Charles Russell : Reciprocal Benefit

As a trainee at the City law firm, Charles Russell, I have become accustomed to steeling myself against surprise at the spectrum of demands that are asked of me in the course of my work.  And so it was, when I was asked to ‘buddy' Matthew Scotland, a sixth form Worth boy who was due to spend time on work experience here at Charles Russell.

Being a Worth old boy myself, I remember the wealth of experiences and opportunities that were afforded to me by working in different places during my time as a student.  In fact, having spent time at Charles Russell on work experience I find that, four years down the line this is the place where I have taken my first proper job!

Traditionally, participation by employers in ‘work placements' or ‘vacation schemes' is seen by them as doing students a favour - a chance for young Jack to put something on the CV.  However, anyone who has been involved in a work placement - as either an employer or student - will tell you that, if properly organised, such arrangements can be mutually beneficial.

As part of its recruitment process, Charles Russell runs a formal ‘Placement Programme'.  The scheme is a two-week structured programme containing a wide range of activities, including a mock trial, a group exercise, a team challenge, trips to Court and an overview from each service area.  During that two-week period each placement has the opportunity to spend time in two different service areas, where they will have a mentor on hand to answer any questions and to help make sure the time spent at Charles Russell is beneficial.  The Programme is aimed at those individuals who will be eligible to start a training contract in two years time.  Not only does it allow the individual to get a feel for the firm and for life in a City practice, but it also affords the firm an opportunity to meet and assess potential applicants prior to commencement of training contract assessment centres.

As a sixth-former, Matthew was not eligible for this Scheme, and was therefore offered work experience on an ad-hoc basis.  While this is not something that the firm would ordinarily do, on this occasion an exception was made and, in conjunction with the HR department, I used the Programme's structure as an outline template to select tasks for the duration of Matthew's placement.

During his time at Charles Russell, Matthew helped us with a project relating to a potential new client in relation to our compliance obligations under the Solicitors' Code of Conduct.  This was ‘real' work, and will undoubtedly be relied upon in future matters relating to this client.  We are genuinely grateful to him for his contribution as it enabled us to speed up the process.

When on my work placement at Charles Russell, I spent two weeks in the litigation department with the then senior partner. Throughout this period I was included in preparations for, and the beginning of, an arbitration involving another major City law firm.  Both sides were acting on behalf of governmental clients. I found the whole experience fascinating. Suffice to say that my enjoyment of that time was seminal, colouring many of my future career decisions.

Hopefully, Matthew's experiences in the courts, participation in conferences with our corporate team and his help on our client due diligence project will prove likewise for him; in this way repaying him for his efforts. I would hope that this is the case. I also hope that in future, he too will appreciate the reciprocal benefits that these arrangements help to propagate.

Oliver Rumsey (G'99)