Trainee solicitor life: 3 survival tips

Trainee solicitor life: 3 survival tips

A few things they don’t teach you in law school about being a trainee solicitor……

1. Flexibility is key

One day you’re stuck in a dark room photocopying your way through 10 boxes of lever arch files from a court case in 1999. The next day your supervisor is on holiday and counsel is on the phone asking questions about next week’s hearing and expecting you to know the answers. Suddenly you’ve gone from dogsbody to the leading authority on a case. Just remember to take the rough with the smooth – some work may seem menial to you but it is probably very important in the grand scheme of a matter. Be sure to complete all tasks to the best of your ability and without complaining. You will eventually be rewarded with high quality work and more responsibility.

2. Know your colleagues

You might only be in your first seat but make sure you get to know colleagues in other departments. Cross-departmental working is of paramount importance in law firms. For example, you might be working on a corporate deal where you need advice from the employment department, a banking deal where you need a tax specialist’s perspective or a private client matter where you need to work closely with the property department. If you’ve already met your colleagues, it will be much easier to pick up the phone and ask them for help. And more likely they will respond to you quickly so you can get your work done on time!

3. Support staff are your best friend

The chances are your team secretary has been working at the firm longer than you and actually knows a lot more about the area of law than you do. Befriend your personal assistant and they’ll be more likely to fill in that expenses form without a hiccup. Get the accounts department on your side and that money to the Land Registry will have been transferred in the blink of an eye. Treat all colleagues, regardless of their job title, with respect and you will go far.

Are you a trainee keen to share your tips with others? Get in touch at hawys.boobier@legalease.co.uk.

Austria to ban full-face veil in public places

As part of its reform programme, the governing coalition of Austria has agreed to ban the full-face veil in public spaces such as schools and courts. 

The ban was agreed by the coalition (formed of the Social Democratic Party of Austria and the Austrian People’s party) and will prohibit the wearing of veils which cover most of the face, such as the Muslim burka or niqab, in public spaces. It will be implemented in the next 18 months.

Police officers, judges, magistrates and public prosecutors will also be prohibited from wearing headscarves, in the interest of appearing ‘ideologically and religiously neutral’.

Austria joins France and Belgium, who imposed a ban on wearing burkas in 2011. Last month, German chancellor Angela Merkel also said that the burka should be prohibited in public spaces ‘wherever legally possible’.

The UK does not ban burkas or niqabs.

The Austrian Coalition stated:

“We are committed to an open society, which also presupposes open communication. A full-face veil in public places stands in its way and will therefore be banned” .

Dress code rules: harsher fines for employers?

Dress code rules: harsher fines for employers?

A temporary worker was sent home from work in December 2015 for failing to adhere to a dress code stipulated by her employer. Nicola Thorp, who was employed by employment agency Portico, was sent home without pay from her temporary job at accountancy firm PwC for failing to wear ‘2in to 4in heels’.

Ms Thorp’s reasoning for not wearing heels was that it would be bad for her feet to wear heels all day. She also argued that her male colleagues were not subject to the same rules relating to dress code.

Ms Thorp said: “The company expected me to do a nine-hour shift on my feet escorting clients to meeting rooms. I told them that I just wouldn’t be able to do that in heels.”

Her story sparked a public outcry. So much so that Ms Thorp started a petition calling for a law to ensure that no employer could compel a woman wear heels to work again. The petition gathered over 150,000 signatures and led to an inquiry which would be overseen by two parliamentary committees.

The joint report, named ‘High Heels and Workplace Dress Code’ and commissioned by the Petitions Committee and the Women and Equalities Committee, was released on 25 January 2017.

During the inquiry, the committees were inundated with dress code-related stories which made it clear that the problem was far more wide-ranging than just shoes. Accounts received from women included being told which shade of nail varnish to wear, how often to reapply their make-up and being subject to rules concerning the degree of unbuttoning of their blouse.

The report states: “The Equality Act is clear in principle in setting out what constitutes discrimination in law,” it said. “Nevertheless, discriminatory dress codes remain commonplace in some sectors of the economy.

It therefore makes 3 key recommendations:

1. For the government to review this area of law and ask Parliament to amend it, if necessary, to make it more effective;
2. That detailed guidance as to how this area law should be implemented be issued targeted at employers, workers and students; and
3. That Employment Tribunals be allowed to impose harsher financial penalties on employers which continue to apply discriminatory dress code rules.

A government spokesperson said: “No employer should discriminate against workers on grounds of gender – it is unacceptable and is against the law. Dress codes must be reasonable and include equivalent requirements for both men and women.”

The report will be considered by the Government Equalities Office.

Click here to read the full report.

‘Shared strategic objectives’: Weightmans in merger talks with Newcastle’s Ward Hadaway

‘Shared strategic objectives’: Weightmans in merger talks with Newcastle’s Ward Hadaway

National firm Weightmans is in merger talks with Newcastle-based Ward Hadaway, Legal Business can reveal, with both firms understood to have been in talks for the past year.

Were the two firms to combine, it would create a £130.8m national firm with offices in Newcastle, Birmingham, Dartford, Glasgow, Knutsford, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London and Manchester. Both firms have a presence in Leeds and Manchester but any merger would provide Weightmans with a strong foothold in the North East.

Although Weightmans is substantially larger than Ward Hadaway with turnover of £95m for 2015/16 compared to Ward Hadaway’s £35.8m, profit per equity partner (PEP) at the Newcastle firm soared 49% in the last financial year to £336,000, while in contrast PEP at Weightmans fell 19% to £231,000.

In a statement, John Schorah, manging partner of Weightmans said: ‘The legal market is changing and it is always sensible to look at opportunities that might benefit a business, its clients and its staff so Weightmans and Ward Hadaway are currently talking to each other to see if there are benefits of working closer together. We have shared strategic objectives and a significant number of shared clients. Whether or not these discussions will lead to anything permanent is, at the moment, unknown but we are enjoying getting to know each other better, sharing ideas and the discussions will be a benefit to our businesses, our clients and our staff even if nothing permanent comes of the discussion.’

Weightmans is no stranger to mergers, combining with local Leeds firm Ford & Warren in 2015 to create a firm with revenues of around £100m and headcount of over 1,400. The merger provided Weightmans with a new base in Leeds, giving the firm a presence in nine UK locations, with two offices apiece in London and Manchester. Management at Weightmans, whose practice centres on defending medical and clinical negligence claims, are aiming to consolidate these into cost-efficient single offices with the London office consolidated into one office this year, and Manchester in 2018.

Meanwhile Ward Hadaway employs more than 450 staff, with 80 partners across three offices.

By Legal Business.

This article first appeared on the website of Legal Business, Lex 100’s sister publication.

Brexit: a ‘bright and bold future’ for UK legal services

Brexit: a 'bright and bold future' for UK legal services

With an abundance of (sometimes conflicting) information about Brexit and the legal industry, nobody can blame us for feeling a little confused. What will change for the legal profession when Britain leaves the European Union? Will anything change at all? 

One thing is certain: the legal profession has nothing to fear, according to Lord Chancellor Elizabeth Truss. At a roundtable meeting held at the offices of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer last week, Ms Truss was keen to emphasise that legal services will be at the forefront of the UK’s negotiations with Europe and that a bold and bright future awaits.

Ms Truss said:
“English law is rightly renowned across the globe, making this country a great place to invest, do business, litigate and seek justice. It is in the interests of all European countries who want to do business here that we maintain civil justice cooperation when we leave the EU, so we are already working to make sure we get the best possible deal for the profession. As we enter this exciting new era, I am pleased to be working with judges and the industry to ensure we tap into all talents and continue to lead the world in the increasingly competitive legal services sector.”

Four of the world’s top ten global law firms have their headquarters in London and the legal industry boosts the UK economy by some £25 billion a year. The Lord Chancellor emphasised that the legal profession should stand ready to take advantage of the opportunities that Brexit would present it with.

Also discussed was social mobility within the legal profession and plans to ensure that individuals from all backgrounds can thrive in law.

Edward Sparrow, The Chairman of the City of London Law Society said:

“We look forward to making further significant contributions alongside the government, the Judiciary and other branches of the legal profession to improve access to justice and access to, and diversity and social mobility within, the legal profession.”

Howard Kennedy appoints The University of Law as its exclusive LPC provider

Howard Kennedy appoints The University of Law as its exclusive LPC provider

London Bridge-based Howard Kennedy has become the latest law firm to turn to The University of Law to provide the Legal Practice Course (LPC) to its future trainees. The University will provide legal training for the firm’s trainee solicitors starting in September 2017.

Howard Kennedy will recruit and provide sponsorship for eight trainees a year to undertake the LPC and joins the likes of Linklaters, Berwin Leighton Paisner and Ashurst.

Professor Andrea Nollent, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Law, said:

“Our partnership with Howard Kennedy provides the firm’s trainees with a valuable competitive edge in the highly demanding legal market. The University of Law’s recognised training followed by practical experience gained at the highly respected law firm, will deliver a solid foundation for the trainees’ future, ensuring they are prepared to succeed as legal professionals.”

Vernon Dennis, Training Principal at Howard Kennedy, added:

“Our decision to partner with The University of Law was based on our shared ambition to nurture the lawyers of tomorrow. We are confident that our trainees will gain an edge from their training, offering them the best stepping stone to a fruitful and fulfilling legal career.”

‘Equivalent means’: What does it mean?

'Equivalent means': What does it mean?

In 2015 the first paralegal qualified as a solicitor through ‘equivalent means’. But what exactly does this mean and is there a possibility of this alternative route to qualification becoming more widespread? 

There is no doubt that the legal market is saturated with graduates and a growing number of aspiring solicitors are turning to paralegal work in their quest to secure that elusive training contract. Depending on the type of firm and department in which they work, paralegals are often completing trainee-level work and beyond and it is not surprising that some are wishing to use this experience to their advantage.

The SRA says that to be admitted as a solicitor, you must have completed:

  1. The academic stage. This comprises a qualifying law degree or a non-law undergraduate degree followed by the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL); and
  2. The vocational stage.  This includes the Legal Practice Course (LPC), a Training Contract or a Period of Recognised Training and the Professional Skills Course.

However, Regulation 2.2 of the Training Regulations 2014 states that the SRA can recognise that ‘the knowledge and skills outcomes (and the standard at which they must be acquired) may have been achieved by an individual through other assessed learning and work-based learning’. In simple terms, this means that a LPC graduate who has been working as a paralegal can apply to the SRA for an exemption which allows them to bypass the traditional training contract and qualify as a solicitor.

To be eligible, candidates must have gained experience in three distinct areas of English and Welsh law. There is no prescribed length of time for which an individual needs to have been gaining relevant experience but the SRA suggests that around 2 years is reasonable.

The requirements are rigorous. Candidates have to submit a lengthy application form complete with detailed descriptions of work carried out, together with supporting evidence and a fee of £600. What constitutes supporting evidence varies but personal references from supervisors are usually required. Other supporting evidence can include contracts of employment, job descriptions, appraisals or reviews and any records of work undertaken.

The equivalent means route is much-welcomed by paralegals who have long been doing the same work as their fellow trainees but without enjoying the same job title. Success stories are currently few and far between but perhaps this could be a viable alternative route to qualification in the future. 

For more information on equivalent means click here.

Retentions spring 2017: Mayer Brown posts 100% Retention Rate

Retentions spring 2017: Mayer Brown posts 100% Retention Rate

Mayer Brown has posted a 100% retention rate for its March 2017 qualifiers, with all four trainees deciding to take up a newly qualified (NQ) position with the firm.

The four NQs will be joining the Banking & Finance, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Insurance departments. 

Mayer Brown Training Principal Will Glassey said: “Congratulations to our trainees on their successful qualification. We are delighted that they will all be staying on at the Firm in permanent positions in their chosen practices. This builds on our solid retention results from 2016 and reflects our commitment to provide excellent training and long-term career opportunities at the Firm.”