I am currently in my third seat in the Employment department. My first seat was in Residential Conveyancing, and my second was in Media Dispute Resolution/Commercial Dispute Resolution.
09:00
: I am working in the office today. I try to mirror the movements of people in my team as find it helpful from a learning perspective to be in when others are (although the firm and my team are still flexible regarding this).
09:30:
Every Tuesday, we have a team meeting where we discuss what everyone is working on and our anticipated capacity for the week. I use this as an opportunity to identify who may need assistance and to determine if anyone is working on anything that I am keen to get exposure to, so that I can ask to be involved.
10:15
: I have received an email from a senior associate in my team asking me to draft a data subject access request (DSAR) on behalf of a current employee. I conduct some research on the file and read the grievance that we recently raised with the employer on the employee's behalf, to understand the background, before I start drafting. I also use this to determine the scope of the request and the information that we are requesting be supplied and draft the DSAR accordingly. Once completed, I send it back to the senior associate for her review.
12:00
: I sit in on a client call with my supervisor and take an attendance note. The call relates to an internal investigation undertaken by the employer regarding the conduct and behaviour of an employee, which my supervisor advises warrants formal disciplinary action. Following the call, I am asked to draft the letter inviting the employee to attend the formal disciplinary hearing. Legally, this letter must include details of the employee's rights and must set out the conduct and behavioural issues which will be discussed at the hearing so that the employee has time to prepare to respond to the matters raised. I am also asked to draft the guidance note for the employee's manager who will be conducting the disciplinary meeting.
13:00
: I attend a Teams interview that is being conducted with one of the firm's partners about her career to date. This is one of a series of interviews with female partners that the firm has organised for International Women's Day.
14:15:
After I have popped out to get some lunch, I start drafting the invitation to the disciplinary hearing and guidance note.
15:00
: I attend a call with a client who is currently negotiating a Settlement Agreement with an employee. The employee's solicitor has marked up our first draft of the agreement and we go through the amendments with our client. My supervisor advises which amendments the client should and shouldn’t accept.
15:20
: After the call, I make the amendments to the Settlement Agreement that we discussed on the call so that it can be sent back to the employee's solicitor.
16:00
: I have received an email asking me to conduct some research on whether a company can have a policy requiring employees not to come into the office if they have Covid now that the Government guidance has changed. I look into the employer's health and safety obligations and the GDPR implications of holding information about employees testing status etc. I carry out the research and prepare a draft response to the client.
18:30
: My supervisor explained that she will not have chance to review the invitation to the disciplinary hearing and guidance note today so I log off and meet some of the other trainees at the pub.
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