My First Day on The Vacation Scheme

Since receiving my vacation scheme offer in April I have been really looking forward to my placement and I can honestly say the first day did not disappoint. After a pleasant journey down to London from Birmingham (even if I did get a bit lost on the way!) it was great to be greeted with tea, coffee and patisseries before we started induction. We were all given induction packs with lots of information relating to the social events, key contacts and even a copy of the slides that were to be used during induction, which was really helpful.

We started the day with a classic icebreaker- people bingo. This was a good opportunity to talk to others from different offices and get to know some more unusual facts about each other.  We then had an insightful talk about Pinsent Masons from David Ryan, who spent 16 years as Managing Partner. He told us that his focus was always on the people at Pinsent Masons and the values of the firm (bold, approachable and connected). He was able to tell us about some of his experiences and how the firm has grown over the years, in addition to where he sees the firm going in the future.

We then got given an overview of the vacation placement and what to expect before having lunch with some of the trainees and partners, which was another opportunity to hear an insider perspective and ask some questions on a more one-to-one basis.

After lunch we had a talk in relation to Pinsent Masons as a responsible business, which involved hearing all about the work that Pinsent Masons do for both their local and global community.

In the afternoon we also heard from some of the trainees about their life at Pinsent Masons and some of the work they have been involved in. We heard about the good, the bad and the ugly, from embarrassing situations involving suitcases that lock shut in front of a judge, to wine tasting evenings and film nights. We then had a group task where we had to draw an ideal trainee and list their qualities. Our team decided to draw items on the trainee to reflect qualities rather than simply write them (luckily we had an art student in our team).

We ended the day with a brief tour of the London office; this was not something planned but is a reflection on the graduate recruitment team’s commitment to ensuring that everyone gets the most out of their placement. Needless to say, the office was very smart and had beautiful views across London, and so it was a great way to end the day.

Even after only a day of induction I really got a feel for the people at Pinsent Masons and just how friendly and approachable they all are from Partners to Trainees. I am looking forward to the rest of the two weeks and seeing what opportunities lie ahead.

Louise Davies completed a Vacation Placement Scheme in our Birmingham Office in July 2016. Find out what opportunities are available at Pinsent Masons today on our Careers page