‘A fantastic opportunity’: A Day in the Life of Anna McAlpine, third seat trainee at Addleshaw Goddard

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Nov 01, 2021

Written By Emma Finamore

Anna McAlpine is a third seat trainee in Addleshaw Goddard's (AG) Edinburgh office, in the Litigation team. She actually started out studying English Literature and Philosophy but then took her studies in a different direction, completing the Graduate LLB then the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice. Anna began her training contract in September 2020, and she’s giving us a glimpse into the experience.

How did you get your training contract?

Having taken a more unconventional route into law, starting out as an English and Philosophy graduate, I was applying for training contracts in my first semester of my graduate law degree. Although I had completed a couple of legal internships before starting on the Graduate LLB, I was keen to gain more exposure to a commercial law environment. With this in mind, I chose to apply to a vacation scheme at AG…hoping that I may get a training contract offer at the end of it.

Although my vacation scheme was only a week long, it was a fantastic opportunity to get a real insight into the type of work undertaken at the firm, the clients AG work for and the firm's culture. I'd really recommend a placement scheme to anyone thinking of applying as it allows you to both show the firm why they should hire you, and allows you to make sure that the firm is the right fit for you.

After completing my vacation scheme, and buried under a growing pile of jurisprudence exam notes in the library, I got a call from the graduate team to offer me a training contract starting in 2020. Needless to say, after a great experience with the firm, the offer was accepted there and then.

What's a typical day as a trainee lawyer?

Day-to-day activities can vary each week during the course of one seat, never mind from department to department! Usually though my day will involve a mix of client work, calls with colleagues, team meetings and training.

As a trainee your work will largely be dictated by the workload of the more senior fee earners in your team. This means you can often be juggling multiple tasks for different colleagues and deadlines can move depending on client needs. With this in mind I think flexibility is a key skill to develop as a junior lawyer. By properly organising your time, being able to keep on top of multiple matters and making yourself available to help your team wherever possible – you can make yourself indispensable to the team you are working for.

Whilst as a trainee you'll not have the control to shape your day or what work is coming in, I will still always start and end my day in the same way: with my to-do list. Of course this is a moveable feast, and can change throughout the day, but I find that it is always good to have a clear view on what comes in so that you are always on top of things.

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How much do you communicate with senior colleagues and clients on a daily basis?

I communicate with both senior colleagues and clients on a very regular basis as an AG trainee.

I have found that at AG teams really do work collaboratively and all ideas are welcomed no matter your level of seniority. I still remember the head partner in my first seat welcoming me into the team on my first week. In our first meeting he really emphasised that if I ever had ideas on how to improve things that the team were doing, or had an idea for something new, that I should get in touch with him. That was a great introduction to a team that really valued all voices.

I am also very happy about the level of client contact I’ve had during my traineeship so far. In my second seat I was regularly in touch with clients and even had a chance to lead a client call. I definitely think it is important to have these sorts of opportunities as a trainee, as it is all great practise for running your own matters upon qualification and beyond.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

One aspect of my traineeship at AG that I’ve really valued is the amount of responsibility which trainees are given. Once you build your confidence with a matter I've found that I am often trusted to run with elements as independently as possible.

I have found being able to take ownership of your work as a trainee to be a very rewarding experience. AG strikes a good balance though and I've never found myself without help or someone to speak with to ask questions!

What advice would you give to someone applying for a training contract?

This might sound overly trite but… just be yourself and show what you as an individual can bring to the firm.

When applying through online application forms, video interviews or assessment centres, you often have either a short word count or limited time to get across your personality. It pays dividends to spend some time really thinking about how your life experiences and skillset will make you the right candidate.

I think that a lot of students can get hung up on having the right legal work experience and top grades but do think about your wider experiences that will make you stand out from the crowd. Infusing every answer with your personal experiences is what will help the recruitment team get a good sense of exactly who you are and how you would fit in at AG. When reviewing my own applications before submitting them, my own general rule of thumb was that if any sentence I had written could be said of “x” many other students, it was cut.

Aside from that, try to equip yourself with as much information about the firm as you can. Sure, this may inevitably begin with a trawl through the firm's own website (which has a wealth of information in itself) but then think about what you are most interested in.

Excited about a particular area of law? Read up on the firm's latest cases or deals in that area and what is being said about them in the legal news. Interested in our CSR and pro-bono initiatives? Why not try reaching out with any questions you have to members of the firm working on an initiative that catches your eye?

Going the extra mile to research and gain information on what AG are doing will help you to know if it is the right firm for you, whilst also demonstrating that you are someone who is willing to go above and beyond to land the training contract.

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