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As explained, whilst some trainees choose to go on secondment to, for example, in-house practices, and others have an arrangement whereby they spend a seat at another firm because their own firm doesn’t have the requisite variation of work, my firm was subject to a takeover by a much larger organisation who are looking to establish themselves as a key player in one of the country’s fastest-growing cities and prepare themselves for the golden economy ‘boom’ that we all await with baited breath.

Through this blog I hope to be able to share my experiences as a trainee at firstly a small, niche commercial practice, and secondly, a much larger, well known commercial practice looking to expand aggressively despite the economic downturn.  I also wish to look at the differences in my training experience under each organisation, whilst analysing the pros and cons of both types of firm, which will hopefully help some of you decide which firm is the right choice for you.

I am also a member of the Junior Lawyers Division Committee for my region and am therefore rather involved in the social and extra-curricular aspects of being a young lawyer.  Through this blog I also therefore aim to look at the more enjoyable features of a training contract, because after all, you have to enjoy yourself sometimes.

Finally, my student life ended a mere 14 months ago, and the highs and lows of being a student at secondary school, undergrad and post-graduate level are still fresh in my mind.  Whilst I don’t envy anybody out there currently searching for the elusive training contract, I made life difficult for myself by not doing certain things throughout my education which I would drastically change if I could do it all over again. 

I’ve been lucky enough to secure a training contract that I was able to start almost immediately following my LPC, and am even more fortunate to now be involved with a highly regarded firm, but it could have been a lot different for me.  Hopefully I can pass on the small amount of wisdom I now have with regard to what you should be doing, opportunities you should be seizing, and ways at getting ahead of the race at various points of your legal education.

Just in case anybody’s wondering, the first pro of being in a large firm – them paying for you to eat a three-course meal and drink alcohol all night just to welcome the new trainee intake.  Nice.

I immediately caught interest in this post because I have no idea whatsoever what I should be doing or not doing for the next two years of my law degree with regards to extra-curricular activities etc and because of this I’ve found that I am not fully committing myself in all the aspects that are available to me during my law degree. Even though I am at least three or four years away from getting to the stage where I will finally be able to apply for a training contract, I want to know more about it now because after my first year of my legal education, I feel even more lost than when I started and staying ahead of the game seems to be the only option if am to succeed! so reading on..