Changing career has certainly become more common in recent times, and while the average age of an individual admitted to the Law Society’s role of solicitors is now 29-30, it is still relatively unusual to see more mature trainees. The process of securing a training contract is a stressful and frustrating one, and adding in
Samantha is a 2nd year trainee at Machins Solicitors. Having worked previously in another Bedfordshire firm as a conveyancing assistant, Samantha’s background leans mostly towards property matters. Samantha’s seats have included Commercial Property (6 months), Family (9 months), and is finishing her training contract in Dispute Resolution (9 months). Samantha is due to qualify in
Training Contracts are highly sought after and what follows is an extremely competitive market where only a lucky few are successful in their bid to obtain one. Accordingly, it’s crucial to make the most of the golden opportunity so that by the end of your Training Contract, you can look back with no regrets having
Similar to my predecessors I accepted a Training Contract offer at Machins a year in advance of my start date. In what should have been a year full of anticipation, I spent the latter part of it frantically expecting a dreaded phone call or email to explain that my start date was due to be
What is Commercial Awareness? This is a question asked by many prospective trainee solicitors – they know it is something they need to demonstrate, but often don’t understand exactly what it means. Our managing partner, Mark Pelopida, considers commerciality to be one of the most important skills in a future trainee solicitor, and it is
My training contract was due to start on the 1st July 2020, and thankfully unlike many other firms, Machins did not postpone my start date because of COVID-19. I started my first seat, in the Private Family department in the Berkhamsted office, when the effects of the pandemic were lessened and ‘Rishies Dishes’ were all
Starting as a trainee can sometimes be daunting. Our trainee solicitors have put together 10 top tips to help you along the way. Prioritise effectively. Usually, you should prioritise your direct supervisor’s work before the work of other members of the department. Sometimes this may mean speaking to the Partner you work for about your
My Training Contract began on the 1st July 2020 during the height of the covid-19 pandemic so I guess my experience differs somewhat to previous Trainees, but nonetheless I have done my best to adapt to a socially distanced/remote working Training Contract. 7:15am: My alarm goes off. As I am currently working from home, I
As a trainee, two things are guaranteed: 1) you will copy a forests worth of paperwork and 2) you will work in at least two departments. If you are lucky – or unlucky – you might work in four departments. This seemingly routine aspect of the training contract is, to my mind, the greatest cause
by Brad Johnson and Samantha Ball The musician and grime artist Kano once said, “There’s more than one way to make it” and much to many people’s surprise becoming a Solicitor couldn’t be more true to this statement. At the time of writing, I am in my second seat in the Employment Department and my