IAmA Trainee Solicitor - AMAA

As at A Level, and I was at Oxbridge. I'm actually the only Oxbridge trainee in my intake though - and the bulk of the lawyers are from universities like Warwick, Nottingham and Birmingham. There's actually quite a high proportion (anecdotally) of non-law graduates, which I found slightly surprising when I first arrived.

The firm has about a dozen trainees over the two years, and yes, we're a fairly sociable bunch! We have a monthly payday lunch, and our firm also puts on end of month drinks (they fill the fridge with alcohol and people congregate in the kitchen after work), which they often attend.



A lot of the work that we do is shaped by the law (insofar as we have to comply with what the law says), but on a practical level it doesn't require detailed knowledge of statutes - just the overview you'll have been taught on the GDL/LPC.

For instance, in Property, you'll likely find yourself helping to draft leases. Our firm has precedents ("templates") with a number of possible clauses in, and you have to tailor this to the circumstances of the client. A lot of this is actually common sense, e.g. an event has to happen within [ ] days - what number goes there? There'll likely be a commonly-used number, but in truth as long as yours sounds reasonable it's usually fine - and the whole lease will be subject to negotiation with the other side anyway.

Similarly, in corporate, you'll be helping with due diligence where one company is thinking of buying another (ie you'll be running searches and reviewing documents to check there are no nasty surprises), helping with the checklist of preconditions to ensure everything is in place before contracts are signed, and drafting the necessary company meeting minutes to show the deal was properly authorised internally. I also found myself doing a fair bit of research (since we act for a lot of wealthy individuals), on things such as whether a UK company can change its "nationality".

I haven't spoken to private client (essentially family law and tax planning) to have a particularly in depth view of the depth of legal knowledge they require, but I imagine it's broadly similar. Will drafting is more about unambiguous language and ensuring the correct formalities are followed - as set down in statute - than very detailed legal understanding. I think the main area which differs is tax, where we have one guy in particular who's extremely sharp - the thing I find a little difficult is the extent to which EVERYTHING is interdependent, particularly when you're dealing with some of the complicated tax structures our clients use.

Apologies for the length, but as you can (hopefully!) see, the work we do is pretty varied and isn't something for which an in-depth legal knowledge is required. I studied approximately 14 different topics at uni, and among the almost completely irrelevant ones are:

Constitutional Law
Criminal Law
Roman Law
Criminal Procedure and Evidence
International Law
Medical Law

...which is quite a large proportion of my degree.

Thanks a lot.

I'm at Leeds and will target non-MC/SC city firms.

You're welcome. For what it's worth, Leeds and Manchester are fairly big legal centres outside of London - as I'm sure you're aware! - so might be worth sticking in some regional apps too. I'm originally from up north, so I thought it was worth a go given my connection to the area.

Op thanks for posting the thread

I'll post later with some questions

I think you changed your username as well

Hi

Thanks for giving something back to the community!

You have covered this a bit - my concern is that I will 'forget' all the law I have learned on GDL and LPC and be expected to know something I can't remember off the top of my head, or actually did not actually ever get my head around, because on the GDL the only sensible approach to the exams was question-spotting (ie I never really went there with say EU movement of people).

a) how relevant IS all the academic law and b) can you advise briefly how to best prep for the start of a TC - how do you prepare? and c) if you really feel helpful, how best to approach the first week or two of a new TC?

Thanks! Also congrats on the TC!!

Blackacre's advice is fantastic, take it all on board.

Two I'd add are:

1) Learn the personalities and balance of power in your team pronto. Some partners will be willing to help trainees out, others want you to be seen and not heard. Ask for help from the latter category and you could quickly get a black mark against your name. In terms of the politics, harsh as it sounds, there's no point impressing people whose opinion counts for little. There's a partner in our team who's clearly on his way out, I work for him if he asks, but I'm not going to be prioritising his work or asking for more of his stuff.

2) Remember you're there to solve problems, both for clients indirectly or fee earners directly. Try to think of not just how you do something but how you make the fee earner's/client's life as easy as possible by doing it. For example if you do some research provide a full detailed explanation of the answer in the note, a brief summary at the top of the note and a one line explanation in the email you send attaching it.

I wouldn't worry too much about billing etc. as a trainee, just make sure you get your time down effectively, it's for the partner to decide what gets written off.

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For someone with a non-traditional background (i.e. non law), how would you explain to them 'why law'? and more specifically going down to the solicitor route.

This is especially pertinent given the competitiveness of securing a vacation scheme, or even an open day invite.

I know it sounds very premature, but what sort of GCSE grades should one look at if one hopes to do law at a uni such as Bristol, Warwick, UCL (that standard/reputation). Also, if one has a 2:1 law degree from a reputable uni, but not fantastic elite London or Oxbridge, such as Warwick or Bristol, do you feel he would still have a decent chance at regional/national firms, such as Hill Dickinson, in terms of TCs? Any advice for getting into a top uni for law? Thanks!


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Of course someone would have a chance at those firms with a 2:1 from those universities.

Firms do not look at applications and judge them on the university attended. You'll find trainees from a whole range of unis at a whole range of firms. Magic circle firms will have trainees from poorer universities and high street firms will have trainees from the top russell group unis.

You are not barred from access anywhere by which university you went to and anyone who tells you not to apply to a particular firm because of your university is not giving you good advice. Match that firm to your degree mark, your work experience, your being able to show drive and passion in the area etc. I know graduates who went to rather 'lowly' universities who are now in amazing jobs, and graduates from Oxbridge who are in not so amazing jobs. That is not based on the university attended, that is based on the skills and drive shown.

Queen Mary is a top rated law faculty - you won't have a problem with any firm.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Blackacre's advice is fantastic, take it all on board.

Two I'd add are:

1) Learn the personalities and balance of power in your team pronto. Some partners will be willing to help trainees out, others want you to be seen and not heard. Ask for help from the latter category and you could quickly get a black mark against your name. In terms of the politics, harsh as it sounds, there's no point impressing people whose opinion counts for little. There's a partner in our team who's clearly on his way out, I work for him if he asks, but I'm not going to be prioritising his work or asking for more of his stuff.

2) Remember you're there to solve problems, both for clients indirectly or fee earners directly. Try to think of not just how you do something but how you make the fee earner's/client's life as easy as possible by doing it. For example if you do some research provide a full detailed explanation of the answer in the note, a brief summary at the top of the note and a one line explanation in the email you send attaching it.

I wouldn't worry too much about billing etc. as a trainee, just make sure you get your time down effectively, it's for the partner to decide what gets written off.