Trainee Blog

I am currently undertaking the second seat of my training contract in the firm’s Civil Litigation department.

I am really enjoying this seat so far and I am assisting a number of fee earners with a vast variety of matters including contractual disputes, personal injury matters, contentious property disputes and employment law.

One case which I am involved with at the moment is highly contentious involving all sorts of procedural and legal issues and it has been extremely interesting to really get involved with the case and gain an insight as to how matters can quickly twist and turn bringing about new issues to research. It is also invaluable from a learning perspective to have continuity of work and obtain a real taster of what it is like to efficiently manage a complex file on a day to day basis.

One of the most enjoyable things about working in this department is not knowing what each day will bring, and whilst this is often a challenge, it is also exciting as it is necessary to research all kinds of issues which are not all necessarily law related. Recently I had cause to carry out some research in relation to thatched roofs. It was vital to understand the individual predicament of our client in circumstances where works carried out on a thatched roof were being called into question.

Litigation is by its very nature fast paced and often extremely time pressured, therefore working in the department can at times be quite challenging and demanding especially in circumstances where the clients are stressed or anxious about pending Court proceedings. That said, I think experience of working in this environment is essential to learn vital skills that are required of all competent solicitors, namely being able to prioritise your workload and effect good time management skills whilst above all else managing your client’s expectations.