Meet the Team
Grace Oyegbile
business and the close attention to detail when I sat in on various of his client calls. The non-rotational structure of the firm’s scheme meant that, to get work, I was encouraged to interact with other lawyers, knocking on doors and offering my help. This gave me the opportunity to complete work for different departments across the firm. Secondly, as a student from a black ethnic background, it was important to me that the firm I trained at not only had a diverse culture but also an inclusive one. During my placement at V&E I felt at ease and was able to be myself. Everyone was approachable, making time to explain things to me and offered their support. Although there was no formal social or networking event, I found that during the week I got to know everyone rather quickly, having been invited to several coffee breaks and lunches!
Vacation Scheme Summer 2018, Training Contract 2020 - 2022
In the final year of my law degree, I struggled to find a firm which I felt would not only offer me the high quality of training I desired,
but also reflect the values that are important to me. I chose to apply to Vinson & Elkins because of their approach to training and the size of their trainee intake. I also met the firm’s trainees prior to applying and received an excellent endorsement on the culture of the firm. The structure of the vacation scheme at V&E provides students with a real insight into the life of a trainee solicitor at the firm. It consists of a number of one-week placements with 2-4 students per week. I really enjoyed this structure because I was able to gain greater exposure to the firm and build personal relationships. At the start of the week, I was assigned a trainee buddy, who introduced me to everyone around the office and helped me understand the day-to-day role of a trainee. Having a familiar face around the office was great as I felt I could ask all the questions I might not want to ask an associate/ partner. The V&E vacation scheme stood out to me for several reasons. Firstly, I was able to participate in real client work, including conducting research for a client, drafting memos and amending documents. I also sat with a partner in Energy Transactions and Projects. I observed how knowledgeable the partner was about their client’s
Freddie Wright, Associate, M&A
Vacation Scheme Summer 2016, Training Contract 2018 - 2020
Looking back over my two year training contract at V&E, I cannot overstate how well it has prepared me for life as a newly qualified lawyer at the firm. Structurally, the training contract is unique in being arranged as a fixed seat “rotational” contract in its first year and a floating seat “non-rotational” contract in its second year. To explain by way of example, I sat in the M&A and capital markets (MACM) group in my first six months and the complex commercial litigation (CCL) group in my second six
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