You will face a number of challenges throughout your training contract. Tackling these will help you to develop the necessary skills to take on the role of an associate post-qualification. Examples of these challenges include:
Adapting to the culture of different teams
Some teams will be fairly quiet, whereas others may be far noisier and more social. Although the latter can be more fun, it can also be harder to concentrate on more technical work. In addition, some teams (typically dispute resolution) give a lot less responsibility to trainees, primarily because of what is at stake.
Adapting to supervisors’ working preferences
Some supervisors have strong preferences for how things should be done, others less so. Try to identify these preferences as early as possible when working with a new supervisor. For instance, some may want to know where you are at all times (so tell them if you are going to the gym, for a coffee, to a medical appointment etc.), some may expect you to come in earlier than the usual start time for trainees, some may want to sign off on annual leave dates in advance etc. Supervisors may also have preferences for how you present work.
Working outside your comfort zone
There are times when you will be taking instructions and your supervisor will use jargon that you have never heard before (let alone understand). Be confident enough to ask for clarification, unless you feel it is something you could easily Google after. You will likely also have to look into legislation/regulations that you have never come across, research into niche points of law that you didn’t know existed, and fill out forms/draft clauses with which you are wholly unfamiliar. This is all part of the learning process, so don’t let it stress you out.
The great thing about a training contract is that you are surrounded by people whose job it is – in part – to help you get to grips with this stuff. Firms also tend to have a plethora of resources available to help with these types of tasks, so rather than panicking, start by thinking “what resources are at my disposal to help me make sense of what I have been asked to do?”.
Time management
It can be very difficult to manage your time as a trainee. Even the most organised trainees can struggle to balance work for multiple supervisors. Saying “no” is one of the greatest challenges you will face. It is easy to feel like you have no choice but to accept work given to you or that you would be disappointing a supervisor/ missing out on a valuable opportunity to gain further experience/exposure if you turn down work. However, if you deliver sub-standard work on account of the fact that you lacked enough time (or were too tired) to complete it properly, this can harm your reputation and reduce your chances of qualifying.
Long hours/working whilst sleep deprived
One of the questions trainees receive most often from students considering a legal career is “what are the hours like?”. In all honesty, depending on the type of firm you train at, the hours can be very long at times and you may have to work on weekends. However, this is very rarely required or expected for months on end – especially for trainees. You may have a week of midnight to 4am finishes, followed by a six-week period during which you leave on average at 6.30pm. It can depend very much on the life cycle of a deal/case. For instance, if you happen to join a team right before a big court deadline or the closing of a major deal, your hours are much more likely to escalate. Specialist teams (as a generalisation) tend to work more consistent hours – regular finishes at 7/8pm - rather than a mix of all-nighters and early finishes.
It’s unpredictable, and that can be the real challenge. Depending on the type of firm you work at, you may never really know what time you will be going home until you walk out the door, and even then there is a risk that you will be set other work once you get home. For this reason, you should always try to get a good night’s sleep. Don’t assume that because you don’t have much on, you’ll definitely be able to go home early the next day so may as well continue watching Netflix/playing Fifa (guilty!) until 3am. However, note that working hours do tend to be better at firms that focus on lower value cases/transactions (e.g. certain high street firms, regional firms etc.).
When we left university, one of our initial fears was “how will be possibly be able to function well into the night without an afternoon nap?”. When you know you have no choice but to get the work done, it is far easier than you probably realise to function on little sleep - especially when working with other people in the office. Your hours are generally only long when the team is under pressure to meet a deadline, and this kind of pressure can really help you to focus. You may also find that the work you are given at these times is more interesting/of a better quality than the work you are given at other times, as if the team is up against the clock it may have no choice but to solicit your assistance with more “senior” tasks. Saying that, no one wants to be working until 4am multiple days in a row and/or giving up their weekend, and when you have to do this, it is usually appreciated and can reflect well on you in your appraisal. Some firms even give “days in lieu” (meaning free days off) in recognition of sacrificed sleep/evenings/weekends, but don’t rely on this!
Long hours can also give you a flavour of what life can be like as an associate. It’s better that you experience this early on so that you can make a decision about whether the career/firm is really for you in the longer-term, rather than qualifying as an associate without really knowing what to expect. It’s surprising how quickly you forget the pain/misery of losing any resemblance of a work/life balance once the relevant deadline has passed. However, the hours do tend to be better at firms that focus on lower value cases/transactions (e.g. high street firms, regional firms etc.).
Time pressure
There are times when you will be under intense time pressure to get work done. Trying to remain focused and accurate during such periods is key. Try to manage your stress levels – regular exercise, coffee breaks (“venting sessions”) with other trainees etc. can help you to retain your sanity, and sometimes, taking 15 minutes away from your desk can help you to work far more efficiently once you return.