I am a second-seat trainee solicitor in the Planning team.
08:00:
I cycle into work along the river to Howard Kennedy's offices at No.1 London Bridge, it takes me 20 minutes and puts me in a good mood for the day. I catch up with friends at the breakfast the firm is putting on at the moment.
09:00:
I reply to any urgent emails that have come in overnight and organise my to-do list, so I know which tasks need to take priority.
09.30
: The Planning team has a weekly meeting on Tuesdays, in which we discuss the work that we anticipate being involved in that week and allocate tasks accordingly. It’s a good opportunity to learn more about the matters that other members of the team are working on and to offer assistance where it is needed.
10:00
: I continue working on a report about the Planning Permission and s106 agreement for a large property transaction that involves many of the different real estate teams at the firm. It takes a few hours to get through both documents, but I enjoy the investigative work of this particular matter and I appreciate the trust the partner is showing in me by asking me to do the review.
12:30
: There is a lunchtime seminar on environmental law held in the office which I found both interesting and helpful before going back to the report. The firm holds frequent lunchtime seminars on different areas of law.
14:00
: We are hosting a consultation with a client and a QC this afternoon and I make sure all the parties have the correct documents and have confirmed their attendance. I also prepare the room with the relevant bundles and audio-visual equipment.
14:30
: During the consultation, in which the barrister works through the Statement of Case and Statement of Common Ground with the client and the relevant parties in attendance, I take notes and discuss developments with the partner. It was a very productive meeting for the client, and we are making significant progress on the case. I also relish the learning experience of being sat next to a QC for a few hours and took a lot from the meeting.
17:30
: I finalise my report and, following a review with the partner, send it over to the other side. I am proud of that piece of work and also take a lot of satisfaction from crossing it off my to-do list.
18:00:
Before I log off, I update my task list, send a few final emails and ensure that my time recording for the day is complete.
18:30
: There is a trainee social tonight, our intake and the intake above are off to Puttshack in the City to meet the income cohort of trainees due to join Howard Kennedy in September. I am looking forward to the evening as the trainees have a lot of fun when we are together.
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