A day in my life as a trainee solicitor

I am a second year trainee working in the private client department and today I have documented my day to give you an insight into what my life at Gilson Gray is like. Every day is different so there is no real typical day – but that is the best part of the job in my opinion!

The sort of work I do in the private client department is mainly Wills, Powers of Attorneys and dealing with the estates of people who have died. I am starting to gain more experience with Guardianships and will learn about and assist with the creation and administration of Trusts soon. My day to day tasks range from meeting with clients, drafting their documents, writing letters and emails, and making phone calls to clients and other organisations, such as banks and the courts. It is very varied and no day looks the same. This is why I love this type of work and I have been lucky enough to be able to spend my whole traineeship in the private client department.

My days always start the same; on my morning commute I read some of my book. This always helps me to feel ready to take on the day by the time I get to work.

Today I had a client meeting at 10 o’clock so the first thing I did – after making a coffee, of course – was print off the documents I needed for my appointment. After my meeting we had a team photoshoot in reception as part of a special Wear It Pink day that my colleague had organised to raise money for breast cancer awareness. Everyone looked amazing in their pink outfits! Whilst this is obviously not part of any typical day or week the culture and feeling behind this is a huge part of working at Gilson Gray and we always have something going on that embodies the togetherness and team spirit at the heart of team GG.

After a quick photoshoot break I submitted the documents my client had signed to the court. This meeting was part of an Executry, which means dealing with someone’s estate after they have died. Most of the time, something called Confirmation is required which is a formal document issued by the court confirming that the Executors have the authority to deal with the deceased person’s assets such as closing their bank accounts and dealing with any property or anything else that they might have owned.

Next I had some admin tasks that I needed to complete. I reviewed some of my files and updated my “to do list” and files spreadsheet. Staying organised is key in a busy department.

Each month we have a business development meeting where every department meets with the marketing team to discuss what new work we have and any opportunities for the wider team to assist, and events that are coming up. This meeting is a great chance for us all to catch up and I feel so lucky to be included as a trainee in these meetings as this is providing me with a valuable insight into the wider aspects of the business that I didn’t consider at the start of my traineeship.

After the business development meeting it was time to get back to work. I dedicated the afternoon to revising some draft Wills and Powers of Attorney that I had sent to my supervising solicitor and thereafter sending these out to the clients. I then phoned a couple of clients to provide them with updates on how their matters are progressing. Afterwards I answered some client emails in response to draft documents I had already issued to them.

After a busy day it is time to head home. Like I said at the start, every day is different but that is what makes this job so interesting. The work I do is so varied and there are so many opportunities to help with something new or learn something and this is why I love being a trainee in the private client team.