How to navigate your first week as a trainee – Trainee Blog

Having recently commenced the final seat of my training contract, I have had a good opportunity to reflect on the last 18 months. In particular I have reflected on my first week as a trainee solicitor and how I would navigate my first week as a trainee if I were to start again.

I remember the first week of my training contract vividly. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with meeting lots of new people, learning how to use the IT and systems, and being immersed in an area of law that you may be unfamiliar with. I experienced all of this, coupled with the end of the first Covid-19 lockdown which almost coincided with my start date.

There is also a fair amount of pressure on trainees who are embarking on their all-important training contract. Training contracts are often described as a two year interview for a job post-qualification and trainees are therefore keen to prove that the firm made the right decision in hiring you.

Without further ado, here are my top tips for navigating your first week as a trainee:

1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

I’m aware it’s a cliché, but it is so for a reason! The training contract is the perfect opportunity to learn and ask as many questions as possible. It is always better to spend 30 seconds asking a partner a question than 3 hours trying to work it out yourself, or even worse, 3 hours wasting time doing the wrong thing! I have personally found it useful to clarify tasks with my supervisor – “you have asked me to do A and B, I assume this task also entails C and D?” Not only does this enable you to fully understand the task at hand, but it is an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge. Remember you are not expected to know everything – it is a training contract after all!

• Managing expectations

This is paramount. It is important to understand what your supervisor expects of you. What are the expected deadlines for tasks? What additional file management tasks are you expected to do? Communication is key here and it is always better to turn down an additional task because you are at capacity, than taking it on and consequently missing the deadline.

• Efficiency v. quality

One difficulty I encountered is attempting to balance my efficiency with the quality of my work. No partner wants work produced to them that is sub-standard, but simultaneously isn’t willing to wait forever for you to curate the ‘perfect’ piece of work. It is important to be mindful of balancing this, especially if you’re a perfectionist like myself! You will naturally become more efficient and the quality of your drafting will improve as you work through each seat, all in good time!

• Get to know your fellow-trainees

Befriending your fellow trainees can pay dividends in addition to a good work social life. You can support each other and share advice and experiences of different seats. It is always better to ask the previous trainee of your current seat a question, rather than reinventing the wheel. Look at previous work as examples and don’t be afraid to reach out to one another and share experiences and advice.

• Enjoy it

Lastly, give yourself a pat on the back – you made it! You are likely to one of the successful few in a pool of tens, hundreds or even thousands of applications, and should be very proud. You’ve got a training contract after all!