Quite a lot has happened in the last few weeks, so I feel this will be more of a descriptive (rather than analytical) post. That's probably a good thing, because I have a tendency to write without really thinking in these blog things so the analytical ones don't always make a lot of sense (see the previous post, Compensation Culture, wherein I think I was labouring towards a valid point but not sure how well I wrote it). On the other hand, descriptive posts are just a series of related sentences that inform rather than probe so it doesn't really matter how well it's written.
Anyway, I'm doing it again: typing and not really thinking!! Ok, so since my last post in late November, the days have become shorter (though the working hours have not) and the weather has taken a turn for the freezing. I've continued to enjoy my time in personal injury and have taken on a third case of my own. This one is a bit more interesting than my previous two. It'd be great if I could tell you all about it, but I can't because I'm still paranoid.
I've also been to court a few more times. I'm getting a lot more court exposure than I'd anticipated! However, this is largely because whenever one of the lawyers in the team has a court hearing coming up they'll invite me to go along, so it doesn't necessarily mean that there is more court time than I thought in PI. Usually I simply go to take notes, but it has been really varied and interesting. I even got some criminal experience, accompanying a client to a Magistrates' Court for a trial relating to the same incident at which she was injured. The other day I got to go to court on my own, 1-on-1 with a District Judge. It was a very simple procedure - I didn't have to do any advocacy. Nevertheless it was great to get the experience.
I've also submitted my preferences for my next seat. In March I will switch from PI to something else. I will keep you all (or you both) posted on that. Without wishing to tempt fate I am really hoping for a seat in Clinical Negligence!!
Finally, last Friday was the office Christmas party. Apart from on my gap year in 2004-2005, when I worked in a tiny firm with about 5 employees, I realised that I'd never been to an office Christmas party before. It was a little awkward to know how to act amongst colleagues (and superiors!) in social situations. It couldn't be good for one's reputation to get devastatingly blotto. Some people did just that, and when there is an open bar it's definitely a temptation! But no. Not a good idea. On the other hand, though, you want to appear sociable and easygoing. And that includes that most dreaded/loved behemoth: banter. It's kind of necessary to be banterous these days, but it can be difficult to know where the line is drawn, especially if you're doing it with a partner of the firm! I guess a good rule is: if they give it, take it and return it (maybe with a little interest). If they don't, play it straight.
Not sure how much of that made sense. I am pretty tired still... But next week I will be off for my Christmas holiday and I will hopefully do a well-considered reflective post on my first 4 months in law. For now, though, I have the exciting task of laundry to sort!
Adios.
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Compensation Culture
Following on from my last post, where I mused about various client types, one thing that sticks out is the number of them who think that being hurt automatically entitles them to compensation. I blame the adverts. You know the ones I mean. They're the ones that people quote back to me, in a bemusingly smug manner, whenever I tell them that I'm a trainee in a personal injury team.
Anyway, I got a new client call the other day from someone who was walking (running) down some stairs and fell. I asked him if there was anything wrong with the stairs - any obstacles or any slipping hazards - and he said "no, no... I was just being a bit clumsy to be honest. Just thought I'd call up and see if I could get anything". Fair play to the guy, I suppose. If it's available then why not take it?
I'd like to dispel a myth: most of the time when one of our clients gets compensation, it's very much deserved and fully justified. In order to win a case we do need to show that there was someone at fault, and not just a minor fault, but actually negligent. This is the part that they don't really get across on those silly TV adverts (although they do seem to bring in a lot of new clients which I guess is the point...) - having an accident is not in itself enough to get money! Sometimes life is just unfair.
It's fine when, as in the previous example, the client understands and accepts this, but sometimes they really don't and are adamant that someone other than themselves must be to blame. And then, after explaining that it's not that easy to get compensation, they'll have a go at me. And after work I'll be in a bar having a quiet drink alone, doing my crosswords as I do every night, and someone will do their silly mocking impression from the TV adverts because they think that I'm an ambulance chaser who'll stop at no lengths to find a way to blame the blameless. That's not how it is! Bah.
Another thing people seem to forget is that when someone's suffered a proper injury (which our clients have to - we make them see an independent medical expert to verify their injury) they will have suffered genuine losses and will really need the money. That's why it's called "compensation", to compensate them for what they have lost. If they haven't lost anything then they won't get any compensation. People don't realise this either. Just to clarify - loss of health/amenity does count as a compensationable loss, but it has to be quite significant for it to be worth a lawsuit.
I was going to mention some of the interesting things I did since my last update, but I've forgotten most of it now. Oops. One thing that I think is worth mentioning is that I went to a trial the other week (pretty rare in personal injury!) and the defendant had fired his lawyers and was representing himself. It was pretty interesting watching him compared to our educated, qualified & experienced barrister. A bit of a no-contest in the end.
My hands are tired now.
Anyway, I got a new client call the other day from someone who was walking (running) down some stairs and fell. I asked him if there was anything wrong with the stairs - any obstacles or any slipping hazards - and he said "no, no... I was just being a bit clumsy to be honest. Just thought I'd call up and see if I could get anything". Fair play to the guy, I suppose. If it's available then why not take it?
I'd like to dispel a myth: most of the time when one of our clients gets compensation, it's very much deserved and fully justified. In order to win a case we do need to show that there was someone at fault, and not just a minor fault, but actually negligent. This is the part that they don't really get across on those silly TV adverts (although they do seem to bring in a lot of new clients which I guess is the point...) - having an accident is not in itself enough to get money! Sometimes life is just unfair.
It's fine when, as in the previous example, the client understands and accepts this, but sometimes they really don't and are adamant that someone other than themselves must be to blame. And then, after explaining that it's not that easy to get compensation, they'll have a go at me. And after work I'll be in a bar having a quiet drink alone, doing my crosswords as I do every night, and someone will do their silly mocking impression from the TV adverts because they think that I'm an ambulance chaser who'll stop at no lengths to find a way to blame the blameless. That's not how it is! Bah.
Another thing people seem to forget is that when someone's suffered a proper injury (which our clients have to - we make them see an independent medical expert to verify their injury) they will have suffered genuine losses and will really need the money. That's why it's called "compensation", to compensate them for what they have lost. If they haven't lost anything then they won't get any compensation. People don't realise this either. Just to clarify - loss of health/amenity does count as a compensationable loss, but it has to be quite significant for it to be worth a lawsuit.
I was going to mention some of the interesting things I did since my last update, but I've forgotten most of it now. Oops. One thing that I think is worth mentioning is that I went to a trial the other week (pretty rare in personal injury!) and the defendant had fired his lawyers and was representing himself. It was pretty interesting watching him compared to our educated, qualified & experienced barrister. A bit of a no-contest in the end.
My hands are tired now.
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Client Care
Last Friday (which was 11/11/11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I had my second supervision review with my supervisor. It went well. She is very good at allaying any fears I may have. It seems I have done a pretty good job so far. Apparently other people in the department have caught wind of the fact that I have covered my supervisor's case load while she was away, as well as LEX's case load which she was away, and now they want me to do the same for them. That's flattering, I guess, but it does sort of feel like I'm a dog everybody wants to pet! Except that petting me somehow gets their work done.
Anyway, yes... it's definitely a good thing. It's better than nobody wanting to give me work on the basis that I'll screw it up.
So, I'm trying to think of what happened lately that was out of the ordinary. Hm. Not that much that I can say on here without incurring a breach of confidentiality lawsuit! But I've had a lot of client contact lately - interviews and such.
Today I had my first client interview flying solo (i.e. on my own). It's also my first ever case! The interview went fine, but the case is less than great. I guess I can't go into much detail because I'm getting paranoid (even though I have a total readership of about 3). Basically I could have got a better case. I highly doubt this one is going to go anywhere, but I will try my best of course.
Clients are funny old things. They really do come in all shapes and sizes and with a whole host of different mentalities. Hardly a surprise, I suppose, given that everybody in the world is a potential personal injury claimant (except people Denmark where nobody gets hurt, and people in North Korea where nobody gets compensation). I might like to do a more extensive article on the common client stereotypes after a few more months.
Anyway, yes... it's definitely a good thing. It's better than nobody wanting to give me work on the basis that I'll screw it up.
So, I'm trying to think of what happened lately that was out of the ordinary. Hm. Not that much that I can say on here without incurring a breach of confidentiality lawsuit! But I've had a lot of client contact lately - interviews and such.
Today I had my first client interview flying solo (i.e. on my own). It's also my first ever case! The interview went fine, but the case is less than great. I guess I can't go into much detail because I'm getting paranoid (even though I have a total readership of about 3). Basically I could have got a better case. I highly doubt this one is going to go anywhere, but I will try my best of course.
Clients are funny old things. They really do come in all shapes and sizes and with a whole host of different mentalities. Hardly a surprise, I suppose, given that everybody in the world is a potential personal injury claimant (except people Denmark where nobody gets hurt, and people in North Korea where nobody gets compensation). I might like to do a more extensive article on the common client stereotypes after a few more months.
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Romanus Eunt Domus (2-month report!)
Bonus points for who(m)ever knows where the Latin quote is from and/or what the grammatically correct phrase would be!
Anyway, today it is the 5th November. And on this day I am looking back in history, not to 1605 like most proper British folk, but merely back to September when I was a fresh-faced, naive do-gooder out to right the wrongs of society and provide justice for those who have been injured by the big, nasty man.
So, what have I learnt in this time?
1. One of the very first things I learnt - the "man" can be anything from a family-run business, to a nursery, to little Jonny's grandmother who forgot to clear the ice from her driveway. Now it's not as bad as many people make it out to be - indeed, it's not as bad as I just made it out to be - but there have been occasions where my natural allegiance has been more with the other side than our client.
2. One of the most recent things I've learnt (and this ties in nicely with the above paragraph) is separating the intuitions of personal me and lawyer me. In fact, that's not something that just clicked, it's been a gradual process. Some might call it dehumanisation, but I call it professionalism! But in all honesty, it is a necessary skill in order to do this job. Not just because I might feel a bit bad for sending a nasty legal letter to a struggling family-run corner shop, but because some of the clients have real bad injuries and having now talked to a lot of them, I realise the severity of their situations.
Many of them really don't care (much) about their lawsuits because they are so upset about the position they find themselves in. That really got to me this week in particular, when I realised that all my hard work on a particular client's case wouldn't rectify the fact that s/he will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his/her life. It can be a little disheartening, but it's not my job to worry about their physical or psychiatric conditions, so I'm learning just to put those thoughts out of my mind and just do the best job I can.
3. Another thing I'm just getting used to is waking up early every day. I'm sure it wasn't supposed to take me this long, but until this week I had felt very tired every morning, even when I'd got a solid 8+ hours sleep! But then I did spend the previous year doing very strange hours, and then a very lazy summer waking up late.
4. I've learnt that clients are usually very ungrateful, considering they don't have to pay a penny for the work I do.
5. I've learnt that clients watch too many American courtroom dramas.
6. I've learnt a lot about clients.
7. I've learnt that complex cases are WAY more complicated than simple cases. I mean, I knew there'd be a difficulty gap, but I wasn't expecting it to be that big!
8. I've learnt that blogging is hard. Well... it's not hard to write random rubbish, but it is hard to regularly blog and keep things interesting.
On that note I'm going to go. Bye bye!
Anyway, today it is the 5th November. And on this day I am looking back in history, not to 1605 like most proper British folk, but merely back to September when I was a fresh-faced, naive do-gooder out to right the wrongs of society and provide justice for those who have been injured by the big, nasty man.
So, what have I learnt in this time?
1. One of the very first things I learnt - the "man" can be anything from a family-run business, to a nursery, to little Jonny's grandmother who forgot to clear the ice from her driveway. Now it's not as bad as many people make it out to be - indeed, it's not as bad as I just made it out to be - but there have been occasions where my natural allegiance has been more with the other side than our client.
2. One of the most recent things I've learnt (and this ties in nicely with the above paragraph) is separating the intuitions of personal me and lawyer me. In fact, that's not something that just clicked, it's been a gradual process. Some might call it dehumanisation, but I call it professionalism! But in all honesty, it is a necessary skill in order to do this job. Not just because I might feel a bit bad for sending a nasty legal letter to a struggling family-run corner shop, but because some of the clients have real bad injuries and having now talked to a lot of them, I realise the severity of their situations.
Many of them really don't care (much) about their lawsuits because they are so upset about the position they find themselves in. That really got to me this week in particular, when I realised that all my hard work on a particular client's case wouldn't rectify the fact that s/he will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his/her life. It can be a little disheartening, but it's not my job to worry about their physical or psychiatric conditions, so I'm learning just to put those thoughts out of my mind and just do the best job I can.
3. Another thing I'm just getting used to is waking up early every day. I'm sure it wasn't supposed to take me this long, but until this week I had felt very tired every morning, even when I'd got a solid 8+ hours sleep! But then I did spend the previous year doing very strange hours, and then a very lazy summer waking up late.
4. I've learnt that clients are usually very ungrateful, considering they don't have to pay a penny for the work I do.
5. I've learnt that clients watch too many American courtroom dramas.
6. I've learnt a lot about clients.
7. I've learnt that complex cases are WAY more complicated than simple cases. I mean, I knew there'd be a difficulty gap, but I wasn't expecting it to be that big!
8. I've learnt that blogging is hard. Well... it's not hard to write random rubbish, but it is hard to regularly blog and keep things interesting.
On that note I'm going to go. Bye bye!
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Certiorari (nearly 2 months!!!)
I really have no idea what to title my posts, because I really have no idea what I'm going to write about when I come here. Why not leave the title until the end of the post, you ask? Shut up. This ain't your blog. Besides, when I finish a post I want to click publish, not sit around for 10 minutes trying to think of a funky title. That's why from now on - unless I think of something beforehand - I'm just going to entitle my posts with random Latin legal phrases. If you don't know what it means you can look it up... could be fun! :)
Anyway, LEX came back last week and I am most pleased to say that she was very happy with the work I did. That was nice and validating, but I didn't really have time to bask because my supervisor was away and I had a whole new caseload to deal with. And my supervisor's cases are a wee bit more complex, to say the least!
I'd love to go into some more detail on them, but I really shouldn't, just in case. It's occurred to me that my true identity will be as easy to uncover as .. well ... I don't have time for tortured similies right now but I'll be pretty damn discoverable if someone bothers to try unmasking me. That said... as far as I'm aware, my entire audience here consists of myself and the ~3 friends I invited to read this blog. THE POINT IS that I can't really talk too much about the cases due to confidentiality, but they're complicated ok!
The complicatedness does add an additional element of interest that was admittedly lacking when I dealt with LEX's cases. I'm doing a lot more thinking, which is great, although it's still nowhere near as academic as the law degree, but it'll never be. The duties of a lawyer (well, a solicitor at least) are far too practical for that.
Anyway, in addition to the cases being more complex, the clients are also generally a bit more difficult to deal with, which is annoying but it's something I'm going to have to get used to.
So... this has been the worst post yet. I'm well aware of that and I apologise. I'm just very, very hungry and my tea is now ready so ... :D yay. At the end of the week I'll try to do a proper 2-month-review post.
Anyway, LEX came back last week and I am most pleased to say that she was very happy with the work I did. That was nice and validating, but I didn't really have time to bask because my supervisor was away and I had a whole new caseload to deal with. And my supervisor's cases are a wee bit more complex, to say the least!
I'd love to go into some more detail on them, but I really shouldn't, just in case. It's occurred to me that my true identity will be as easy to uncover as .. well ... I don't have time for tortured similies right now but I'll be pretty damn discoverable if someone bothers to try unmasking me. That said... as far as I'm aware, my entire audience here consists of myself and the ~3 friends I invited to read this blog. THE POINT IS that I can't really talk too much about the cases due to confidentiality, but they're complicated ok!
The complicatedness does add an additional element of interest that was admittedly lacking when I dealt with LEX's cases. I'm doing a lot more thinking, which is great, although it's still nowhere near as academic as the law degree, but it'll never be. The duties of a lawyer (well, a solicitor at least) are far too practical for that.
Anyway, in addition to the cases being more complex, the clients are also generally a bit more difficult to deal with, which is annoying but it's something I'm going to have to get used to.
So... this has been the worst post yet. I'm well aware of that and I apologise. I'm just very, very hungry and my tea is now ready so ... :D yay. At the end of the week I'll try to do a proper 2-month-review post.
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Legal Privilege
I went to court (the Royal Courts of Justice, no less) this week for a proper hearing! It wasn't a full-on trial, but I can assure you it was just as exciting. It was amazing to experience true courtroom drama! It was incredibly tense as the judges delivered their verdicts; I can't imagine how the actual clients must have felt at the time. It was also great to see two top QCs in action. They make advocacy seem so easy but anyone who's tried it will know that's definitely not the case.
Actually this leads me onto a practical point about being a Trainee Solicitor. One thing I didn't realise beforehand is how much of a privileged position us trainees are in. I don't know if this is the case in other firms, but at my firm they are very much of the mindset that we are there to learn as well as do work for them. They are perfectly content for us to take time out of chargeable work to do a little research if we feel we need to read more about an area of law or a practice point. My whole excursion to court was on a case in which I had next to no involvement, but I asked to go and they agreed that it'd be great experience. When I compare my situation to that of the paralegals or legal executives - who constantly have to worry about meeting their billing targets - I do indeed feel quite privileged!
Anyway, LEX returns tomorrow. The pessimist inside me is flourishing & I'm quite apprehensive of what she'll say about the work I've done on her cases! However, my supervisor says I've done well and that LEX should be very grateful.
Righto, it's Sunday evening and as much as I'm enjoying this blogging thing, I think I'd like to think about something other than work for the next few hours! Tune in next time when I will consider all the blundering errors I have made on the job so far :-)
Actually this leads me onto a practical point about being a Trainee Solicitor. One thing I didn't realise beforehand is how much of a privileged position us trainees are in. I don't know if this is the case in other firms, but at my firm they are very much of the mindset that we are there to learn as well as do work for them. They are perfectly content for us to take time out of chargeable work to do a little research if we feel we need to read more about an area of law or a practice point. My whole excursion to court was on a case in which I had next to no involvement, but I asked to go and they agreed that it'd be great experience. When I compare my situation to that of the paralegals or legal executives - who constantly have to worry about meeting their billing targets - I do indeed feel quite privileged!
Anyway, LEX returns tomorrow. The pessimist inside me is flourishing & I'm quite apprehensive of what she'll say about the work I've done on her cases! However, my supervisor says I've done well and that LEX should be very grateful.
Righto, it's Sunday evening and as much as I'm enjoying this blogging thing, I think I'd like to think about something other than work for the next few hours! Tune in next time when I will consider all the blundering errors I have made on the job so far :-)
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Performance Review (6 weeks in)
Six weeks into the training contract and things seemed to be going ok. I've settled into a rhythm and I generally know what to do - and if I don't, I'm not afraid to ask for help! I have even started to get a little bit excited when I go to collect the mail from my pigeon hole (ok, it's not mine, it belongs to the woman with whose cases I'm dealing (let's call her LEX for now), but it's basically mine until she returns). I'm usually disappointed when I flick through the mail and read a bunch of snide letters from other law firms, but there's the occasional nice surprise, like a settlement for a case we had all but given up hope for!
Anyway, one thing I had realised was that I had no idea how well I was actually doing. In the first few weeks I didn't expect much evaluation as I was still getting used to everything, but after a month or so I really wanted to know if I was doing good work or not. Well, last week I had my first performance review. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the verdict is....................... yeah, I'm doing fine.
While I do talk to her a lot, it's nearly always about cases, or just general chit chat. And while it wasn't a gruelling assessment of my progress to date, it was nice to sit and talk with my supervisor about my general experience at the firm so far.
I think the real performance review will occur when LEX returns and discovers what I've done with all her cases! And I sure hope she's happy with my work, because when she comes back, my supervisor goes off on holiday and I'll be taking care of her cases for a couple of weeks. Needless to say, my supervisor's cases are a bit more complex so I'd really like to take control of them on the back of some encouraging feedback from LEX!
Other than that, everything is fine. I've had some amusing moments, some awkward moments and some facepalm moments. And I'm guessing you wish I'd written this blog post about the facepalm moments! Well tough, you'll just have to wait until next time! :)
Anyway, one thing I had realised was that I had no idea how well I was actually doing. In the first few weeks I didn't expect much evaluation as I was still getting used to everything, but after a month or so I really wanted to know if I was doing good work or not. Well, last week I had my first performance review. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the verdict is....................... yeah, I'm doing fine.
While I do talk to her a lot, it's nearly always about cases, or just general chit chat. And while it wasn't a gruelling assessment of my progress to date, it was nice to sit and talk with my supervisor about my general experience at the firm so far.
I think the real performance review will occur when LEX returns and discovers what I've done with all her cases! And I sure hope she's happy with my work, because when she comes back, my supervisor goes off on holiday and I'll be taking care of her cases for a couple of weeks. Needless to say, my supervisor's cases are a bit more complex so I'd really like to take control of them on the back of some encouraging feedback from LEX!
Other than that, everything is fine. I've had some amusing moments, some awkward moments and some facepalm moments. And I'm guessing you wish I'd written this blog post about the facepalm moments! Well tough, you'll just have to wait until next time! :)
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Legally Binding (5 weeks down!)
Well, it's been a stimulating couple of weeks. Stimulating - one of those euphemisms for HARD AND STRESSFUL.
I have been given a few dozen cases to oversee for a few weeks, and it is a lot different to doing work on other peoples' cases. Instead of spending 3 hours drafting one statement, I'm now working on many, many files every hour. Each task carried out needs to be recorded for billing purposes and case tracking purposes. This is easy when only working on 3-4 cases a day, but now I'm working on so many cases all the time, and having to switch my attention suddenly when I get a (dreaded!) phone call, it has thrown me a bit.
This is what they don't prepare you for during your degree, or on the LPC. Sure, I have a good idea of the actual law, and I know how to write (thanks more to primary school than the LPC, although they both teach it), and I'm pretty good at making tea, BUT I was not prepared for time recording or the administrative bits & bobs that have to accompany every piece of work I do. I could blitz through loads of standard letters asking for medical records or CCTV evidence etc. I'd feel like a king doing so much, and then a while later I'd realise that I hadn't recorded my time for something, or I hadn't updated the case tracker thing, or I hadn't scheduled a follow-up to one of the letters. VERY ANNOYING, especially because then I'd have to stop what I'm doing and go pull out the file and load it on the system and figure out what I should have done... and then file it away again. That all takes time.
I guess it's all part of the learning curve and I think I am getting better at it, but it's something that the LPC should have some regard to. On the other hand, lots of things from the LPC - such as legal accounts - appear to apply solely to qualified lawyers and are of no use to trainees. It seems to me that it'd be better if they taught us more about being a trainee. But perhaps other trainees are having a different experience.
Anyway, sorry for the rantlet, the administrative side has been bothering me a lot lately because I feel like I'm getting a lot less work done than I could if I didn't have to worry about all the faff. But I guess it goes with the territory.
The good news is that nobody seems to think I'm doing a bad job, though I think the woman who sits next to me is starting to get annoyed with all my questions! Big Christmas present coming her way!!
I have been given a few dozen cases to oversee for a few weeks, and it is a lot different to doing work on other peoples' cases. Instead of spending 3 hours drafting one statement, I'm now working on many, many files every hour. Each task carried out needs to be recorded for billing purposes and case tracking purposes. This is easy when only working on 3-4 cases a day, but now I'm working on so many cases all the time, and having to switch my attention suddenly when I get a (dreaded!) phone call, it has thrown me a bit.
This is what they don't prepare you for during your degree, or on the LPC. Sure, I have a good idea of the actual law, and I know how to write (thanks more to primary school than the LPC, although they both teach it), and I'm pretty good at making tea, BUT I was not prepared for time recording or the administrative bits & bobs that have to accompany every piece of work I do. I could blitz through loads of standard letters asking for medical records or CCTV evidence etc. I'd feel like a king doing so much, and then a while later I'd realise that I hadn't recorded my time for something, or I hadn't updated the case tracker thing, or I hadn't scheduled a follow-up to one of the letters. VERY ANNOYING, especially because then I'd have to stop what I'm doing and go pull out the file and load it on the system and figure out what I should have done... and then file it away again. That all takes time.
I guess it's all part of the learning curve and I think I am getting better at it, but it's something that the LPC should have some regard to. On the other hand, lots of things from the LPC - such as legal accounts - appear to apply solely to qualified lawyers and are of no use to trainees. It seems to me that it'd be better if they taught us more about being a trainee. But perhaps other trainees are having a different experience.
Anyway, sorry for the rantlet, the administrative side has been bothering me a lot lately because I feel like I'm getting a lot less work done than I could if I didn't have to worry about all the faff. But I guess it goes with the territory.
The good news is that nobody seems to think I'm doing a bad job, though I think the woman who sits next to me is starting to get annoyed with all my questions! Big Christmas present coming her way!!
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Teething Problems (3 weeks down!)
OK, the title of this post actually refers to my flat rather than my job. I'm sure none of you are interested in my flat but suffice to say that I moved in last week (finally!) after sofa surfing with friends for 2 weeks, and my new flat has a few issues. There's some mould here and some leaking there and some garden debris everywhere, but all of that pales in comparison to the fact that I've had no internet all week! Seriously, it's been a nightmare. It's amazing how much I (and most civilised people) rely on it!!
Anyway, you didn't come here to read about that. So what can I tell you about my 3rd week at the firm? Well, just when I thought I was getting the hang of things, the difficulty was upped. I was asked to draft 3 witness statements from scratch from people who hardly spoke English, and I had to draft some instructions to counsel (which always sounds easier than it is) on a complex multi-track case. I guess it's good, it's what I want & need to be continually challenged, but it's more effort!
And as of Monday I will be taking charge of my own case load. That means I won't be doing bits and pieces of work for other peoples' cases, but making my own decisions and acting on my own behalf. I will still have supervision, of course, but I don't think they want me to get them to check everything I do before I send it out. That means I could easily make a big mistake, and that is scary! On the upside ... they must have a lot of faith in me?
On the other upside, I get paid at the end of this week. While I didn't go into this job for the money (and who would go through all those law courses and become a legal aid lawyer for the money??), it will be a welcome boost to my bank account. There are a lot of things I need to buy for the new flat. Ok, I don't NEED a 42" LED TV, but I want one : ) Just kidding, I can't afford one of those.
I'd better sign off. It's a Sunday and I need to chill out before what I'm sure will be a very stressful tomorrow. I already have a pile of mail to go through when I arrive u.u ... Tune in next week to see if I still have a job!
Anyway, you didn't come here to read about that. So what can I tell you about my 3rd week at the firm? Well, just when I thought I was getting the hang of things, the difficulty was upped. I was asked to draft 3 witness statements from scratch from people who hardly spoke English, and I had to draft some instructions to counsel (which always sounds easier than it is) on a complex multi-track case. I guess it's good, it's what I want & need to be continually challenged, but it's more effort!
And as of Monday I will be taking charge of my own case load. That means I won't be doing bits and pieces of work for other peoples' cases, but making my own decisions and acting on my own behalf. I will still have supervision, of course, but I don't think they want me to get them to check everything I do before I send it out. That means I could easily make a big mistake, and that is scary! On the upside ... they must have a lot of faith in me?
On the other upside, I get paid at the end of this week. While I didn't go into this job for the money (and who would go through all those law courses and become a legal aid lawyer for the money??), it will be a welcome boost to my bank account. There are a lot of things I need to buy for the new flat. Ok, I don't NEED a 42" LED TV, but I want one : ) Just kidding, I can't afford one of those.
I'd better sign off. It's a Sunday and I need to chill out before what I'm sure will be a very stressful tomorrow. I already have a pile of mail to go through when I arrive u.u ... Tune in next week to see if I still have a job!
Friday, 16 September 2011
Progress Report (2 weeks in)
Ok, there are a few things I want to write about this week.
Firstly, yes, everything is going great and I'm happy with the learning curve. Everybody is still very nice and I continue to meet new and interesting people. My work, I think, is steadily improving both in quality and in efficiency. I still have NO idea how people manage a caseload of 70+ though (and many lawyers do)!
This week & last week many of the paralegals who've been at the firm for years found out whether they were going to be offered a Training Contract at the firm, and needless to say most of them didn't get it. I was a little worried that there might be some tension between the paralegals and us new trainees who have just come in, but everything seems fine which is good!
Ok, that wasn't actually one of the things I wanted to write about, it just sort of came out (that's what she said?).
I did want to write about my first experience of doing work that was.... morally ambiguous. Basically, I didn't feel like I believed in the case. Not that I didn't believe it could win - actually it has quite good prospects - but reading through the file I found myself siding completely with the defendants! But I guess it's important to put those emotions aside and do a professional job. Do my best work and let the law decide who should win - that's how it works (in theory). I have to admit, though, I have found it easier and more enjoyable to work on a case where I can sympathise with the client. I've been told by more experienced lawyers that it's the sort of thing you quickly get used to, although some of them also said that they still sometimes go that extra mile when they really believe in a case. I'm not sure how much this applies to commercial law!
I have eliminated the basic, elementary errors that enreddened my face last week i.e. locking myself out of the office and accidentally turning off all the lights. The biggest mistake I made this week was calling a woman "Mr." on the phone. That's an improvement in my book :)
I'm happy it's the weekend as I got some stuff to do (I have to return some video tapes), but yeah, ROLL ON MONDAY!
**HERE FOLLOWS A RANT AGAINST COMMERCIAL LAW**
If you're not interested in my opinion on the differences between working in commercial law firms and working in smaller firms, there's no need to read on.
I have been chatting to some of my other TC friends who are at more commercial firms, and I gotta say it doesn't sound like they're enjoying it as much as me. Of course, they're getting paid a lot more than me, but I'm doing very reasonable hours (I can still have a life!), I'm doing work that I'm interested in, I love my colleagues, AND I feel like I'm getting a much higher quality of work than them. What I mean by that is that I'll be doing letters of claim, instructions to counsel, valuing injuries and being in direct contact with clients, whereas they'll be filing, making cups of tea, pouring over lengthy contracts to "check" them (for typos) and generally feeding their supervisors' egos. I'm sure I am exaggerating the remediality of their workload a tad, but the chances of getting your own cases at a large comemrcial firm is basically zero. At my (medium-sized) firm, many of the more experienced trainees get to run their own cases sometimes! I've been told that I may well be doing that soon, and while it sounds incredibly daunting having so much responsibility, ultimately it's going to make for fantastic training - it's like learning a language in another country, throwing yourself in the deep end for a fantastic learning experience, and you're unlikely to get that in a big firm.
OK, I'm biased against commercial law, but that's not entirely because all the commercial law firms rejected me (they didn't). I genuinely believe that a lot of what I just said is true, especially about the level of responsibility given. I think it's important for people to realise that being a lawyer doesn't have to mean the huge hours, huge salaries and huge pressures that come with commercial law. If you went to a law school like mine, you'd be forgiven for thinking that big city commercial law was the only type of firm worth going for. But you wouldn't be forgiven for putting too much milk in Mr. Topdog's tea. You'd have to work overnight to make up for that one.
Firstly, yes, everything is going great and I'm happy with the learning curve. Everybody is still very nice and I continue to meet new and interesting people. My work, I think, is steadily improving both in quality and in efficiency. I still have NO idea how people manage a caseload of 70+ though (and many lawyers do)!
This week & last week many of the paralegals who've been at the firm for years found out whether they were going to be offered a Training Contract at the firm, and needless to say most of them didn't get it. I was a little worried that there might be some tension between the paralegals and us new trainees who have just come in, but everything seems fine which is good!
Ok, that wasn't actually one of the things I wanted to write about, it just sort of came out (that's what she said?).
I did want to write about my first experience of doing work that was.... morally ambiguous. Basically, I didn't feel like I believed in the case. Not that I didn't believe it could win - actually it has quite good prospects - but reading through the file I found myself siding completely with the defendants! But I guess it's important to put those emotions aside and do a professional job. Do my best work and let the law decide who should win - that's how it works (in theory). I have to admit, though, I have found it easier and more enjoyable to work on a case where I can sympathise with the client. I've been told by more experienced lawyers that it's the sort of thing you quickly get used to, although some of them also said that they still sometimes go that extra mile when they really believe in a case. I'm not sure how much this applies to commercial law!
I have eliminated the basic, elementary errors that enreddened my face last week i.e. locking myself out of the office and accidentally turning off all the lights. The biggest mistake I made this week was calling a woman "Mr." on the phone. That's an improvement in my book :)
I'm happy it's the weekend as I got some stuff to do (I have to return some video tapes), but yeah, ROLL ON MONDAY!
**HERE FOLLOWS A RANT AGAINST COMMERCIAL LAW**
If you're not interested in my opinion on the differences between working in commercial law firms and working in smaller firms, there's no need to read on.
I have been chatting to some of my other TC friends who are at more commercial firms, and I gotta say it doesn't sound like they're enjoying it as much as me. Of course, they're getting paid a lot more than me, but I'm doing very reasonable hours (I can still have a life!), I'm doing work that I'm interested in, I love my colleagues, AND I feel like I'm getting a much higher quality of work than them. What I mean by that is that I'll be doing letters of claim, instructions to counsel, valuing injuries and being in direct contact with clients, whereas they'll be filing, making cups of tea, pouring over lengthy contracts to "check" them (for typos) and generally feeding their supervisors' egos. I'm sure I am exaggerating the remediality of their workload a tad, but the chances of getting your own cases at a large comemrcial firm is basically zero. At my (medium-sized) firm, many of the more experienced trainees get to run their own cases sometimes! I've been told that I may well be doing that soon, and while it sounds incredibly daunting having so much responsibility, ultimately it's going to make for fantastic training - it's like learning a language in another country, throwing yourself in the deep end for a fantastic learning experience, and you're unlikely to get that in a big firm.
OK, I'm biased against commercial law, but that's not entirely because all the commercial law firms rejected me (they didn't). I genuinely believe that a lot of what I just said is true, especially about the level of responsibility given. I think it's important for people to realise that being a lawyer doesn't have to mean the huge hours, huge salaries and huge pressures that come with commercial law. If you went to a law school like mine, you'd be forgiven for thinking that big city commercial law was the only type of firm worth going for. But you wouldn't be forgiven for putting too much milk in Mr. Topdog's tea. You'd have to work overnight to make up for that one.
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (1 week in)
Having read through my Training Contract, I decided that the terms were acceptable and so I put pen to paper. Although the inspection was something of a formality (like I was going to refuse my TC now!), I figured it'd be pretty un-lawyerly of me not to read it. Actually I was pleasantly surprised by some of it, and I can happily say the same thing about my first week at the firm.
Although it is an awfully steep learning curve and I have at times felt very daunted, I am really enjoying it. I feel a sense of accomplishment whenever I complete a bit of work, and the feedback I receive is generally positive and constructive. The hours go by very quickly (perhaps even too quickly!) which is in stark contrast to most of the jobs I've held in the past. Not once have I glanced at the time this week and wished it were later and I think that's a good sign!
I'm starting to find myself connecting what I learnt on my LPC with what I'm doing now, which is a huge help because if I understood something back then, I should be able to put it into practice now. One of my big worries before starting was that everything would be very different to the LPC and while it's not exactly the same, I feel like I do at least have a basic idea of what I'm doing.
Also, everyone has been extremely accommodating with me during the first week. I'm still waiting to meet someone at the firm who isn't nice! I don't feel pressured and they have allowed me time to take things in and learn the ropes. I don't know if this is the same everywhere, but I get the impression that other firms (particularly the big ones) are far more demanding from the outset. I'm sure that in a few weeks they will expect me to be getting close to the daily chargeable hour targets, but I really appreciate how everybody is easing us in rather than dropping us in!
It hasn't all been plain sailing. There was a slightly awkward moment when I found myself in conversation with the Senior Partner and wasn't totally sure what to say. There was also the time I accidentally locked myself out of my office when I nipped out for a moment. Perhaps most embarrassingly was the time I was walking out of the office, tried to press the door release button, but accidentally turned off all the lights in the office! Needless to say, I made a hasty apology and exit. I think I can get away with it once, but I really don't want to become known as "that" guy!
On a more serious note, as I alluded to earlier I know that they won't be this patient with me forever. I'm still a little afraid of what might be expected of me after the honeymoon period is over. I feel like I'm Hitler and I've just taken over Austria, but I know that I will have to go after Britain or Russia soon. OK, that analogy has probably put me in a terrible light.. but ... well, you know what I mean!
Anyway... overall, yes, I am settling in nicely. :-) It has been an enjoyable week and I hope it continues in this direction. That said, I'm glad the weekend has arrived because I'm very, very tired!
By the way, I found out how much an hour of my time is worth - a lot!!
Although it is an awfully steep learning curve and I have at times felt very daunted, I am really enjoying it. I feel a sense of accomplishment whenever I complete a bit of work, and the feedback I receive is generally positive and constructive. The hours go by very quickly (perhaps even too quickly!) which is in stark contrast to most of the jobs I've held in the past. Not once have I glanced at the time this week and wished it were later and I think that's a good sign!
I'm starting to find myself connecting what I learnt on my LPC with what I'm doing now, which is a huge help because if I understood something back then, I should be able to put it into practice now. One of my big worries before starting was that everything would be very different to the LPC and while it's not exactly the same, I feel like I do at least have a basic idea of what I'm doing.
Also, everyone has been extremely accommodating with me during the first week. I'm still waiting to meet someone at the firm who isn't nice! I don't feel pressured and they have allowed me time to take things in and learn the ropes. I don't know if this is the same everywhere, but I get the impression that other firms (particularly the big ones) are far more demanding from the outset. I'm sure that in a few weeks they will expect me to be getting close to the daily chargeable hour targets, but I really appreciate how everybody is easing us in rather than dropping us in!
It hasn't all been plain sailing. There was a slightly awkward moment when I found myself in conversation with the Senior Partner and wasn't totally sure what to say. There was also the time I accidentally locked myself out of my office when I nipped out for a moment. Perhaps most embarrassingly was the time I was walking out of the office, tried to press the door release button, but accidentally turned off all the lights in the office! Needless to say, I made a hasty apology and exit. I think I can get away with it once, but I really don't want to become known as "that" guy!
On a more serious note, as I alluded to earlier I know that they won't be this patient with me forever. I'm still a little afraid of what might be expected of me after the honeymoon period is over. I feel like I'm Hitler and I've just taken over Austria, but I know that I will have to go after Britain or Russia soon. OK, that analogy has probably put me in a terrible light.. but ... well, you know what I mean!
Anyway... overall, yes, I am settling in nicely. :-) It has been an enjoyable week and I hope it continues in this direction. That said, I'm glad the weekend has arrived because I'm very, very tired!
By the way, I found out how much an hour of my time is worth - a lot!!
Monday, 5 September 2011
Personally Injured
I travelled to work this morning feeling surprisingly neutral. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to be nervous! All week/month, people have been asking me if I was nervous to be starting, and all week/month I have been replying "No, but I'm sure I will be soon!". In reality, I headed into those offices feeling more excited than anything.
All the new trainees I had met previously had been extremely pleasant, as had the partners and support staff. I thought it had just been luck but actually it seems like pretty much everyone at the firm is nice! The more I learn about the firm and the people there, the more confident I am that it was exactly where I want to be. So glad I didn't go into commercial law (though I'm sure commercial lawyers are nice too... sometimes).
The morning consisted of an induction detailing the requirements of the training contract and how the firm intends to teach us all the skills I need to know. It was fairly standard stuff and I think all us trainees came out of it content and ready.... for lunch! Yes, I was very hungry by this point. My coco pops breakfast hadn't proved sufficient. Tomorrow I will throw in some toast for good measure.
So all the trainees went out for lunch and at this point I really felt we were all starting to gel. I also realised that we would probably not see each other that much at work because we all have our own supervisors and work on different cases. Regardless, we are the newbies, the ducklings desperately flapping to stay afloat in the Atlantic, and I think that gives us reason enough to stick together!
We returned to the office and I was then taken to meet my supervisor and led to my desk for the next 6 months. I had a big pack of BUSINESS CARDS with my name on! How exciting!! Then I had a long chat with my supervisor and she, like everyone else, is very nice. She has given me a number of documents which detail the procedural side of personal injury at the firm. I also had a plethora of human resources things to work my way through.
I'd like to have put some more thought into this post, but I have a bunch of things to read through (such as the training contract itself, which I need to sign!) so I must end it here. I doubt I'll have time to update this blog daily, but I'm aiming to write at least once a week. See you soon!
All the new trainees I had met previously had been extremely pleasant, as had the partners and support staff. I thought it had just been luck but actually it seems like pretty much everyone at the firm is nice! The more I learn about the firm and the people there, the more confident I am that it was exactly where I want to be. So glad I didn't go into commercial law (though I'm sure commercial lawyers are nice too... sometimes).
The morning consisted of an induction detailing the requirements of the training contract and how the firm intends to teach us all the skills I need to know. It was fairly standard stuff and I think all us trainees came out of it content and ready.... for lunch! Yes, I was very hungry by this point. My coco pops breakfast hadn't proved sufficient. Tomorrow I will throw in some toast for good measure.
So all the trainees went out for lunch and at this point I really felt we were all starting to gel. I also realised that we would probably not see each other that much at work because we all have our own supervisors and work on different cases. Regardless, we are the newbies, the ducklings desperately flapping to stay afloat in the Atlantic, and I think that gives us reason enough to stick together!
We returned to the office and I was then taken to meet my supervisor and led to my desk for the next 6 months. I had a big pack of BUSINESS CARDS with my name on! How exciting!! Then I had a long chat with my supervisor and she, like everyone else, is very nice. She has given me a number of documents which detail the procedural side of personal injury at the firm. I also had a plethora of human resources things to work my way through.
I'd like to have put some more thought into this post, but I have a bunch of things to read through (such as the training contract itself, which I need to sign!) so I must end it here. I doubt I'll have time to update this blog daily, but I'm aiming to write at least once a week. See you soon!
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Going through the Emotions
I hate nostalgia. It's probably the one thing that most ruins new experiences and life changes, even when they are for the better. It's a feeling that gives you a longing for something you can never have: the past. It's like being in love with Julius Caesar or Lara Croft, although in those cases at least there are lookalikes.
There's also the fact that I am feeling nostalgic at a time about which I will, years from now, also feel nostalgic. "At least you have happy memories", you say? "Bleh!", I say back. I want to be back at university, or back at school, or even back to my childhood when the only thing I was worried about was getting my own way.
Come to think of it, that's still the only thing I'm worried about, it's just a lot harder to do.
...
Anyway, as you have probably deduced by now, I'm a little apprehensive of starting tomorrow. Apprehensive, but not nervous. I spent the day packing and sorting out my old room which led to a good deal of reminiscence. Amplifying my nostal-gism were feelings of inadequacy (much like the time I challenged Morgan Freeman to a story-reading contest). What if I suck at being a lawyer? Have I wasted 6 years of my life? Is this *really* what I want to do with my life?? Sure, I’ve had experience working in law firms and I have a basic idea of what it’ll be like, but what is the reality? Will I enjoy it?
On the other hand, I'm also very excited about the prospect of putting into practice all the things I have learnt, and making a real difference to peoples' lives. It will also be nice to have a steady, respectable (though not astronomical) income. The alternative could be me still desperately searching for a Training Contract, doing donkey work and scraping a living together - and I'm well-aware that many law graduates are in that situation! So yes, I count myself fortunate to have this opportunity. So far I am pretty confident that I will enjoy being at my law firm. Everybody seems extremely pleasant and ultimately if I like the people then I will enjoy being at my job. And that should help me produce my best work, right?
So, to wrap this post up, I think we all feel a mixture of emotions when we're about to take a big step into the unknown. Many of us may feel as though we want to stay in (or go back to) the safe zone, where we’re comfortable and familiar. But nostalgia is to the mind what alcohol is to the eyes. If I were offered a chance to satisfy that feeling and not start this new career, would I take it? No, I wouldn’t, and not only because we look back on the past with beer goggles. Everybody has their own goals in life, but I believe it’s universally important to continually develop and grow. To do this we need to take on new things and challenge ourselves. I’m reminded of Lord Tennyson’s poem Ulysses, but now’s not the time for that.
Now’s the time to kick back and watch Live at the Apollo with a cup of tea. J
Test
While I'm a seasoned YouTuber and I get on pretty well with Twitter, this "blogging" thing is new to me. I mean, it's not really the same as Twitter, is it? Twitter is just a website for glorified Facebook statuses, whereas on this I'm apparently supposed to write MORE than 140 characters per post? Madness!
Well, about me.... I'm just about to start my training contract in London and I figured it would be nice to keep this blog. For now I'm writing it just for myself, and possibly a few friends who might be interested in hearing about my experiences, but I guess I might go public with it some day. And because I'm a little worried about saying something I shouldn't, I'm choosing to remain safely anonymous just like Princess Leia.
I will update the blog as often as I can, though I suspect it'd be a bit naive to think I could update it every day.
I think that's enough babbling for now. I'll do my first proper post later.
Well, about me.... I'm just about to start my training contract in London and I figured it would be nice to keep this blog. For now I'm writing it just for myself, and possibly a few friends who might be interested in hearing about my experiences, but I guess I might go public with it some day. And because I'm a little worried about saying something I shouldn't, I'm choosing to remain safely anonymous just like Princess Leia.
I will update the blog as often as I can, though I suspect it'd be a bit naive to think I could update it every day.
I think that's enough babbling for now. I'll do my first proper post later.
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