisted of lecture style teaching from trainee solicitors and solicitors, which was very informative. It also comprised of group work evaluating a legal problem and a discussion as a group. There was also presenting involved to a group of around 50 students which was very informative and I felt it was essential to the course.

I learnt how to critically analyse a legal problem which were both fictional and examples of real world problems such as the Jaffa Cake trial. I also developed my teamwork and communication skills in these sessions as we were placed in breakout rooms for around 20 minutes to consider both sides of an argument. My active listening skills have also improved.

I enjoyed my work experience a lot with Pinsent Masons. The trainee solicitors and session leaders were very informative and understanding of any situations that needed extra attention. I felt like the work experience was very clear and the Forage platform was also easy to use, which was very useful.

The Forage platform was well organised and clear to use, which made the extra resources easy to find, read and submit. The team leaders were very interactive and present and the actual tasks were well presented and interactive. The calls were all on time and finished according to the schedule too. I had a few connection issues but they were not linked to Pinsent Mason's end of the work experience.

At the beginning of the work experience week we were given an introduction into what it is like to work at Pinsent Mason's. I felt that the 'meet the solicitors' panel talk was also very informative of the different aspects of law, what Pinsent Mason's stands for as a company and what opportunities I would have if I worked there.

I was unsure of what career path I wanted to take in the future after my A-Levels. This work experience taught me about the different routes into law - barrister, paralegal and solicitor for example, which I did not know about prior to the work experience. Overall I feel it has helped me in deciding what route I want to take in the future.

No I was not paid for this experience. It was a free online programme run by Pinsent Mason's which required an application. The work experience took place on Microsoft Teams, the online video chat platform, and was free for the whole four day course. The certificate is also free.

There were two 'networking lunches' which took place on Monday and Wednesday, the first and third day of the work experience programme. I personally did not join them but there were plenty of opportunities to meet other students and Pinsent Mason's employees in the tasks and various teamwork exercises.

Yes

I would recommend this work experience to a friend because it was clear, concise, informatice and flexible. Any issues were resolved almost immediately and the whole course was very interactive. The leaders were very responsive and I felt that they went above and beyond to help us as work experience students.

I would say to think about how to structure your application to clearly show your passion for law and more specifically why you would want to do work experience with Pinsent Mason's as a company specifically. I would also be patient when waiting for a reply as the process took several months before I heard that I was accepted onto the programme.