At others, vac schemers may be tied to a trainee or qualified solicitor and what they do will depend on that individual.

Stephenson Harwood LLP - True Picture - Chambers Student Stephenson Harwood LLP - True Picture - Chambers Student

A good example of a firm that relies heavily on its vac scheme is Mishcon de Reya, which recruits all of its trainees from people it sees on its placement. Obvious conclusion: you’ll need to put as much effort into vac scheme applications as you do into training contract applications. Intelligent questions pave the road to success, so lay as many down as possible without becoming annoying. The vacation scheme is a great way of meeting prospective trainees and giving them a real taster of what life is like here,” one recruiter told us. While you’re busy watching everyone else, don’t forget that they’re watching you, watching them, watching you.

Observe your environment and its inhabitants; figure out the social structures, the hierarchies, the shared values that bond people (if indeed there are any). Try and build your CV up in other ways – say with voluntary work or other legal or commercial experience – and then have another stab at vac scheme applications. But this is not (yet) the prevailing recruitment model, and many firms who offer vacation schemes have no hard and fast rules about how many they will aim to recruit from them: some firms have just as many trainees who haven't done their vac scheme as those who have. Think about that next stage in the transaction, and if you don’t know what it is then go and find out. Obviously, you’re being assessed on how good a lawyer you’re likely to be, but don’t underestimate how far having a normal, attractive personality will get you.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP - Chambers Student Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP - Chambers Student

Just remember, “seeking out work and raising your profile without pestering people is a fine line to walk. At some firms, vac schemes are structured down to the minute with talks about the firm and its training contract, followed by tasks and social engagements. Even when firms take vac schemers out to snazzy clubs, recruiters' mental notepads will still be out. That doesn’t work for us: we don’t have the number of spaces to just say 'oh, we'll just take a punt on those five'.As one training partner told us, vacation schemes are a great opportunity to test the waters, “a chance to gain an insight into life as a lawyer, get feedback on your work and grow from the experience. The strongest applicants always manage to secure a clutch of offers, but don’t despair if you can’t secure a place – it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll never get a training contract. In addition, many firms treat them as an integral part of the training contract application process. The best vac schemes get students involved in ongoing cases and deals and puts them in the heat of the action – or at least lets them feel that way.

Law firm salaries compared - Chambers Student Guide Law firm salaries compared - Chambers Student Guide

There are also likely to be mini-assessment tasks and projects designed to test your ability to present, argue and work as a team. After all, you marketed yourself well on paper when you sent your application form in; now you are just doing it in person. If you don't drink alcohol, we strongly recommend going to drinks events regardless – they're great networking and socialising opportunities even if you're on the orange juice. You’ve got to be on your guard, though, because people will be conscious you’re there, and some of our sources did end up concluding: “It can be an artificial exercise – you see what they want you to see.Lawyers tell us how they spend their days and share some of the trends shaping the work in their area of practice.