ADD ADVICE TO FAVNoura, Easter vacation scheme at Freshfields
Name: Noura
Degree: BA Jurisprudence, University of Oxford (second year)
Duration of work experience: Three weeks
Employer: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Department: Intellectual Property and IT
1. What did you do to get this work-experience opportunity?
I attended the Oxford University Law Fair, where I picked up a number of legal publications such as the Lex 100 and the Training Contract and Pupillage Handbook, both of which enabled me to narrow down the list of firms that I would like to apply to.
I then filled in online application forms for the firms I was interested in doing vacation schemes at.
My application to Freshfields was accepted and I was invited to an interview which consisted of a 50-minute written exercise as well as an interview conducted by a partner at the firm and a member of the graduate recruitment team.
’I was able to contribute more than I thought I would.’
2. What sort of projects did you work on?
I worked on a variety of projects including:
- proofreading documents
- reading agreements and summarising responses to client queries
- going to court
- drafting letters to clients
- sitting in on conference calls with clients
- filing and indexing
- doing research on specific areas of law
- searching for precedents on online databases
- carrying out domain-name searches.
3. How much were you able to contribute?
I was able to contribute more than I thought I would. I managed to get involved with a wide range of work and actually helped out trainees and associates with the deals they were working on; I provided a second pair of eyes when finalising agreements between parties, and I searched for and read through specific precedents relevant to the deals at hand.
4. What did you enjoy the most?
I enjoyed being a part of a team and being able to provide help where it was needed. I particularly enjoyed being able to contribute to real deals that were going on at the time.
I also loved the fact that everyone was friendly, supportive and helpful, and that they allowed me to see what the day-to-day life of a solicitor in a large commercial law firm was really like.
’When given an opportunity such as this, it is vital to go into it with the right attitude.’
5. What did you enjoy the least?
Travelling to work in the morning and having to deal with delays or breakdowns on the underground.
6. What is the most important thing you learned?
The most important thing I learned was that when given an opportunity such as this, it is vital to go into it with the right attitude. You have to be willing to take anything on and get involved with anything, whether it’s super-interesting or really dull. Not all work is exciting 24/7 and its important to be aware of that but to be prepared to do it anyway.
7. Has your choice of career changed as a result of your period of work experience?
No, definitely not. If anything, it has been strengthened.
