Tim Whitney relates his experience as a Barlow Robbins LLP trainee
If you ask a Trainee Solicitor “What do you actually do?” their response will depend largely on what department they work in and what sort of firm they work for. During my University summer holidays I obtained work experience in a variety of different law firms ranging from large City Firms to small Surrey High Street Firms. Having done all this work experience I realised I wanted to join a firm large enough to attract varied and high quality work but not so large that I would spend my days and nights paginating, indexing and photocopying.
I applied to Barlow Robbins LLP as it ticked all the boxes. It is a large regional firm with a strong reputation that attracts high quality work from a wide variety of clients, close to but not actually in London. The firm also made the very attractive promise that “Trainees are given a large degree of responsibility and client involvement from an early stage”. My interview was straightforward and friendly and was followed by a tour of the office with a current trainee. The interview was a two way process and gave me a chance to ask questions that I had about the firm. Compared to other interviews I attended, the Barlow Robbins LLP interview was a very enjoyable experience. After accepting my place as a trainee I was instantly treated as a member of the firm and invited to any appropriate social events, including the Christmas and Summer Parties. This was a good illustration of the firm’s friendly atmosphere and recognising some friendly faces on my first day certainly helped the inevitable nerves.
My first seat was Commercial Property; my second was with the Intellectual Property and Technology Team; and my third in Family. From the beginning of all three seats I was involved in real work that contributed to the transaction. As my knowledge and experience grew I was given the opportunity to manage my own files, for example in Commercial Property I negotiated a lease renewal for a small business. This was a valuable opportunity to utilise all the skills I had learnt throughout the seat and gave me a great deal of confidence. My seat in the Family Department followed suit, I attended Court regularly, met clients on a daily basis and had about five of my own files which I managed under the supervision of a Partner. I have just started my final seat in the Business Services Group and I am very much looking forward to the final six months of my training.
Throughout all my seats I have been encouraged by the Supervising Partner to think, work and act like a qualified solicitor right from the start. Although this has been intimidating at times, there is always the “safety net” of knowing your work will be checked before it is sent out. I am sure that this high level of responsibility and independence will make the transition from Trainee to Newly Qualified Solicitor easier.
Trainees also benefit greatly from the Mentoring Programme and regular Trainee Forums. When you start your training contact you are assigned a Mentor who becomes your first port of call with any questions or queries. As they are not your direct supervisor and have usually trained at the firm they are a good confidential sounding board and frequently provide valuable guidance. The Trainee Forum is a regular 3 monthly meeting that allows the trainees to discuss any issues with the Head of HR and the Training Partner.
On a social side there are lots of different events organised by the Social Committee and at the end of the week you will always find someone happy to go for a drink. The trainees and newly qualified solicitors regularly meet up for lunch. On the sporting side the firm is also very active; in the past year I have played football and cricket for the firm, as well as taken part in a bike race around Woking.
