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Summer placements

 

Laura Jewels, a Politics with American Studies Graduate attended a one week summer vacation placement in Nottingham’s Commercial Team in 2011. Laura is currently studying the LPC at Nottingham Law School and will commence her Training Contract at Shoosmiths in September 2013.

“I decided to apply to Shoosmiths following an open evening at the Nottingham office which really showcased the merits of Shoosmiths as a firm. I was really impressed by the fact that the Chairman, Andrew Tubbs, was there to give us an insight into how the firm works, and I was also impressed by the office culture that all members of staff present at the evening seemed to reflect. Following a tour around the open plan office I decided that this was a firm I would enjoy working in. For me, this was the main selling point of the firm; that it is a large commercial firm with excellent clients but it is also a friendly, sociable firm that nurtures its employees.
The Shoosmiths hospitality extended to the vacation placement students being invited along to the office summer party. It was great to speak to people in a more social setting and it was obvious that the whole firm enjoyed socialising together.  It is this friendly office culture that really differentiates Shoosmiths from any other firm that I have had work experience at.
I found that the work level at Shoosmiths was excellent in terms of quality of work. I was expecting to be given a very low level of responsibility, however on my first day I was given the task of consolidating a complicated contract into a manageable memo of advice for a client. This was a great experience as I saw the project through from start to finish, with the finished product being sent to the client. I have found this genuine type of work to be rare when doing legal work experience, and this set Shoosmiths apart from other work experience.  My favourite day was spent sitting in on meeting with the commercial team. I was allowed to sit in on IT training and also on a marketing meeting. It was interesting to observe exactly how a law firm also operates as a business. This is not something that is taught at law school, and as such was an invaluable experience.”

 

How to apply for a summer placement

Our 2012 summer placement scheme is now open. Those who are successful will undertake a placement (of up to 2 weeks) with us in one of the following office locations: Birmingham, Milton Keynes/Northampton, Nottingham, Manchester, Solent and Thames Valley.
The placement provides a realistic impression of the work of a commercial law firm along with the opportunity to speak to our trainees and partners in a professional working environment.
Our on-line application for the summer placement scheme in 2012 is now open and the closing date is 28th February 2012.

 

Typical activities

During your time with us, you'll spend time in one or two of our departments working alongside partners, qualified lawyers and trainees. Everyone in our firm makes a valuable contribution to the business and we need you to do that too. It's for this reason that you will be involved in all the practical stuff, from attending client meetings, going to court and taking witness statements to legal research and letter writing.

Activities are tailored to your level of experience and we would never expect you to take on a piece of work that you felt was beyond your level of expertise (please see below for those who are eligible to apply).

Away from the desk

We’ll try to fit in some social time for you during your placement. You’ll have the chance to chat to trainees and other staff in a more informal setting such as over lunch at the local café. You might also be invited to watch or participate in sporting events such as netball or cricket, or a community project or fundraising event. Basically, if there’s something going on, we’ll give you the opportunity to be a part of it.

Training Contract

If you also wish to apply for a training contract you must select the relevant option on the online system. If your application is successful you will be invited to a selection day at the end of the summer. We no longer hold selection days within the summer placements as happened in previous years.

Eligibility to apply

Placements are usually held during the end of June, throughout July, and sometimes the very start of August. The placements are open to:

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Get in touch

Rita Tappia

Professional Recruitment Manager
T: 03700 86 4155
I: +44 (0)121 625 4155
E: rita.tappia@shoosmiths.co.uk