Culture

• "The culture of the firm is generally relaxed with a high praise for good work ethic; people can generally do what they like so long as the work gets done. Trainees support each other and socialise, but perhaps mostly on a small group basis. However, the firm is always putting on schemes to encourage wider interaction." -- First year trainee
• "I think this depends on the size of the department. Mine has lots of trainees in it and I feel that there is a very friendly, supportive atmosphere. Fourth seaters are really willing to help you out, and there are lots of people to talk to if you're having a tough time of it or your hours are long. There's a sense of camaraderie I really appreciate. We socialise together on a fairly regular basis, either within in our intakes (e.g. taking lunch together) or departmentally (department drinks)." -- First year trainee
• "You have a supervising associate and supervising partner in each seat, and you tend to sit with your supervising associate (although that is not a hard and fast rule). You are encouraged to work for as many people in each department as possible and trainees will often ‘floor-walk’ to find work first before sending out capacity emails as face-to-face contact is often a lot more effective and preferred. You are also given a mentor at the beginning of your training contract, who will be a partner from your first department. While some trainees find having a partner mentor provides an invaluable and confidential sounding board throughout their two years, others rely on it less. Recently, first seaters have also been given a trainee mentor or buddy to help them settle into the firm. The trainees are pretty good at socialising, especially at end of month drinks, and there are lots of committees, socials, sports teams and volunteering opportunities to take advantage of, although the recent division into four smaller intakes can sometimes make things a little separated." -- Second year trainee
• "Culture around the office is very un-stuffy, friendly and informal. There is a collegiate atmosphere and everyone is very approachable. There is no concept of 'face-time', which I have experienced on vac schemes at other firms, where trainees and even associates feel they need to stay late regardless of what work they have. Trainees support each other well, particularly within departments if there is a big task and/or lack of capacity, and the social scene is good." -- First year trainee
• "Trainees do tend to socialise and are generally supportive of each other. It tends to be more ad hoc drinks out rather than organised events although this is starting to change a bit with the introduction of a trainee social committee." -- Second year trainee
• "Each department is a little different. But in general the firm has a very open culture and encourages social life – drinks after work once in a while, depending on work load. Quite a few firm-wide social events are organised too and usually well attended. The trainees really support each other and often socialise together – or at least that has been my experience!" -- Second year trainee
• "Trainees are in general supportive; we socialise to an extent, but it's proving difficult to find the time to do so. There are occasional firm events, e.g. end of month drinks. It's a very friendly place to work day to day." -- First year trainee
• "The firm has a good culture with an open-door policy and a variety of social activities to choose from. Trainees have also established a trainee liaison committee, which is subdivided to include both a trainee-specific sport and social committee so various trainee-specific events are organised and encouraged." -- First year trainee

Hours

• "The hours are long – but it is what I expected! A good day is 9.30am – 7.30pm. I'm not a fan of early mornings so I appreciate the gentle start. I've done some all nighters, but that's typical of the department. I reckon I average 45 hours a week. Maybe more." -- First year trainee
• "At the moment, I probably average 40 – 50 hours per week, which is less than I expected. I will occasionally have a late night/late week, but overall the hours are relatively civilised." -- Second year trainee
• "I'm in finance therefore the hours can be up and down. When I was working long hours I got very frustrated and miserable, however, now I'm working normal hours I am really enjoying it. The average is hard to therefore guess at, as it will be constantly changing." -- First year trainee
• "The hours you work at the firm very much depend on which department you sit in. The work level is also quite unpredictable, some weeks working completely flat out and others sat twiddling your thumbs." -- First year trainee
• "I work about 50 – 55 hours a week in my current seat (tax) which I think is fine." -- First year trainee
• "This will depend on the seat, e.g. the hours on a secondment or in real estate are generally good whereas in a corporate seat trainees/associates can often be expected to work very long hours." -- First year trainee
• "I normally arrive at 9.30 and leave around 7. This can vary drastically, but on average the hours are about what I expected. This massively depends on the department, and some people have periods where they don't get much sleep – but on the whole this is an exception and is recognised by the partners through time in lieu and other goodies." -- First year trainee
• "This varies massively depending on which department you work in. I regularly worked 70+ hours per week in corporate, but in my other seats I have tended to work a fairly normal week of about 40 – 50 hours." -- Second year trainee

Pay

• "I think it's about average for a City firm of this size, and for a firm which does not require a ridiculous amount of hours." -- First year trainee
• "Seems to be the standard market rate for a mid-size City firm." -- Second year trainee

Interviews & Assessments

• "It was very relaxed: they seemed to want to find out about my personality and questions revolved around general knowledge and what I do in my free time – in fact my worry back then was that I hadn't been formal enough or shown my razor sharp legal skills! I think that in hindsight this reflects the firm as a whole – they know you've got the brains to do your job based on what's on paper about you; what they're really interested in by the interview stage is cultural fit, and what you can bring to the firm." -- First year trainee
• "Two rounds of interviews (one with HR and one with two partners). There were also two written assessments – one proofreading exercise and a general analysis exercise – as well as verbal reasoning. Questions asked in interview: why Olswang? Why law? What skills are needed as a lawyer? Weaknesses and strengths? Anything in the news recently? Any recent legal news caught your eye?" -- Second year trainee
• "I was hired after a vacation scheme, for which there were various tests and two interviews, with HR and the partners. There was another interview with two partners for my training contract. I also had to write application letters for both applications. The interview covered my personal background and interests, problem-solving skills and business awareness." -- First year trainee
• "I came via a summer internship/vac scheme so there were two tests (one was a psychometric test and the other involved proofreading a letter) and an interview with a partner and an HR officer to get onto the scheme and then two tests (one was a business plan test and the other was a case study/comprehension exercise) and an interview with two partners at the end of the scheme to get a training contract. It was useful having the training contract interview at the end of the scheme as I was able to discuss the work I had been involved with over the previous two weeks and make relatively informed comments about the firm. The questions were the standard: why law, why Olswang, what are your weaknesses, strengths, etc. as well as ‘what would you do in x scenario’. There were a couple of business/current awareness questions, but they weren't too bad." -- Second year trainee
• "Two interviews. I interviewed with senior associates and HR. No full assessment day, but there was a test on how to set up a small business, and one which involved reading a document regarding a new share issue to shareholders, and then answering questions on the document. Also an IQ type test. Interview questions were not unusual; why do you want to work in law, why this firm, current events in law/finance, discussion of the credit crunch, commercial awareness, etc. As I had previously worked as a museum curator, I spent a good deal of time discussing why I wanted to make the change to law." -- First year trainee
• "I had an interview for my vacation scheme then a day of interviews at the end of the vacation scheme. All were challenging but not too intimidating, the questions at interview were fairly standard but as soon as I mentioned something interesting the partners picked up on it and the interview became more individual." -- First year trainee
• "I had three rounds of interviews: 1. Friendly meet and greet with HR and a written test. 2. Psychometric test/comprehension and analysis test. 3. Interview with partner/s." -- First year trainee