We spoke to Joshua Bennett, who’s doing a training contract at Fladgate. He talks about life as a Fladgate trainee and describes his typical working day.
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8.15-8.30: My day begins with reading the daily news updates from The Guardian and the Financial Times during my journey in to work, as I have found it useful to maintain commercial awareness which may affect market trends in the firm.
8.30-9.00: Upon arriving in the office I like to take some time to review emails and make a plan for the day, whilst also catching up with members of the team.
9.15: With a cup of coffee in hand, I draft some responses to emails in relation to mediation we have next week, including arranging a call with the client for later that day. I forward these on to the senior associate on the matter before being given the go ahead to send. As a trainee at Fladgate, you are encouraged to involve yourself in live matters as much as possible.
10.00: Having sent out the emails, I head over to a partners’ office for a conference call with a client. On this particular matter, I am working directly for the partner, and following the call we discuss next steps, including responding to the most recent letter we have received. She asks me to draft a letter of response and to give her a first draft later in the afternoon, so we can send it out before the end of the day.
11.15: I have a pre-arranged call with a funder over a potential new matter; I have already prepared a funding note which has been reviewed by the Partner. Following the call, I update the partner on what we would need to provide in order to receive funding and he asks me to email the client an update.
12.00: I catch up with one of the senior associates I am working with before they head to the free fitness sessions run by the firm twice a week. We agree to discuss the witness statements I have drafted on Monday morning. I return to my desk to get my head down and draft the letter for later that day.
13.00: I head out to lunch with some of my fellow trainees; being in Covent Garden we always have a wide array of restaurants to pick from! Over lunch we have a good catch up and discuss the next trainee social, which we are in the process of organising.
14.00: Upon my return from lunch, I grab a quick coffee and finish drafting the letter I started earlier that morning. After completing it, I check it over one more time before sending it over to the partner to review.
14.30: We receive confirmation from a client that they would like to issue a new claim today. I have already prepared the majority of the claim form, but the client has provided some new details for the particulars of claim, so I must make the relevant amendments. Having made the changes, I send them to the Senior Associate to review.
15.15: The senior associate who reviewed the claim form is happy and gives me the green light to file the claim with the court!
15.45: I meet with the senior associate in one of the conference rooms, so we can call our client about our final preparations for the mediation the following week. I am given a number of jobs to complete at the start of next week for the mediation, including liaising with the defendant’s lawyers, so I make sure I take detailed notes.
17.30: I have a quick chat with my supervisor about my capacity as we are heading for trial in the next month, and he wants me to help with the preparation.
18.00: An email comes round inviting people to meet at the bundling table…for Prosecco Friday! This event is organised by one of the partners in the Litigation Department and occurs every couple of weeks! Initially Prosecco Friday was a chance for staff on the seventh floor to have a catch up and a laugh; however word has quickly spread throughout the firm, and now staff from across the firm will come up to the seventh floor for a drink! Following the drinks everyone heads out to one of the pubs next to the firm before heading off for the weekend.
Read more:
- Read Bird & Bird Trainee: Aviation and Dispute Resolution Seats
- Read Life as a Trainee Solicitor at Bird & Bird
- Read Training Contracts: Advice for Aspiring Solicitors
Training contracts free guides:
- Training Contract Overview
- Training Contract Applications
- The Watson Glaser Test
- Training Contract Interview Guide
