One of the questions we get asked most frequently by our students is when they should be leaving work during their vacation schemes. Is it really the case that you should be staying until midnight or even later during your vacation scheme? Do law firms really expect that? Do lawyers like having extensive face time with vacation scheme students? Will you be viewed favourably if you stay well beyond what is expected of you as a vacation scheme student as if you are “putting in a shift”? Read on to find out what our experience tells us.
The short answer is…?
We will stick our necks out and say that in our experience, most international law firms (as well as lawyers working at those firms) do not wish to see vacation scheme students staying at the office beyond what is necessary: you will find out why in this article.
Having said that, the more considered answer is that it also varies from firm to firm, and you will need to make a judgment call in the first few days of your vacation scheme. Each firm has its own culture and expectations of its junior lawyers (including vacation scheme students). Indeed, different partners at the same firm may even have different answers to the question of how long a vacation scheme student should be staying. So, in case you are pondering whether you should be staying late during your vacation scheme, here is a rough guideline that we have developed to help you make that judgment call yourself.
1. Workload
The first factor to consider is how much work you have been given. It is natural that you would like to take on as much work as possible, so that you will have as many opportunities as possible to impress the firm within a short timeframe. However, sometimes there just is not enough work for vacation scheme students. If you, having asked for work, find yourself twiddling your thumbs, please head home after speaking with your supervisor! You should definitely not stay behind and wait for someone to give you a piece of work late at night.
2. Deadlines, priorities and time management
In addition to your workload, you must also consider when your tasks are due, how you are going to prioritise them, and how much time you will need to complete each task. This, in combination with the quantity of work you have been asked to complete, should form the basis of your assessment as to whether it would be sensible to stay late. In our view, you should only consider staying beyond typical office hours if you are facing tight deadlines and an overwhelming workload, which in our experience is unlikely to be the norm for vacation scheme students. If you are struggling with deadlines, you should also consider whether (1) you have been overly eager and have taken on too much work, and (2) your time management is sub-par - neither does you any favours when it comes to the firm’s assessment of you. Of course, we recognise that for vacation scheme students there are times you will not know the time required to complete a task. In this scenario, the best course of action would be to ask the relevant fee-earners (or our team at Admittedly Legal through our Vacation Scheme First Aid service) so that you can manage your time effectively and not be caught by surprise half way through your task.
3. Best location to prepare for upcoming assessments
Vacation schemes are stressful not just because of the legal work you are asked to do, you will also be completing various assessments and you will need to make time to prepare for these assessments. Whether it is an upcoming presentation, or a research and drafting exercise, you will only get the best results if your preparations are thorough.
Depending on the nature of the assessment, you will need to decide whether it would be more efficient for you to work on it in the office. This is a personal decision and there is no right or wrong answer. For some students, they find it helpful to complete their preparation in a judgment-free and relaxing environment (and the office doesn’t necessarily fit the description). Of course, there are instances in which that is not possible (for example, where you need to rely on resources that are only available in the office), then by all means stay in the office to get your preparation done!
4. Your instructions
This is quite a straightforward question.
If you have been asked specifically to reserve capacity and availability for the night, you should not leave the office until you have been told you can leave.
On the other hand, if you have not been instructed to stay behind, then you should exercise your common sense to see whether your team needs additional help. What time are your colleagues leaving? Are they going through a busy period? Even if your team is staying late, the help you can provide as a vacation scheme student is sometimes limited (no offence!). If you have asked your team as to whether it would be helpful for you to stay behind and the reply is negative, you should follow their instructions and leave at a reasonable hour.
5. Social events
Vacation schemes are packed with networking events in the evening, and you should definitely attend all of these social events to network with as many people at the firm as possible. Usually these last for an hour or two, but can go on for much longer. It would therefore be sensible to block out your evening for these social events and not make plans afterwards. Even if you finish on time, you should try and get some rest. Believe us - you will definitely need it. On a rare occasion, your team may invite you to ad hoc takeout dinners at the office: feel free to stay for a chat (and a free meal!), but don’t feel obligated to do so.
6. Fee-earners’ attitude / culture
The final factor, which is probably the most difficult one to judge in the first few days of your vacation scheme, is the firm’s culture towards face time.
To offer all of you some comfort, the reality is that international firms generally do not expect you to stay late (especially if it is for no reason!) so that they can promote the work-life balance at the firm. In addition, if you are staying late at work for most days of your vacation scheme, you may also create the unwanted perception that (1) you are trying too hard to impress, or (2) you are unable to handle your workload effectively, which will cast doubt in your assessors’ minds as to whether you will be capable of handling the stresses of being a trainee solicitor.
Our advice? Go home at a reasonable hour if you are done with your tasks - don’t worry, you will get plenty of late and stressful nights once you have started your training contract, so enjoy the (relatively) early finishes while you can!
Are you unsure of:
how to manage your time efficiently?
how to prioritise your tasks and/or assessments?
how much time does it take to complete a task?
when you can make an exit during a vacation scheme networking event?
Engage us for our vacation scheme first aid service and we will provide a clear strategy for you. Email or DM us now!
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