MILLS & REEVE LLP
LCN AWARD WINNER 2016 BEST WORK PLACEMENT SCHEME – REGIONAL FIRM
I t’s no secret that in the world of legal recruitment, the work placement (or vacation) scheme has become the preferred way of selecting trainees. It is very much a two-way street, giving the firm the chance to get to know its potential new hires and candidates an idea as to whether the firm – and even the law itself – might be the right fit for them. It is surprising, therefore, that many firms limit vac schemers’ exposure to day-to-day work, preferring instead to fill their time with lectures and presentations. At Mills & Reeve, however, they realise that every second spent with candidates is precious – a fact that has no doubt contributed to its continued success at the LCN Awards, having scooped the award for Best Work Placement Scheme – Regional Firm over half a dozen times. “I think the vacation scheme is a great representation of what life is like on the training contract itself,” claims Elle Outram, who is perfectly placed to tell as a second-year trainee. “I did one other scheme and it was very differently structured. Here, you revolve around four different departments over the two weeks, which I thought was fantastic – you see the diverse range of work that the firm does, meet more people and get a real idea of the general vibe of the firm and how it works. On the other scheme I spent a week each in two different departments, so I didn’t get to see as much of the firm as I might.” Such is the desire to get the vac schemers into the swing of life at Mills & Reeve that they will find themselves getting down to real work on their very first day. “Participants arrive and, after a short introduction from the training partner in charge of that office, they get talked through our IT systems and library facilities and go straight to their seats to start work that afternoon,” explains graduate recruitment manager Fiona Medlock. “That might sound a little daunting, but in between they’ll have lunch with
2016
26
Best in Law 2016
LawCareers.Net
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