9.00am: On an average day, I tend to arrive at the office between 9.00am and 9.30am. I begin the day by checking my emails and voicemail. My current seat is in the corporate team, into which I will qualify in September. Farrers is unique in that it offers trainees the opportunity to spend four months in five different 'seats', before returning to the team into which you will qualify for your final seat. There is always a strong effort made to retain all trainees upon qualification at Farrers, with the firm priding itself on its strong retention rates.
9.45am: A deal I have been working on is due to complete later this week. I have been working on this in a team alongside one associate and one partner. Working in such small, close teams allows you to really get 'stuck in' at all stages of a transaction, and I really enjoy the teamwork involved. On this particular deal, I have been given increased responsibility and will be overseeing completion later in the week. Our seller client is responsible for providing numerous 'deliverables' upon completion of the transaction, so I begin the day by picking up the phone and speaking to the client's representatives in Jersey to ensure everything is on track
10.15am: There are still a few documents which we need to prepare in advance of completion. I spend the morning drafting these. The documents are then checked by the partner in our team and sent out to the buyer's solicitors for comments. Due to the small intake there is a great deal of responsibility for trainees at Farrers, but the support is always there from colleagues whenever you have questions or queries.
12.30pm: I hear back from the buyer's solicitors regarding the documents I sent out earlier that day. They are happy with these, so no amendments will be necessary. Our client will need to sign these documents in advance of completion, so I telephone his PA to check his availability over the next two days. It turns out that he is away on business tomorrow, so I will have to meet him this afternoon in order for him to sign the documents.
1.00pm: I nip out to grab some lunch with my fellow trainees. Lincoln's Inn Fields is a brilliant place to be based, particularly in the summer months. There is a fantastic spirit amongst the 20 trainees at Farrers, and lunchtime is always a great chance to catch up on the latest gossip and banter.
2.00pm: After picking up the documents which I will need to have signed that afternoon, I hop on the train to our client's offices and obtain signatures on the relevant documents. It is excellent to be given the opportunity to meet the clients for whom you are working.
5.00pm: I arrive back at the office and circulate PDF copies of the signed documents. I catch up on my emails and voicemail, and speak to the client's representatives in Jersey again to ensure that they are making good progress with the documents they need to prepare. The three of us working on the deal then have a quick informal meeting, to update each other on the developments that day.
6.30pm: I head off to our firm's football match evening at Kennington Park. I organise our football fixtures alongside another trainee. We tend to play 'friendly' fixtures against clients, intermediaries and other rival firms. Our football team is made up of a mixture of support staff, marketing staff, fee-earners and partners in teams across the firm, so it is a great way to unwind after a day at the office and get to know people around the firm.
, second-year trainee, Farrer & Co LLP