David Phillips

“Drawn by their international reputation and my ambition to experience City life at the heart of the legal and business world, I was thrilled to attend a drinks reception with the graduate recruitment team at Herbert Smith. Impressed by what I saw, I decided to apply. The vacation scheme recruitment process was both challenging and rewarding, with interviewers who made the process as pain free and informal as possible. Such informality and the chat with a trainee that followed were particularly refreshing and really caught my attention. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity to accept the offer to attend the scheme.
 
I spent my two one week seats with the corporate and dispute resolution divisions, where I was warmly welcomed and made to feel a part of the team. In both instances I was tasked with the development of numerous research papers, for instance, on directors’ duties under the Companies Act 2006. I also enjoyed a good many hours of client contact and was, for example, involved in advising on the procedures for issuing a statutory demand under the Insolvency Act 1986.

My first impressions of Herbert Smith have lasted. I believe it to be a great place to work, learn and socialise and I would thoroughly recommend the scheme to others in my position. The firm projected a sound work-life balance: there were plenty of opportunities to get to know the departments to which I was seconded and to socialise with a full spectrum of individuals - from partners to associates, trainees to my peers. Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I very much look forward to commencing my training contract in the near future.”