Legal Support Coordinator Review

There was no paralegal in the Birmingham team which meant that I effectively filled that role and had a good level of responsibility from the beginning. I answered directly to fee-earners; from junior solicitors to partners, including the Head Partner of the EU & Competition team. Daily tasks included doing background research and producing research notes, drafting advice and guidance notes for clients, sitting in on client calls, involvement in merger notifications for large-scale companies and involvement in on-going market investigations. Despite being unable to attend, I was also offered the opportunity to attend client headquarters for meetings. Internal tasks included updating the internal database for any progression in UK market investigations and researching various newspaper articles to contribute to the daily newsflash on legal updates. I also had the opportunity to produce and conduct my own presentation at the weekly VC which involved giving a 10 minute presentation to the Competition teams in the Birmingham, London and Munich office. Other responsibilities have included helping the Litigation team prepare documents for hearing and administrative work in the Property team.

The IT training given at the start of the programme was extremely useful and I now have extremely good working knowledge of various Microsoft Office programmes, along with various software that is used in a large scale law firm. I have developed a heightened level of maturity, independence, confidence and diligence and also some invaluable networking skills.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the programme- having had to leave home for the programme, my expectations were that I would find it daunting. However, these were immediately dashed; the level of workload, responsibility, the skills I have gained and the people I have worked definitely made the experience worthwhile. The only criticism would be that sometimes the level of workload was slightly intermittent and at times rather quiet.

At times, as mentioned above, work could be slightly quiet which sometimes felt quite disheartening. However, I feel that this was merely down to the dynamic and somewhat volatile nature of the department. The work I received was extremely varied and interesting and it was extremely rewarding to be handed work from a partner and then receive praise for what one produced. I felt that I was also given a certain level of freedom and independence. For example, I was given the task of producing my own business development project into finding businesses within certain market segments outside of London who could be listed as targeting as potential new clients. This level of independence made me feel I was trusted, and thus valued. In addition, outside of my team, I was involved in the firm's CSR programme, Starfish and helped primary school children with their maths studies. This, and helping out at Careers Events etc. made me feel valued externally of the firm.

The firm had good contact with us through the Summer holidays before we started. The induction in London was really useful and a great way to meet the other Gap Years and trainees from the other offices, along with those in Birmingham. The IT training back in Birmingham was useful and informative. There was a slight mix up about who would be my supervisor the day before I started. However, as my team have previously had Gap Year students, they were prepared for having me and people took the effort to introduce themselves and offer their support. The monthly appraisal was useful in getting an update on one's performance and how to improve. A criticism would be that the scoring system on our monthly appraisals wasn't very useful as it was so subjective and my supervisor didn't really know how to gauge it or what to put. I didn't like the thought I was working in order to get a certain score at the end of the month. It made it feel slightly like a test. However, I felt like there were many ports of call that I could go to if I had a problem. I did feel that organization was good; task delegation was of a suitable level. However, if work was low in the department, tasks would go to the trainee first and sometimes that would mean I had little to do. Overall, taking everything into consideration, the programme is well structured.

With Competition being such a dynamic area of Law, the training was excellent. I had training in London in my first week with an introduction into the legal background of Competition Law, which was extremely useful and informative. It is encouraged in the department to stay on top of the news. Therefore I have learnt to stay on top of legal updates and press articles relating to the legal world. I have also been offered advice and support from my supervisor on how to format a research document and advice note properly, which could be very useful for studying Law at university. The team also gets monthly training and a quarter-yearly three hour lecture from a Competition Law Professor, which means that my knowledge and understanding of the Law has improved immensely. The support I have received through my team has given me invaluable skills for university, in regards to producing documents, researching effectively, and generally learning about the Law, in an academic sense as well as a professional sense.

My supervisor was extremely quick to take action when I said that I wasn't happy with the workload I was getting and immediately spoke to someone more senior to resolve it. For me, that demonstrated that my team cared that I was happy in my role. I have even been offered help from my team to get me involved in tasks in other departments if I so wished. Having a junior solicitor as a supervisor has meant that we have got on really well and I have found it easy to approach him if I ever have had a problem. Luckily I have never had to involve HR in anything, so can't comment on their support! Having left home for the programme, the partner of the team said that he was more than happy for me to get an earlier train on a Friday if I was going home. The fact that this was offered to me before I even asked really displayed to me that my team cared and supported my welfare and I was really appreciative of this. Also, I applied to university during the programme and my supervisor was happy for me to revise for my LNAT exam or edit my personal statement if work was a bit quiet!

Factoring in that I don't live at home has meant that a lot of my salary has had to be spent on living costs. If I had lived at home I would probably say that the salary was of a good level. However, in my position, I can't say that I have gained much financially. However, I have been careful and have been able to sustain a good social life and still have enough money left over for travelling and a little to save for university. However, I have had to be careful.

There has been plenty to do outside of work. I have been heavily involved in the firm's CSR programme, Starfish. I have volunteered in a primary school and have helped out at an OAP Christmas Party. From this I have also been able to attend a couple of corporate lunches. There are also opportunities to get involved in giving careers advice to those in the local community. There is the opportunity to get involved in the firm's Social Committee and help organize events like the Christmas Party. Stemming on from this, there are many social events including team meals, away days, charity quizzes, and even karaoke nights. Through the Birmingham Trainee Solicitor Society (which the Gap Year students are automatically members of) one can attend their annual ball, be involved in inter-firm sports fixtures, along with other various social events. Evening drinks with colleagues are a weekly occurrence too. Overall, it's extremely sociable.

Yes

In a professional sense, through the programme, one can gain an invaluable level of experience in a large, reputable law firm and place something on their CV that would make them stand out immensely. The skills one gains in regards to time management, professionalism and confidence are crucial for the working world. Also, if one is thinking about Law as a career, this is the ultimate decider. You get to see the good and the bad days and experience the long hours and hard work. In a non-professional sense, it is a fantastic way to make up some travelling funds for a Gap Year and is a truly unique experience. I have definitely made some life-long friends and have grown so much as a person.

Read into the firm as much as possible. For example, see what big deals or clients they have been involved with recently and check websites and journals like Lexus and Chambers. Have a look also at what the firm is involved with on a non-legal basis. For example, its pro bono and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Commercial awareness is crucial, so read some newspapers like the Financial Times which give good insight into the commercial world. For the interview, it is important to relax and be yourself. The firm has a friendly culture and they are looking to employ people who fit into that. Prepare some questions for the interview- it demonstrates you are interested and can take initiative.