Placements

I was between my fourth year and diploma when I applied for my summer placement at Burness.  The application process was straightforward and it was refreshing to find that the interview was an informal chat, rather than a grilling for an hour on previous work experience! The focus was very much on you as a person and whether the firm was right for you and you were right for the firm. I was delighted when I was offered a placement.

During my placement, I spent the first four weeks in the property team and then moved to the dispute resolution department. I was surprised at the amount, and variety, of work I was asked to get involved in and how approachable and relaxed everyone was. Those who were trainees at the time made a big effort to get to know all the summer placement students. At the end of my placement I had my traineeship interview, which consisted of a short presentation and then some interview questions. When I was offered a traineeship with the firm, I immediately accepted.

My traineeship at Burness started with a seat in the corporate finance team (which is the team I have now joined as a newly qualified solicitor), followed by a banking seat, a construction and projects seat and finally a secondment to the General Counsel’s Office of Standard Life plc. There have been many challenges, but when your colleagues are supportive and the firm has a friendly culture, the experience becomes a truly enjoyable one. On reflection, I do believe it’s true that you end up where you ‘fit’ and a summer placement is an ideal opportunity to discover that ‘fit’ for yourself.