Day 1 – 11.05.15
Today I began a new legal work placement. Being relatively new to seriously exploring the legal profession I’m never sure what to expect when I go off for a new work placement, but am always eager to experience a new environment.
In contrast to my previous work placement at Blake Morgan I found I had less to do overall, but there was more variety. At Blake Morgan my duties had consisted largely of rearranging files to Lexcel standards. This kept me busy, and the great thing about Personal Injury-related work is that it’s never boring. However, even my colleagues had to admit it was dull work.
On my first day, I learned how to consider (or summarise) a document, was required to search through files to find missing documents and (in what I consider to be the most interesting task I was assigned) to draft an entry form for the Law Society Excellence Awards.
Another thing I liked about the day was that I was able to get to grips with what I was doing quickly because everything was explained carefully and concisely meaning I could complete the work quickly and move onto something else.
Day 2 – 12.05.15
I was given another good range of tasks to keep me busy which encompassed separating out bundle copies and sorting them into their respective files as well as typing up some handwritten notes.
At the end of day two I still have very positive feelings about this work placement and I am looking forward to day three.
Day 3 – 13.05.15
Day 3 felt like I was back in university. I was given a booklet about the legal implications of mental health and the various ins and outs. My job was to summarise it, effectively converting it into more easily digestible notes.
It turned out I’d actually done alright! There were places where my notes were a bit long winded but otherwise it was exactly what they were expecting.
Day 4 – 14.05.15
One of the documents I was given today was a whopping fifty pages which needed to be summarised, but at least it made for happy reading. All I’ll say is that the doom and gloom of the case was mitigated by the positive outcome of a special guardianship orders recommendation.
Day 5 – 15.05.15
My first week came to an end much the same way it started – more considering. Though it may sound repetitive it’s a useful skill to learn, and with every document I finished I felt like I was really making someone else’s life easier by doing it – always a good feeling.
Day 6 – 18.05.15
I have seen a law firm’s storage room. It’s a bleak place. Fortunately in thisprocess I’ve learned I have a very useful talent: finding a needle in a haystack. Before I was assigned the task of finding two boxes in the storage room I was given plenty of warning. I made my way over thinking: “How bad can it be?” As I stood in the doorway, looking at the mountains of boxes, pretty bad apparently!
Luckily, despite some heavy lifting I was able to quickly locate the two boxes we needed in around half an hour. I felt very pleased with myself.
Day 7 – 19.05.15
Today I went all the way to Tottenham Police Station to obtain a divorce statement. I also did my first attendance note for something other than considering – a very important skill to learn since it determines how much you’ll be paid by a client. And it’s good for your records too.
Day 8 – 20.05.15
Today I was asked to produce photocopies of correspondence. This took a while and had to be co-ordinated around other members of the office using the machine. Next I was sent to the Post Office in Queen’s Crescent to send important documents via recorded delivery. It wasn’t a bad day and it’s always nice to get some time away from the desk however brief it may be.
Day 9 – 21.05.15
Today there was considering that needed to be done!
Day 10 – 22.05.15
My work placement ended much the same way it began – with lots of considering.So what do I make of this placement now it’s finished? Well it’s certainly given me a wider perspective on the world of law and allowed me to develop a few new skills, which is the best you can hope to get out of a placement really. I would recommend it to others looking to gain experience in the law.