My first week as a summer placement student in employment and immigration

I previously completed a virtual work experience in the employment and immigration team through SEMLA in August 2021.

So, I was very much looking forward to returning to Brodies for a summer placement and was excited to meet everyone in person this time.

Monday started off with a welcome talk and induction conducted remotely.

I spent the day completing IT training with the other summer placement students. The training involved both completing e-learning modules and 'live' training through Teams. It was very interactive, with plenty of opportunities to practice what we learned and to receive feedback. Each student also had the opportunity to share their screens and demonstrate their learning, which was a great way for the students to learn from each other.

Tuesday was my first day in the office. I arrived with the other students and met my mentor. I was delighted to have been assigned the same mentor that I had during my SEMLA placement, which made settling in much easier. I was given a quick tour of the new office at Capital Square in Edinburgh, which has incredible views of the city! I was warmly welcomed by the employment team and spent the rest of the morning completing more e-learning modules.

I then headed out for lunch with one of the summer students – as a summer placement student, try to get to know the other students through morning coffees or lunch. Regularly check in with each other, share your experiences, and help each other out, I think this is a key element of the summer placement. Who knows – they may well be your colleagues in the future!

For the rest of the afternoon, I was tasked with drafting a template letter for a visa application.

Wednesday began with attending the employment team's weekly meeting. I then met my buddy, who is a trainee. Your buddy provides support, guidance, and advice throughout your summer placement.

I was assigned another drafting task – this time, a contract of employment. My mentor went through the draft with me and gave feedback.

I also collaborated with the trainees in the employment team to prepare an employment law update that the trainees present at each team meeting, helping to keep the team informed of the latest news and developments in employment law.

Thursday kicked off with a 'learning breakfast' from various teams including the commercial services division, corporate, projects, energy and infrastructure and corporate crime and investigations. A learning breakfast is a fantastic way to gain insight into the different practice areas across the firm. There was an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the session, that allowed us to further explore the day-to-day work of the lawyers working in these areas. If there is a particular area that you are interested in and would like to find out more, you can get in touch with someone from the relevant team for a chat.

Each summer student is given a research project to work on over the course of the placement – it could be a written task or presentation. My project was to create a practical guide on what neurodiversity is and what it means for employers.

For the rest of the day, I worked on drafting a settlement agreement and service agreement.

Friday

Friday started off with another learning breakfast – from the banking team this time.

For the rest of the day, I carried out research for my project and finished up pulling together news stories for the following week's team meeting.

And just like that, the first week was over! I was involved in very interesting work, given a high level of responsibility, and supported not only by my mentor and buddy but by the whole team. I felt well-settled into the firm and I am looking forward to the second week of placement.

Our applications for 2023 summer placements are now open! Apply here.