Remember the people around you are really busy on work you won’t see and will be under pressures which again, you won’t see. The best thing you can do is effectively support them in the things they ask you to do. Do it in the agreed timeframe or if there isn’t one, as efficiently as possible. Do it accurately.

Follow instructions. Always check back to the original instructions before providing a piece of work when you think you have completed it. It is very common to go on a tangent or miss one thing from a request and checking back to the instructions means you can resolve that before someone has to point it out to you.

Be on time for meetings and if it’s in person that usually means turning up early- whether it’s in your own office or to access a building elsewhere.

Do your absolute best to solve problems before referring back to your supervisor.

Find out at the beginning of a seat (or before the seat once you have got the first under your belt) if there is any practical training you might need for that seat, E.g to use particular firm technology – so you are ready when you are asked to do a task involving it.

Sometimes people might not be able to explain ‘why’ for every single task when they are really busy. Trust in their experience and follow the instructions. Find a good time to ask about ‘why’ if it doesn’t become clear.

Unless you have an agreed role speaking in a client meeting then keep quiet (apart from intros etc). Make sure you know why you are there- probably taking note. Even if no one has asked you to, take a note.

Try and get as much from the experience as possible. The more different work you get under your belt the better prepared you will be when you qualify. Put yourself out there, tell people if you have capacity to assist them- don’t just wait for great work to fall in your lap. If there is a great case you want to be involved in- ask how you can support. Really get involved in the practice area of the seat, even if it isn’t aligned with your future goals you can still learn a lot and make good connections.

Good luck!!

This is more nuanced than you’re advising. Yes trainees shouldn’t just assume they can take control and start sending emails out or signing off on things without getting it checked.

However, there will be instances where a trainee is asked to do a task by a senior (perhaps the first instruction from them and so they’re unaware of trainees capabilities). The trainee may very well know the next course of action and so could provisionally provide that while sending it off.

E.g.

– Senior asks trainee to research an issue outlined by client below. Trainee provides research and then also provides a template email to go back to client on incorporating research.

– trainee asked to proof read final agreement. Trainee proofreads and confirms while also attaching a PDF in final format and offers to sort docusign

> You stand a much better chance of securing an NQ role in your 4th seat, so try to leave your preferred seat until last.

Would recommend doing it third to avoid the trap of not having enough time in the seat before qualification to impress.

Solid advice other than about qualifying in your last seat. The only thing less likely than qualifying in your first seat is qualifying in your last seat, but for a different reason. By the time you’re in your last seat, that department has normally already promised any qualifying spots to prior trainees who’ve already done a rotation there.

There’s a reason that a lot of magic and silver circle firms encourage fourth seaters to do a secondment – it’s very rare to qualify in your 4th seat.

3rd seat is when you should ideally do your preferred seat – you should both have all the knowledge that comes from having been a trainee for long enough and also you’ll be fresh in the mind of the department when it comes to qualifying a couple of months later. Second seat works well too.

I cannot emphasise enough how important this is. Seriously, approach every question with a thought out solution of your own, if possible. This massively helped me stand out when I was training, because I would always approach unfamiliar topics with a “I think the answer is X, but not sure, can you please clarify?”. Now I am more senior, a regular topic that comes up in management meetings is trainees and juniors wanting to be spoon-fed every answer.

Communication. Every partner thinks their work takes priority over another’s. You will need to accept that you cannot please everybody. That is quite difficult for obvious reasons. The best you can do is to keep senior people updated on your workload and ETAs for tasks. Be realistic about what is going to burn you out because if you take on too much you will end up producing inaccurate work and nobody will be happy about that.

Personally these are the 2 main lessons I’ve learned but it will probably be different for each person.

Be kind to everyone at the firm or company.

Try to avoid moaning when things get too tough, and try avoid other trainees who do that (spoiler alert working in law isn’t what you see in movies).

Keep and maintain really clear and structured notes and records of your work. Keep a structured list of achievements and developments and ensure these are reflected in your appraisals.

Try your best to make the most of each seat and aim to come away with it having developed something.

Really get to know the clients (even if you don’t always have direct contact…) and always consider how your firm’s advice *applies* to them.

In quiet times make the most of reading around on Practical Law or LexisNexis to up-skill your knowledge.

And finally don’t let the firm or work take over your life – maintain hobbies, make time for friends and family, eat healthy and exercise as much as you can. I’m not saying this is all easy, but try make it work.

Good luck!

Don’t fall into the trap of becoming dependent on the money such that your health and life suffers.

Remember that unless you are an equity partner (a pipe dream for many these days, as partners retire later and later, and the purgatory of salaried partner stretches ever onwards) you ARE the product. The business model of law is to extract as much work from you as possible, for as little money as possible, without you quitting.

Also, with the way taxation is going, consider qualifying into an area where you can practice somewhere like Singapore, BVI/Cayman or Dubai, since the government will be sucking up as much of your hard earned money as possible. That way if you decide to come back to the UK after a few years abroad saving tax, you might be able to actually get a foot on the property ladder.

Try to avoid doing you first seat in the area you think you’re most likely to want to qualify in. You stand a much better chance of securing an NQ role in your 4th seat, so try to leave your preferred seat until last.

Sadly the game these days is rigged for younger generations. You just have to play it as best you can.

If you do not work the long hours, or appear not to, you will not be kept on. If you qualify and then slow down your efforts you will probably be somehow forced out of the job.

If you do work hard for a number of years but your face doesn’t fit or you do not make the right noises about wanting partnership you may be managed out by some means or other.

If you want partnership but they prefer you as a work horse then they will keep you as a workhorse. But if you slow down then you will be managed out.

Some people do make it to the top. Others climb by switching firms. Or indeed descend. A lot of people quit.

The job is also extremely over regulated which makes it hard for smaller firms to make a profit. So it is a tough job from the top end all the way down to the bottom end.

Remember that everything goes into your reviews, not just how you perform the tasks you are set.