April 17, 2024
Full article
I am currently 8 months into my traineeship. I’m spending my first year working within two departments – Renewable Energy and Commercial Real Estate. However, the nature of the work is much broader than that. I’m involved in project finance, corporate transactions, construction, and the list goes on. This means that my work is constantly varied and no week is the same.
I think spending a full year in two seats, rather than the traditional six month seats, offers a lot of benefits. Six months into my seat, I was feeling comfortable and my confidence was increasing. Now 8 months in, I’m given greater responsibility and a greater quality of work. For example, I recently led two solo negotiations (which was both exciting and nerve wracking!).
As is the nature of the work, some days are busier than others. On a busy day, I might be calling clients, drafting an investment agreement, drafting land registration forms and marking up a lease. It can sometimes feel pretty hectic as the list builds up, but that’s helped me manage my time and prioritise tasks effectively.
On quieter days, I’m usually more focussed on one or two projects. This tends to involve a greater level of research, and I may, for example, be working from heads of terms, drafting documents from scratch. I’m lucky to
work directly for two partners, who take the time to sit down with me and run through the work that I’ve done to identify things I’ve done correctly, and things I need to work on. It’s a constant learning curve and undoubtedly provides me with an extremely high quality of training.
I’ve also been involved with the firm’s business development, which has been very interesting. This has given me the opportunity to attend various meetings with potential new clients, and to represent the firm at business events. I’m gaining valuable skills by being exposed to this side of the business so early in my career.
It’s not all work and no play, either. I sit within a great team of people and even when stress levels are peaking, there’s still a good atmosphere within the team and we still find time to have a laugh!
If you are interested in your joining our Summer Internship with a view to becoming a trainee, you can download an application form here or email Graham Millar, Partner & Head of Employment Law & Training – gmillar@gilsongray.co.uk
