I'm a first-year trainee, currently working in my second seat in the firm's Residential Development team. I've been in the team since March, prior to which I sat in Planning.
Morning
8:00
I'm not a morning person, so to give myself a good wake up call, I tend to cycle to the office. It takes around an hour and 15 minutes; halfway in and the coffee cravings kick in!
9:30
After taking advantage of a nice shower and the firm's free brekkie, I'm at my desk with said brekkie (yoghurt and granola) and a super strong coffee. After checking emails, I write a list for the day. I love a list and I'm really old school – if it's not written on paper in front of me, I tend to forget what I'm doing!
10:00
I have a commercial lease, agreement for lease and licence to alter that have all been returned with amendments from the tenant's solicitor. My task is to review, decide whether to approve and/or seek instructions from our client. I draft an email to the client with the items I need instructions on at the same time to ensure nothing is missed.
11:15
Time for a brief coffee break. As my desk faces the river, I allow myself a few minutes to watch the various cargo ships, Uber cruisers and police river boats speeding past whilst sipping my coffee.
13:00
I've finished with the amendments on the documents and it's time for lunch. Today we have our monthly Real Estate Knowledge Management update where members of the department provide insights on current topics. During the session I learnt to recognise a Tyneside Lease, heard about the latest planning consultation response to changes to the planning system and found out about the far-reaching effects of the Proceeds of Crime Act on landlords. Oh, and there's lunch provided (and more coffee!)
Afternoon
14:00
I join our bi-weekly Next Gen Private Wealth sector group meeting to discuss the latest business development events and updates. All trainees are invited to a sector group to learn more about the firm's sectors, and we are encouraged to get involved with BD activities.
14:30
Time to cross off more of my "to-do" list – I email a tenant's solicitor to confirm completion on the lease of a shop and arrange for documents to be posted and the matter billed.
15:00
We have a weekly team meeting to discuss capacity, pitches for new clients and any upcoming training. The meetings frequently go off topic and are very laidback, but it's a great way to catch up with the whole team.
16:00
I spend the rest of the day with one of the team's associates, looking at my amendments to documents, reviewing my email to the client and sending this off for instructions.
Evening
18:00
Time to log off and head out. Our intake of trainees is going to Flight Club in Victoria to show off our dart skills!
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