Wow way to just exclude us from your world

These are all great too- I’d add one more which is make sure that the formatting in your work is consistent. Same font, same margins, same type of bullets/numbers. You wouldn’t believe how many vac schemers can’t use the “paste unformatted” function, and present something that looks like a hastily done scrapbook instead of an advice note.

All of the above is extremely good advice. Would add a few more:

– If you’re given work – and particularly if you actively volunteer to do work – make sure you do it to a reasonable standard (by which I really mean as excellent a standard as you can do given the constraints of time) and by the necessary deadline (if a deadline isn’t clear, ask as soon as possible after the work is assigned). Few things will stand out more when appraising a candidate than well-presented, timely, sedulously-researched work; few things will act as more of a red flag than sloppy, half-arsed, late or disinterested work.

– Pick a good time to chat. Lawyers usually love to talk, but they are also often under quite pressing deadlines and need time to think. If you try starting a conversation with us whilst we’re visibly racing to get documents out or are in between back-to-back calls, it’s an indication that you either lack basic courtesy or are unable to figure out what busy-ness looks like in a law firm – and both of those are serious issues. In your week(s) at your chosen firm there will be ample opportunities to speak to lawyers across the firm; just choose your moment.

– Be polite and respectful to everybody. That not only includes lawyers, but also paralegals, support staff and secretaries. There are few greater faux pas than being rude to someone who is trying to make your job easier. And try to be sincere about it, too – we can tell.

– Talk clearly and confidently. We’re a people business, and being unclear in how you communicate will not inspire confidence in your colleagues or your clients. Make eye contact when you speak, try not to mumble, don’t punctuate your sentences with umms and errrs, and ensure when you start a sentence that you know where it’ll end up. We all understand that vacation schemes can be stressful and that you’re the junior-most people in the building; we’re not expecting glossy perfection. But good and confident communication is a hallmark of successful candidates.

I must stress the first sentence in that you should NOT over-stretch yourself and end up failing to complete several tasks simultaneously (it’s obvious why that won’t reflect well).

Other than this, follow the usual advice about taking notes (though where appropriate, not just in a personal conversation with someone), not being rude and other blindingly obvious social conventions. Lastly I think some students fail to consider being formal/informal when meeting lawyers; most of the time you can perform a quick vibe check but best to start out slightly more serious to avoid upsetting the sensibilities of the more quietly-judgemental and reserved boomers within the profession. That’s not an insult to them but we’ve all worked with certain people who you learn to tread more lightly around.

As someone who’s supervised a few vacation students over the years (and trainees as well), I would say that the two ways the students who trip up, trip up:

1) Failing to look like you’re listening/otherwise looking uninterested: can manifest by saying that X area of law might be good because it sounds easy and you can go home early, or staring into space and fiddling with your tie in a meeting. Can be addressed by constant note-taking (it makes you look interested and professional regardless of what else is going on) and asking questions which pick up on what someone just said (e.g. “you said letter of intent, why are we doing that?”).

2) B***sh**ing: if you don’t know, you don’t know. If you didn’t manage to do the job in time, you didn’t manage to do the job in time. It’s disrespectful and frankly we’re much better at it than you are and can see straight through you if you try. If you’ve been asked a question you don’t know the answer to in the mock pitch, then it’s pretty likely to have been a question the asker knows you didn’t know the answer to and wants to see how you’d react. A smooth “I don’t have that information to hand but we can provide it in a follow up” (and then do), is all you need.

Worth noting as well that firms will offer a significant proportion of vac schemers training contracts (sometimes most of them). You’re most of the way there.

…..and finally, watch out for your wine glass being topped up.

I’m fine for a vac schemer to work from home on a Friday or the whole week for that matter but it will give me less time to assess the student in person and make a confident decision on suitability.

The whole point is vac schemers and trainees require enhanced supervision and there are elements I need to assess but can’t when they are working from home.

Chocolates also welcome.

I really hope this is a troll account, but if it isn’t, being a solicitor is too much for you and I have your best interests at heart when I tell you to do something else.

Why do you have to be so aggressive? Says a lot about your firm (and you), wherever it is you work. Just because you have put up with antiquated work practices fit for the 1980s it doesn’t mean the next generation should have to.

Awful guess. It is a crane in Wapping.

Good luck with that! Very poor impression being so entitled that you think you don’t have to come in every day of your vac scheme. Kind of you to broadcast your red flags to the firm though.

Sky Garden would be my guess

Why do you assume people will be in the office to be handing out chocolates on a Friday? Alarm bells would certainly ring for me if my future firm expected a vac scheme student to attend 5 days a week.

Go up a large crane in Wapping. Easy.

Anyone know where I can stand in London for a photo like that?