From Trainee to Partner

At this time of year, many solicitors are wrapping up their traineeships and we’ll no doubt see a flurry of blogs from newly qualified solicitors reflecting on their own time in the profession – what they’ve learned, how they’ve developed and what lies ahead. It’s an amazing milestone, but still just the beginning of their careers.

My own traineeship ended quite a while ago now (even though it still feels like yesterday) and I’ve recently taken a new step myself – I’ve become a Partner.

Becoming a Partner isn’t necessarily the goal for everyone these days, but for many, it remains a significant career aspiration. For me, it’s been a moment of reflection and a bit of surrealism. It’s also been a very good excuse for several nice bottles of wine but that’s probably best not discussed here!

I first walked into a law firm 20 years ago as a temporary office junior. Back then, Partners were a bit intimidating – you knocked before entering their offices and if they asked you to jump, you asked how high. Thankfully, the profession has evolved a lot since then. The culture is completely different and far more open than it ever used to be. Still, it is strange to think that for those just starting out, I’m now one of those “senior” figures with grey hair and (apparently) some legal wisdom to share.

Day-to-day, the role doesn’t feel drastically different, but there are a lot of small things that feel very strange. Recently, someone asked me if they could work from home and another sought approval for holidays. My first reaction was, “why are you asking me?” before then realising this is part of the job now. Being asked to sign cheques or approve bank payments for large payments is also far more panic inducing than I ever thought it would be!

I attended my first Partners’ meeting not long ago. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what surprised me most was how comfortable I felt. It wasn’t intimidating or unfamiliar – it was a room full of people I’ve worked alongside for years. That said, it does shift your perspective. You start to see the firm not just through the lens of your own team or practice area, but as a whole business, with broader responsibilities and opportunities.

Of course, not everything changes. When I told my son about the promotion, he saw it as the perfect excuse to ask for a more expensive birthday party than normal. I had to remind him that while I may be a Partner now, I have not had a personality transplant!

When you’re starting out, the goal of Partnership can feel like a distant dream. It’s this strange opaque aspiration that seems completely out of reach. What you don’t realise at the time is that you’re learning constantly. Every case, conversation, success and even mistake is helping to take you one step further along. You’re building experience, knowledge, judgment and a network without even really noticing. Advice I often give to people is that while you need to look forward and plan ahead it’s also really important to look back to see how far you’ve come. It’s not a sudden leap – it’s the result of years of hard work, persistence and, in my case, bloody mindedness.

It’s a very exciting time to become a Partner both at Gilson Gray and also at a time when technology is likely to change our profession drastically over the next few years. Even though becoming a Partner is a major milestone, I’ve still got more years ahead of me than I do behind.

This new chapter is both exciting and humbling. It’s a reminder of how far I’ve come and how much more there is to contribute – not just to the firm, but to the people coming up behind me.

If you’re just starting out then with hard work, learning and a bit of humour then it is achievable and definitely worth it. Just make sure you manage any children’s expectations for birthday parties!