 |
Kate Atherton is a second year trainee at Rollits in Hull.
Kate's current seat is in Company & Commercial.
Below, she gives us her account of what it's like to be a trainee at Rollits, along with her description of a typical day in the life at work! |
I am now into the final seat of my training contract in the Corporate team of the Company & Commercial Department which is where I hope to qualify this coming September. Now that the end is in sight, it is great to be able to focus on the actual work that I'll be practicing in.
My Litigation seat was cut short due the amount of work being generated by the Corporate team and I have been back working with that team since January. Since then I have been kept busy on a couple of large transactions and was given the opportunity to "mastermind" the due diligence process for a management buy-out. It has been a fantastic learning curve for me and I can honestly say that I have received thorough support throughout. I was also heavily involved in drafting the financial assistance documentation which is quite a complex area of law – I think I'll have just about got the hang of it before the legislation changes later this year!
Besides the large deals, there are always the small ones too that you have to keep on top of day to day e.g. drafting shareholders' agreements, winding up companies and other company secretarial matters. It is a juggling act but an important one to learn.
Although my current work is predominately corporate, I am continuing to work on a couple of complex employment files which I have been involved in almost since the start of my training contract. It may be a completely different discipline but I'm looking forward to seeing these files through to their conclusion.
Rollits make a great effort to accommodate their second year trainees. The firm always seeks to allow trainees to go back to the seat in which they wish to qualify for their final 6 months. Whether a trainee is offered the opportunity of staying on with the firm post qualification or has to look towards pastures new, the firm is keen to give them the opportunity to really get to grips with the work they wish to practice in. From a personal point of view, it makes the prospect of qualifying much less daunting to know that I'm not going to start practicing an area of law that I last looked in my second seat, which was nearly a year ago.
Your training contract is always going to be a ‘scary' prospect and you'll never feel like you know enough but I think Rollits is a great place to learn. You'll be given enough work to challenge you but enough support to get you though. I can definitely say that people are keen to get you involved right from the outset and will do their best to accommodate you wherever possible.
On the social side of things, the firm is always keen to get trainees involved in its client/intermediary social events. This certainly helps to make you feel like a valued part of the team right from the outset. I have regularly humiliated myself by taking part in both the pool and bowling competitions!
I have also taken the opportunity to get involved in some non-legal projects such as Young Enterprise where I taught a practical business course to some pre-GCSE students at a local school. I am also a mentor for the BPP Access to Practice Scheme and provide support and advice to a designated student during their LPC/GDL to help them gain a training contract.
On a personal level, as a true outsider to the region I have managed to settle into life in Hull well. I have made friends both though the firm and through my involvement as President of the local Junior Lawyers Division (formerly Trainee Solicitors Group). Hull has a bad press but even in the short time that I've lived here there are major signs that the city is "on the up". New developments such as the St Stephens centre will only help to improve the city. There are also a number of good bars and restaurants close to the office and in nearby suburbs. Although its reputation may precede it, Hull has so far proven a great place to live and work.
>
