^{"The app says I have to sit in a virtual data room with mountains of work for the next 16 hours."}

Macfarlanes has created a 'trainee experience app', where users can sample mock trainee activities on their phone.  

Prospective candidates can download the app and complete tasks "modelled on real work" created by the firm's solicitors and trainees, with the added bonus that they can switch to Candy Crush if it gets too much. 

The app, developed by Macfarlanes graduate recruitment and lawtech teams, will also run virtual seminars "so that participants can ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of the practice areas". 

RollOnFriday gave the app a whirl. To start, virtual trainees are allowed to choose their seat, without having to curry favour with the HR team or play office politics:  

Once a user has picked their department, they are presented with a case study followed by instructions such as amending a document, drafting a memo, or responding to questions. However, it doesn't replicate the full trainee experience of forcing users to cancel evening plans in order to be subjected to a marathon beasting. Instead, users can answer a question about PJ, whilst in their PJs:

The app congratulates star virtual trainees, and permits them to go to the next section (their first climb of the greasy pole): 

In a refreshing move, those with less stellar marks are still praised and allowed to progress to the next stage, without receiving a bollocking from a furious partner:

As virtual work experience programmes become the norm for firms, Macfarlanes training principal Jat Bains said that such technology "can open the gates to the ‘playing field’ wide open and allow people from all backgrounds to have the chance to see at least some of what those who gain a place on a vacation scheme can experience." 

It is not known whether any firm will create a 'partner experience app', where users score points for hoarding work and creating their own practice area fiefdoms.  

The Macfarlanes trainee experience app is available for download in the Apple App Store and on Google Play, or can be accessed in a desktop browser.  Or if it doesn't float your boat, there's always the 8-bit video game 'Capacity' instead.

And for those wanting an app to meet lawyers IRL and find love, there is Lawyr.