Trainee Solicitor
I have to confess to a family legal background – both my parents are partners in City law firms. I read history at Durham and probably kicked against law as a career choice for as long as I could. Having tried out a few other things though, I eventually came round to the idea that was quite a good option after all. It combined all the business and analytical elements that I enjoy with the prospect of dealing with clients and building relationships, which was also a big plus.
I applied to maybe eleven firms, all of a similar level to here. I didn’t consider the very largest firms, because I wanted my training to be broader-based than that which they offer. I didn’t want to become some sort of deal monkey in a niche area – really good at one thing yet with no aptitude for anything else. Personally, I think the point of a traineeship is to acquire a general understanding of contractual principles and a broad overview of the business, which will then help you choose where you want to specialise.
I eventually chose Pinsent Masons because financially they were successful and were going places in a difficult economic climate. I also undertook a vacation placement, which gave me an inside perspective on how the firm works together.
A trainee’s responsibilities can vary massively, depending on the department. I think that's one of the strengths of the training contract programme. In each seat, you’ll hone a couple of individual skills, and as you progress, pick up enough different skill-sets along the way to give you a good, overall grounding.
My first seat – in Projects, focusing on commercial outsourcing – was a steep learning curve. Projects inherently involves big transactions with lots of protracted commercial negotiations. Our team was pretty much camped out with the client in the firm’s meeting rooms, putting in twelve-hour days for months. That’s when you realise how important it is that you all get on. If your client is spending that much time with you, they want you to be someone who’s interesting to have in the room. At the end of it, you have your champagne moment – the point where the deal’s completed, and you’ve been responsible for helping to get everything ready to go.
In my current seat, Employment, it’s a little different. Here, the satisfaction is more about preparing thoroughly and delivering the client’s case in the best light. There’s a lot of variety – different things land on your desk, and you can find yourself working on a case that makes headline news.
If anything has surprised me so far, I’d say it’s how close you get to the people you work with – particularly in my first seat. When you're working on a deal for ages, you really get to know the people in your team well. In a more general sense, I’ve also been surprised and impressed by the scale of the firm’s ambition. The firm knows where it wants to be, and they’re not afraid to fight to achieve it. You feel like you’re in an environment that really wants to go somewhere – and that’s a great feeling.