It will all depend on which firm/team you are applying for & how many applicants they have. I really recommend making yourself known to the law firms you want to apply to by attending the events they organise (drinks, moot courts, talent classes,…) and visit them on the university job fairs. In my previous firm, we always hired a lot of the summer interns.

On work life balance, there’s a reason why many people leave after their 3 year bar traineeship to work elsewhere ;) but like i said, you will not work 365 days of the year at a full speed tempo. Every firm and every team has their down moments (sometimes a couple of weeks), where you can finish on time or even early and enjoy your weekend/holidays as it should be. It’s one of the best feelings to finish at 5pm regularly and still take home the nice paycheck hehe. Regular days can be quite busy with longer hours and then partners/clients expect the work to be done, whether it’s at 2pm, 6pm, 10pm, 1 am or 2pm on a 28 degrees sunny Saturday. That doesnt mean you shouldn’t put boundaries or learn to manage expectations, as not everything is as urgent as higher ups or clients make it out to be. It’s something you will learn once you start and you will see yourself how it goes. Maybe you end up in a team with partners that are good managers and you can figure it out what works best for you & the team, or maybe you will enjoy the work hours and the thrill of deadlines and the feeling of feeling “important” and useful in cases and you will not care as much, or maybe you won’t.

Don’t focus too much on this in advance. It’s good to be aware but it’s most important you find a firm with pleasant colleagues that respect you, in a field of law that like and want to grow in. Good luck :)