"Magic Circle" Vacation Schemes

If you think there's even a small chance that you might pursue a legal career in the future, I would take up the offer. A placement with one of the firms you've mentioned will look very good on your CV, and will give you some idea of what a legal career involves. Speaking from experience, it can be difficult to get a training contract if you are a non-law graduate with no legal experience. Competition for places on these vacation schemes is intense, so if you're being offered one, I would take it. In addition, they tend to be pretty well paid (and are 9 to 5).

The only one I'm familiar with is the S&M scheme, which involves sharing an office with an associate for a couple of weeks. They may ask you to help out with their work, but obviously the level of involvement will depend on how busy they are (if they're working flat out in a deal they are unlikely to have time to explain things). To be honest, you're fairly unlikely to get involved in anything deep, especially if you have no legal knowledge. The firm organises a lot of lectures and training, though, including research exercises etc., which takes up most of your time.


Hope this helps.

Thanks - I guess I will take it up then. I've now rung my friend up and he's told me that it'll last a month and that I can extend that for the rest of the Summer if I want to earn more and get more involved in cases, which sounds great .

I was offered a place on a "vacation scheme" by someone who runs recruitment at a "magic circle" law firm - I take it I'm not supposed to name names, so its one of Slaughter & May, Clifford Chance or Linklaters.

I'm not really too interested in law, though I am considering the possibility of doing a conversion course after I graduate, apparently this is a "great chance to get some neccessary experience". I don't really know much about the scheme, I really only know the guy a little so I didn't want to question him when he'd just offered me a place.

What I'm wondering is, because I already have something planned for this Summer whether or not I should take the offer up? Is it really something that is neccessary to eventually reach the top flights of law ? And would it involve actual legal work as opposed to shadowing senior members?

I have to say that I'd pretty surprised if you're being offered the opportunity to spend more than a couple of weeks at one of these firms. Babysitting vac schemers is a huge burden for fee-earners - I'd be amazed if someone is going to look after you for such a long period of time.

Are you sure they're not just offering you some paralegalling work?

I'm not sure how likely it is that a MC law firm would offer a vac scheme like this. Talking to the recruitment people at the MC I previously did a scheme with the pressures to be transparent and fair in their selection procedures is enormous. I can't see the point of them doing all the equal opps monitoring, massive forms etc if they're going to offer places to friends etc. Though maybe I'm just annoyed at having to work to get my Vac schemes :-P

Are you just trying to wind up all the poor law students struggling to get essential vac schemes, ones they want SO BADLY that they will cut off limbs to get offers for, spending hours and hours researching and filling in forms and begging for placements??!!! And you are "not really too interested""??!!!!!

Go for it, it'll be great experience for you

But I'd stay away from this forum for a while lol

Much as I'm trying not to sound bitter (as I put a ridiculous amount of hours and work into securing my vac schemes) I think you should get something in writing and check this out.

I've been involved in the vac scheme / TC process, although admittedly from a law undergrad route, an awful lot over the last 18months and this just isn't ringing true of how a vac scheme works....

I hope for you it is though, because as I said before, vac schemes with MC firms are like the holy grail and it will literally be invaluable if you decide to go into law eventually.

He's arranged to meet me again in a weeks time to sign a contract, is there anything in particular that I need to look out for? I don't think he's untrustworthy however, as otherwise my tutor wouldn't have introduced us, would he ?

No thats true.

I didn't have to sign a contract for either of mine, just accept their offer in writing. Will there be a penalty if you dont go, ie, is this more like a short term job seeing as you're non-law and it has a paralegal aspect?? You probably just need to ask more questions, like you mentioned, you didnt want to grill him at the time.

Good luck with it

I didn't realise that the schemes were that competitive actually, I don't have many lawyer friends - I'd have personally thought that they'd be about as competitive as IB placements, but apparently not.

Are you kidding me? You make it sound as if IB placements are easy to get? IB placements for top Banks in london have an insane amount of competition applying for them from unis such as LSE, Oxbridge, UCL, Warwick, Nottingham etc. I'm sure Vac/Tc placements in the city are very, very difficult to get, especially with the MC firms, but i would say that placements with the 'Big 4' banks for IB etc are just as difficult to secure...sorry for my rant...

Good luck with it all, and to everyone else applying for vac placements, like myself.

Where abouts are you studying Casey?