Law with a Year Study Abroad

I am a trainee solicitor and I am currently in the Family team. I have previously done six months in the serious injury team and my next seat will be medical negligence. My role is very broad and varies day to day. To summarise my role, I assist with drafting letters and documents to client, opponent, court and other third parties. I may also take part in telephone calls and sending emails depending on my tasks. I also assist the team with preparing for any court hearings that we may have. The other parts of my role that I enjoy are attending talks speaking to graduates and attending charity meetings.

I enjoy litigation, so I enjoy anything related to litigation. I have been fortunate enough to attend multiple court hearings during my time so far. As a trainee, it is important to get experience with all stages of the process so from taking a note on an initial call to preparing documents ahead of a trial.

The challenges have been adapting to new ways of working. However, I have been able to use my technological knowledge and build on this. For example, from assisting on electronic bundles, video conferencing and paperless working. This will definitely be very valuable when I qualify. I have learnt that it really is important to be flexible and adaptable to different circumstances. I have also learnt that there is an opportunity to learn something every day that will help me eventually become an excellent solicitor.

Training contracts are increasingly difficult to obtain and it is important to work on building skills in order to make your application stand out. For certain firms it does not have to be legal experience. I built up my skills doing voluntary work and working at a local bakery.

Researching a firm is very important, additionally try and get any opportunity to find out whether the firm that you are applying for is right for you. One way to do this is to attend open days and any events that the firm arranges. In addition, applying for a vacation scheme or work placement would give you an opportunity to find out exactly what a firm is like and whether it is for you.

I applied for the work placement here at Irwin Mitchell and it was a two week opportunity to really see the culture of the firm beyond the website and other research. I spent one week in the serious injury team and another week in medical negligence. I had the opportunity to attend a hearing, client meetings, settlement meetings, conferences and a range of different tasks. I could see that this was a firm for me as I was quickly settled into the team and felt comfortable around the people that I worked with.

The work that I was tasked with was meaningful and I was given detailed feedback on the work. This was helpful in giving me the confidence in my abilities and that I was applying for the right firm.