9.00am: Arrive at the office and stop off at the firm restaurant en route to my desk for breakfast. I am working as part of the firm's litigation team and have arrived slightly earlier than usual (most people get in for 9.30am) as I have a hearing in the Court of Appeal today in relation to an appeal of a judgment that we secured for a client in September 2008. 9.10am: I quickly read emails I have received overnight to see if anything has come in on this or any of my other cases. My supervisor is speaking to a partner in the firm's Singapore office who is ultimately responsible for this file, so I double-check that I have packed everything that we might need during today's hearing. Since joining the litigation team in May I have had to read into this case so that I have some background understanding of the appeal. Trainee seats in WFW are four months long. As a result we aren't generally involved in cases from start to finish. However, given the number of cases that the department is generally handling at any one time, trainees get a broad exposure to all stages of the litigation process.9.45am: My supervisor and I jump into a cab and head to the Royal Courts of Justice. I have been asked to take a detailed note, which will form the basis of a memo that I will send to the partner in Singapore. My supervisor works closely with members of our litigation teams in Singapore and Bangkok on a number of ongoing pieces of litigation involving clients based in south east Asia. This has meant that I have worked closely with lawyers in these offices. Hopefully this will put in me in good stead for my seat in Singapore. I will be heading out there in September with Emily, one of the other trainees, where we will share a flat and an office. We are already planning our weekend trips to the surrounding islands!10.25am: We have a brief conference with counsel before the appeal hearing begins.

As we are not the ones appealing, it is the other side's counsel that makes their submissions to the Court of Appeal judges first.1.00pm: As the appellant's counsel finishes his submissions, the judges adjourn the hearing for an hour. We head over to counsel's chambers in Gray's Inn for a sandwich lunch and call our Singapore office to provide them with an update.1.50pm: We head back to court. On the way, my supervisor takes the opportunity to see if I have any queries regarding the appellant's submissions and to get my impression on how I think they were received by the judges.4.10pm: The appeal hearing has come to a close and after a short debrief with counsel we head back to the office. Hopefully we will get the Court of Appeal's judgment before I leave for Singapore.5.00pm: My supervisor gives me a file of my own to run under his supervision. It's a disputed debt claim being brought against one of the firm's clients. My first task will be to prepare the first draft of the client's defence and to advise the client in relation to a potential counterclaim. I am looking forward to this as it's a real chance to practice my drafting skills.6.00pm: I head downstairs to meet the WFW netball team for our weekly match. The netball team has recently been formed and it is a great way to meet other people from the firm besides the trainees. There aren't any criteria for joining - beginners are welcome - which is a good job seeing as I haven't played since I was at secondary school!