Could you see yourself at Bircham Dyson Bell? If so, we’d love to see you on our summer placement programme.
You will spend two weeks with us, gaining valuable experience with two of our legal departments. We aim to give you as much practical experience as possible, plus the opportunity to see first-hand how our solicitors and partners work.
In each of the departments you will be allocated a supervisor, one of our partners or senior solicitors, so you have support and guidance during your time with us. You will also have a nominated buddy, one of our current trainees or newly qualified solicitors, so you can hear their experiences first hand. Additionally, a range of organised activities including a networking evening and a trainee social will make your time with us enjoyable as well as insightful.
To be eligible, you must have completed your legal studies, be a final year non-law student or a penultimate year law student. If you are successful in securing a summer placement with us you will be assessed for a training contract as part of the programme.
I applied for a summer placement at Bircham Dyson Bell as I was impressed by the firm’s diverse range of practice areas and in particular its excellent reputation for both Charity and Public law.
On the first day of the placement all summer students are given a full induction to the firm and then allocated a buddy within their department who is there to help with queries and answer any questions about life at the firm. I spent my first week in Parliamentary, Public Law and Planning (PPP) and was given a fascinating insight into the high profile work carried out by the department. I was pleased to find I was given real work to do, which gave me an excellent insight into the sort of tasks that a trainee undertakes. Everyone in the department was extremely approachable, with the trainees in particular going out of their way to make me feel welcome.
My second week was spent in the Charities department, where I carried out a number of challenging research tasks giving me an insight into this area of law. Again, I was made to feel very welcome by everyone in the team and was impressed by the firm’s friendly, open approach.
A number of activities were arranged throughout the placement, including a drinks evening with partners from across all departments. I found this to be particularly interesting as it gave me the opportunity to find out more about departments I had not had a chance to directly experience. The trainees also organised a drinks evening during which we had the chance to ask them about their own experiences of the firm in a more informal environment.
As a mature student, I have found that making a career change into law can often be a daunting process. However, on arriving at Bircham Dyson Bell it was clear from the outset that the firm takes a genuinely open and diverse attitude to recruitment. Several of the trainees and qualified solicitors I met had taken a non-traditional route into the profession, and were more than happy to share their experiences and advice.
I genuinely enjoyed my two weeks at Bircham Dyson Bell and learnt a great deal about the firm, and about life as a trainee solicitor. I would highly recommend the summer placement scheme to anyone who is looking for a firm that is friendly, approachable, and offers something a little different.