Impressively there are seven firms at the top of this table which score a perfect ten. Good news for them because vacation schemes are becoming increasingly important for both law firms and candidates. Firms use them to cherry-pick the best candidates and must sell themselves well if they want the cream of the crop to choose them for their training contract. The conversion rate of vacation scheme students to trainees is a big deal for many firms, with some proud to achieve conversion rates of up to 90% (ie 90% of trainees did a vac scheme with the firm, were offered a job, and, most importantly, chose to take it). Vac schemes are also key for candidates to gain an insight into different types of practice, and provide a helpful couple of weeks to make a good impression. Interestingly the seven firms with the top score are a real mix of London, US, regional, big and small – proving a worthwhile vacation scheme can be found at a variety of different places. So what was so impressive about the top seven firms? At Blake Lapthorn the 'friendliness was apparent the minute you walk through the doors', at Denton Wilde Sapte they found 'friendly and normal people on the vac scheme', at Dorsey & Whitney LLP 'there was high quality work available even on the vacation scheme', at Forsters LLP one trainee 'did a vac scheme and loved it – so friendly and welcoming', at Ince & Co, one comments 'having done the vac scheme I knew that I'd be given responsibility early on', at Martineau 'it was clear that they looked after their trainees and staff', and at Stephenson Harwood 'the scheme gave an insight into the fascinating shipping work'. What is clear from the majority of comments about vacation schemes is that trainees value a friendly welcome above pretty much everything else, but that is not enough to win over the best candidates. Schemes need a certain amount of structure, they need to test but not demoralize candidates and they need to keep them informed and involved – everyone likes to feel part of a team and that they're doing something worthwhile. See the table for other firms with winning schemes, and for further information see our article on vacation schemes on page 454.