Trainee Blog - Christina Sledmore

Christina is a second year trainee at Rollits in Hull. Christina's current seat is in the Dispute Resolution Department. Below, she gives us her account of what it's like to be a trainee at Rollits, along with her blog about life at Rollits!

June / July 2011

The matter that I mentioned previously has now been to Court; which feels like a very long time coming! Since being in this Department, it was my first opportunity to attend the trial of a matter I have been heavily involved with. There was still a great deal of preparatory work in the lead up to the trial, and we were still working on matters up to the first day. Build up to the trial was fairly hectic and involved conference with our Counsel and ensuring we were fully prepared. At trial, my role was mainly support to the Partner dealing with the matter and taking detailed notes. Even after the trial, there are still matters that need to be dealt with so although the trial has now passed, I’m still busy dealing with different tasks in order to bring it to a close.

May 2011

This month I have been heavily involved with a matter that is progressing towards trial. This is a matter that I was working on during my first seat, and which I now find myself involved with again. I have been dealing with a number of preparatory tasks for the trial, but mainly the preparation of witness statements.

I’ve also been at Court this month dealing with a matter in the County Court which was the first opportunity I’ve had since being back in Dispute Resolution. This was quite daunting, however it is something that is part of the job in Dispute Resolution and is really just another step in the learning process of being a trainee. I’ve been to Court with other members of the team so this was a good experience to go on my own and deal with a matter myself.

April 2011

Whilst I have no complaints about the amount of bank holidays we have this month, it certainly makes meeting deadlines harder! I’ve found myself having to make sure I carry out my work as efficiently as possible and ensure that deadlines I have been set by my colleagues are met prior to either their holidays or the bank holidays.

Having sat in Dispute Resolution previously, I do feel like I’ve hit the ground running. I can now see how my experiences in the other departments I’ve sat in are helping me in this department and also demonstrating what I’ve learnt over the last 18 months. Also, due to the nature of litigation, I’ve found myself working on matters that I had previously worked on during my first seat.

There is always a variety of issues being dealt with by our Dispute Resolution department and this is a great aspect of the department, I believe, from a trainee’s perspective.

February / March 2011

Although February seems like a short month, it felt like a lot was squeezed into it!

During February we had students with us from both the University of York and local schools, presentations, and informal coffee with accountants and agents as well as being Company of the Week at Revolution.

February also marked the end of the third seat of my Training Contract. I'm now sitting in the Dispute Resolution Department for my fourth and final seat; which is a return to the department where I spent my first six months.

As I come to the end of my first month back in Dispute Resolution, it really does feel like I've never been away! Unlike a normal seat move, I'm already familiar with the members of the department and their roles within the department; both in their areas of law and their role in the department 'team' so there hasn't been the usual feeling of starting a new job like my other seat moves.

I'm really looking forward to the rest of my time in the department and being able to put into practice the skills and knowledge that I've acquired during the last 12 months that I've spent in other departments.

January 2011

It was very hard this month to get back into the swing of things with having what seemed to be an extended Christmas due to not having to work in between Christmas and New Year. However, after getting used to being back at work and getting up again at a reasonable time, I can now say it’s hard to remember Christmas! I’m getting close to the end of my third seat now, and with that, that bit closer to qualification. With this I’ve been able to take on more responsibility in my role in the department and have had the chance to carry out the majority of work required in matters with close supervision from my colleagues. Being able to do work on this level definitely gives you a feel for the level of work undertaken by qualified lawyers on a daily basis. It’s also the point at which I need to consider which area of law I would prefer to qualify into and as to what department I would like to spend my fourth and final seat. Decisions, decisions!

I’ve been out of the office also this month taking one of my Professional Skills Course electives. This broke up the week and is always a good opportunity to meet up with other trainees and have a chat about ‘life as a trainee’ at other firms. Sometimes you can come away feeling quite smug! I’m also going along to one of our Planning Team presentations in which the Team are providing a talk and guide to one of our clients on areas of law most applicable to their everyday business; another opportunity to spend some time out of the office with clients and to see another aspect of the work qualified lawyers undertake.

December 2010

As well as moving to Commercial Property this month I’ve also spent some time back in our Company Commercial Department assisting with our work surrounding the Hull City takeover. The completion was very exciting but involved some very late nights to say the least! However, the matter was a great experience which allowed me to draw on my previous experiences from my time spent in the department earlier this year.

I also had the opportunity to attend the press conference in which the takeover was announced which was a completely different aspect to my everyday work for Rollits, but a great insight into the other aspects that surround such deals.

All in all, and in addition to the Christmas parties, December has been rather hectic!

November 2010

This month I’ve had the opportunity to get out of the office and represent the firm at different events. I attended the Hull University Law Fair with Mark Dixon at the beginning of the month and really enjoyed being able to answer any queries future applicants had in relation to applying and working for Rollits. I think being able to talk to a current trainee helps give an accurate insight into the everyday life of a trainee at Rollits in comparison to Mark being able to provide answers in more detail in regard to what the firm are looking for in a trainee and what to do to impress in an application.

I also attended an event with some other members of the firm to celebrate 2010 Global Entrepreneurship Week. The guest speaker at the event was Claire Young, a former applicant to The Apprentice, who gave a great presentation and also gave away some great insider knowledge about The Apprentice!

October 2010

We're now half way through October, and also half way through my time in Residential Property. I am looking forward to moving to Commercial Property for the rest of this seat, but I am now typically accustomed to the day-to-day dealings of the Residential Property team and the tasks that I undertake as part of that team. At the end of every seat I go through the same feelings, it’s almost like starting a new job every time you move! However, a couple of weeks after the move, I soon forget and find myself familiar again to the new tasks and roles!

September 2010

I have now moved seats and am currently sitting in Residential Property; with a move to Commercial Property in 3 months time. After only being in the department for a couple of weeks, I am still adjusting to the differing work that is required of a trainee in this department compared to that in my previous seat of Company Commercial. However, there is a degree of overlap, and some matters that I was involved with in that department have property aspects to them to which I can get now also get involved with. The start of September saw 2 new trainees join the firm and progress myself and Jacquie to second year trainees. Its quite daunting to think that in a year’s time our training will be complete. There seems so much more yet to learn!

August 2010

I am currently in the last few weeks of my second seat in the Company Commercial department. It's quite hard moving after getting so used to working in a particular department and becoming familiar with tasks that you frequently undertake and the members of the department you work with on a daily basis. I have been able to assist in a number of completions during my time in the department, which has given me a great insight into typical corporate work. I've also had chance to help out with the more day-to-day tasks in the department such as assisting companies with procedural tasks to achieve their goals, dealing with client queries and varying research on points of company law.

As the name suggest, my current department also deals with commercial aspects of law. I have therefore also had the opportunity to work alongside the commercial members of the department meeting clients and drafting and negotiating documents to their requirements.

As well as being the last few weeks of my current seat, the end of August also marks the end of my first year as a trainee at Rollits. The past year has flown by and has been full of great experiences both in the Company Commercial department and also in the Dispute Resolution department (that being my first seat). The training I have received over the last 12 months has provided me with valuable experience and responsibility and has put me in good standing for the remainder of my training contract.

Over the last year, I have also been involved with various events that Rollits have been involved with which has given me a great opportunity to get out and meet the clients. It also gives you a good understanding of how clients see Rollits. All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed the first year of my training contract and hope that the second year of my training contract is just as exciting and rewarding.