Work experience student Review

There was an in-person insight day in one of their offices across the UK, including London, Birmingham, or Glasgow. This was then followed by a week of online work experience. The tasks ranged from presentations on responsible business and pro-bono work, to individual tasks involving drafting our own pieces of legislation.

The work experience provided me with an excellent overview as to what working as a lawyer in a large, international law firm may look like. It also involved an interactive, easily accessible introduction to law for those who have no background in the legal field. The in-person day also gave us the chance to develop our networking skills, through a networking lunch.

The work experience programme at Pinsent Masons was really enjoyable. All the people who were involved were friendly and happy to answer any questions. It was especially good that we were assigned two supervisors (a trainee solicitor and a qualified solicitor), who we had meetings with at the start and end of the programme - this allowed us to ask questions in smaller groups.

The work experience was very well organised, and the Early Talent Team were easily reached through email, or by phone during the programme. After applying for the programme it did take several months to hear whether you had secured a place, but once participating it was very well organised using a platform called Forage, as well as Microsoft Teams.

I learnt a lot about the respectful environment that Pinsent Masons strives to create in its offices. They encourage flexible working and a positive work-life balance. This was very evident when talking to trainee solicitors and newly qualified solicitors who all talked about the work-life balance being one of the reasons they chose Pinsent Masons.

The work experience confirmed that I wish to pursue a career in law. It also showed me that being a solicitor doesn't mean that you have to constantly be in the office, in a full suit, working long hours. This decision was particularly aided by the contact with a supervisor, and also with staff in all ranges of positions within the firm.

The programme was a work experience programme which meant that people were not expecting to be paid, as we weren't providing the firm with any services. However, the travel to and from London, along with a hotel room so that it was possible to be in the office for 9:45, meant that attending the optional in-person insight day was quite expensive.

There were lots of chances for networking. There was a networking lunch at the optional in-person insight day, in which we were able to talk to both trainees and qualified solicitors. During the online week, there were two networking lunches, however these were just with other students on the programme.

Yes

I would recommend Pinsent Masons to a friend. The main reason for this is how approachable everyone was, and how happy they were to answer any and all questions given to them. The in-person day was also something that would encourage me to recommend them to a friend. This is because many large law firms haven't gone back to in-person work experience.

Use the whole word count for the application - this was something they stressed to us when talking about applying to vacation schemes. Also, don't worry about knowing anything about the law because they are looking for enthusiasm, not for legal knowledge. The programme is also aimed at people aged 16-19, but it doesn't matter if you want to study law at university.