Each summer we welcome six vacation scheme students to join us for two weeks, to get an insight into working at Boodle Hatfield and what it is like to train with us. Find out more about what our vacation scheme student, Will, got up to during his first week.

Upon arrival on Monday we were welcomed with presentations about the business and the types of work and clients that each department has. This provided great insight into Boodle Hatfield and the variety it has to offer for a trainee. At the end of the first day, we had firmwide drinks and nibbles in the office. This was very well attended by members of the firm, and by partners in particular. It was refreshing to be able to speak to senior figures in an informal manner and really get to know the people and culture at Boodle Hatfield.

On Tuesday, we joined our first department. I was sitting in Private Wealth and was supervised by associate, James Woods-Davison. He showed me around the department and introduced me to the team. After this, I was given my first piece of work, which was to research the current situation of the no-fault divorce bill that is currently going through Parliament for an article. In the afternoon, we were given the opportunity to attend a Q&A with Sara Maccallum. It was great to have contact time with such a senior member of the firm and get insight into the firm’s structure, business model and future plans. This was followed by a treasure hunt, which was kindly arranged by HR. This allowed the vacation scheme students to familiarise ourselves with the local surroundings whilst getting to know each other a little better also!

As part of the vacation scheme, we are given a project to work on for our two weeks at Boodle Hatfield. On Wednesday morning, James and Cosima, a second-year trainee, briefed me on my project, which I found hugely interesting, stimulating and educational. It also provided insight into the type of work the department offers and how to approach a case from the beginning. Later on in the day, I was tasked with researching the new law on economic substance and providing a list of useful articles for James, who was working with a client on this area.

On Thursday, I worked with other members of the Private Wealth Team to carry out various tasks which included comparing investment companies to suggest a shortlist of the most suitable for a client to instruct. On Friday morning, I spent some time undertaking a scheduling task, which was interesting as it showed me what the management of an estate looks like in practice.  On the final afternoon, I was back with James to carry out some research for one of his matters.