With the deadline for a Gateley vacation scheme and training contract fast approaching, read this day in the life from Sophie Cahalin who works in the firm’s Nottingham office.
Name: Sophie Cahalin
University: University of Nottingham
Degree: Law LLB
Department: Banking and Finance – Nottingham office
9 am: I read through my emails to check what has come in overnight. If anything requires my attention I will add it to my to-do list. If there is anything urgent, I will deal with that straight away.
9.30 am: We have an acquisition finance completion due to happen later today, so I discuss with my team what needs to be done in preparation for that.
9.45 am: I make a start on preparing for the completion by carrying out Companies House searches for all the companies involved in the transaction. I check the latest page of the filing history for each company to ensure that there has not been anything new added since we last carried out searches. I then organise for bankruptcy searches to be carried out against all individuals involved.
10.30 am: I am responsible for sending a fortnightly email on behalf of the Nottingham office Banking team with updates on any matters that we have completed, any new instructions that we have received, and any marketing events that the team has attended. I spend some time collating this information which is then circulated to all the banking fee-earners within Gateley.
11 am: I receive confirmation from my supervisor that completion should happen this afternoon, so I organise for insolvency searches to be carried out against all the companies involved in the transaction.
11.15 am: Trainees are responsible for running the CSR activities across the firm and today we are holding a bake sale to raise money for our office charity. I set up the bake sale with the other trainees and encourage the office to eat cake for charity!
11.45 am: We have received the results of the insolvency searches, so I check them to ensure that they are all clear.
12 pm: We have received signed undated copies of documents in preparation for completion this afternoon, so I am asked to check all the signature pages to ensure that the documents have all been executed correctly.
12.45 pm: I meet with one of our main clients to get some documents signed for another matter that is due to complete in a few days.
1.15 pm: I go for lunch with other trainees and enjoy a walk to stretch my legs.
2 pm: I tackle some of the less urgent tasks on my to-do list. I have some post-completion work to do on a real estate finance matter that recently completed. This involves preparing a completion bible, drafting letters and registering a charge at Companies House.
3 pm: My supervisor has just had confirmation that the completion call is going to take place at 3.30 so I help to check that the documents are in order and ready to be dated and I sit in on the completion call with her so that we can both ensure everything is covered.
4.30 pm: Once all documents are dated and completion is confirmed we discuss the post-completion tasks that will need to be dealt with and their deadlines.
4.45 pm: I return to the post-completion work that I made a start on earlier in the day.
5.45 pm: I finish up my work for the day and look back at my to-do list to make myself aware of things that I need to get done tomorrow.
6 pm: I clear my desk, log off and head for a couple of drinks for the monthly office social at some lively bars near our Nottingham office!
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