Making the most of networking opportunities as a trainee.

The idea of networking, initially, can be something that as a trainee you feel you don’t need to focus on or something that can wait until you have qualified. Secondly, putting yourself “out there” and making those initial introductions may feel daunting and something which you are not comfortable doing in the first instance.

At Gilson Gray networking both internally and externally is something you are given the opportunity to do from day 1 and an activity which the firm actively encourages. As will be the case for the majority of incoming trainees, as someone who started their traineeship with very little legal experience and even less legal connections, you really are starting from scratch and it is great to be part of a firm who supports their trainees in building their network and professional relationships.

In your various seats, you will get the opportunity to go to networking events and conferences and engage with others in your field. For example, while in my private client seat I was part of a group that went to the Aberdeen Northern Marts Christmas Classic where we spoke to members of the farming community on estates, asset protection and a whole host of private client matters. In my corporate seat, I attended the Offshore Energies UK Legal Conference where we heard from speakers on various case law and new technologies. It’s easy as a trainee to feel out of place at these events but you’ll be pleasantly surprised about how much people value your opinion and want to hear from you. My advice is go! You get to mix with lawyers who have vast industry and practice experience and building up relations with those experienced practitioners will be invaluable going forward.

There are also plenty trainee events that you can also attend. Networking with people at the same stage and going through similar experiences is a great way to build relations moving forward. For example, I am a member of the Society of Advocates in Aberdeen which hosts its own events for trainees and NQs. These events are a great opportunity to meet other trainees and build long lasting connections. I recently attended a trainee lunch which was a great opportunity to meet with other trainees from different firms where we discussed our traineeships so far, compared our experiences and perhaps more importantly how we can organise more social events for those at our stage in our career to have the opportunity to discuss and make new connections.

Lastly, simply doing a good job on a piece of work is one of the best way make new connections. Word of mouth is very important and providing a good service will lead to (i) internally, greater opportunities; and (ii) externally, repeat business and possibly new business from new clients coming from the positive reviews of an existing client.

Traineeships in different practice areas.

I am currently in my third seat as trainee at Gilson Gray. My traineeship is what is labelled as the “general” traineeship which means I do 4, sixth month seats in a different practice area.

Private client

My first seat was in private client. On my first day I was drafting wills, powers of attorney and communicating directly with clients.  It wasn’t long before I was involved in more complex matters and managing my own case load. You will be given the opportunity to hold client meetings yourself at a very early stage during your traineeship. My time in private client gave me a good grounding in client management, communication with clients and time management. The part I really enjoyed about private client was speaking to different people each day who came with a different story and different requirement providing a variety of work.

Corporate

My second seat was in corporate. Although the work was obviously different, a lot of the skills picked up from my time in private client were relevant, such as skills when it comes to the drafting of documents and file management. You will be dealing with a different “type” of client with different needs but the need for communication remains the same and being able to adapt to more transactional work is important for a corporate seat. You will often be dealing with multiple parties in one transaction by liaising with opposing solicitors, accountants and clients etc. The variety of work in corporate was also very interesting. As a member of the corporate team you will be involved in typical corporate style work such as acquisitions and company restructures. However, I also worked on more commercial issues such as contract reviews for oil and gas companies. Latterly, due to the introduction of our head of sports David Winnie, I was working on matters within the sporting realm which included getting over the line some last minute transfer deadline day moves!

Real Estate

My current and third seat is Real Estate. I would describe this seat as busy! I would say this seat is similar to corporate in the sense that you are going to be liaising with multiple parties and are more often than not dealing with corporate entities rather than individuals. A Real Estate seat at Gilson Gray is a great opportunity to get “hands on” as you will have the opportunity to run your own transactions. Likewise with my previous seats and any area of law, there is a degree of drafting involved which is great because it exposes you to different types of documentation and transactions. As with my previous seats, file management is very important as other members of the team will be working on the same transactions and need to be able to pick up from where you left off.

Even if you are set on one area of law, I would recommend that you try other areas of law. You will pick up different skills which will be key to the practice area you eventually end up in.

The information and opinions contained in this blog are for information only.  They are not intended to constitute advice and should not be relied upon or considered as a replacement for advice.  Before acting on any information contained in this blog, please seek solicitor’s advice from Gilson Gray.