Ellie Harrison gives insight into her first seat as a trainee solicitor, her experience of transitioning from a paralegal to a trainee solicitor and what to expect.
My name is Ellie Harrison and I am currently in my first seat as a Trainee Solicitor in the Private Client (Advisory) team at Taylor Wessing. Prior to this, I worked as a Paralegal in our Liverpool office for the Tax and Incentives team for just over a year after graduating with my law degree.
Paralegal v Trainee – What are the differences?
The differences between the Paralegal and Trainee role can vary depending on the size of the team and the nature of the work being undertaken. In general, there is a step up in the difficulty of the work, the level of client interaction and the amount of responsibility you are given as a Trainee in comparison to as a Paralegal. Paralegal experience will be useful regardless of the seats that you go into in your Training Contract.
Skills
The skills that I developed as a Paralegal have been invaluable during my Training Contract so far. For example, managing multiple deadlines and matters as a Paralegal has equipped me well for handling the demands of the Trainee workload.
As a Paralegal, I was able to develop my communication style through drafting documents, participating in client calls and corresponding with parties such as HMRC and our clients. This varied experience has been beneficial during my first seat as a Trainee, allowing me to confidently handle and take ownership of workstreams such as drafting correspondence to HMRC and taking attendance notes at client meetings.
Exposure to the law firm environment as a Paralegal has allowed for a smooth transition to working in our London office.
The transition from Paralegal to Trainee
Moving from being a Paralegal to a Trainee is definitely a slight shock to the system. Going from being knowledgeable in one area as a Paralegal to starting afresh in an entirely new department as a Trainee can be daunting. It can feel slightly disheartening moving from doing something familiar to something new. However, you will be surprised by how quickly you learn how your new team works and it is extremely rewarding to see your development over a short period of time. This experience prepares you well for the rest of your training contract where you will need to adapt to a new seat every six months.
Unlike being a Paralegal which is generally for an extended period, each seat during your Training Contract only lasts six months, so it is important to hit the ground running. Moving to a new team means meeting new people and adapting to new tasks and methods of working. To develop my performance, I make sure to review any feedback that I receive to avoid receiving the same corrections in future and to gain an improved understanding of what the finished product should look like. I also make note of any particular ways of working that my colleagues may have so that I can bear them in mind in future.
Making the transition within the same firm made things easier as I already had a good support network within Taylor Wessing and was familiar with the systems, such as the time recording software and the document management system. This was particularly useful in my first few weeks as a Trainee in allowing me to find my feet more quickly and get stuck into tasks. It has also been useful to have familiar faces to ask questions to, although I would stress that everyone is happy to answer your questions at Taylor Wessing!
Support
There are a number of support systems in place for you as a Trainee at Taylor Wessing. Each Trainee has a Supervisor who assists with both pastoral and work-related queries. They can get you involved in their matters and encourage you to pursue any particular areas of interest. Your Supervisor is there to help you develop during the six months.
In addition, Trainees have a Trainee Buddy who is in the year above, who can provide advice. This can be particularly useful because they are still a Trainee so can relate to some of the issues and alleviate any concerns you may have.
Trainees also have an Associate Buddy assigned from another practice area who is further ahead in their career. They can be a useful sounding board for potential practice areas of interest and can provide advice on career development having been through the same process themselves.
Trainees also have monthly catch ups with Early Talent to discuss seat choices and any other queries.
Paralegals can also be a great starting point for Trainees to ask questions to because they are incredibly knowledgeable.
Advice
My advice to any Paralegals looking to make the transition to becoming a Trainee would be to get yourself as involved as you possibly can across your firm. For example, I worked on some projects that involved different practice areas, which gave me exposure to different types of work and new people within the firm. I also attended events representing the firm and took part in the firm's City CLAC pro bono clinics, as well as assisting with other ad hoc pro bono cases. This all helped me not only to develop a deeper understanding of the firm, but also allowed me to develop my skillset and further my connections within the firm.
I am already two months into my Training Contract with the time flying by, so I am excited to see what the next two years and beyond bring!
