Laura's Story
A trainees view

Hi my name is Laura Evans and I started my training contract with Flint Bishop in September 2007. I have recently qualified as a solicitor in the Employment department and here is my account of my Flint Bishop training contract.

If I could give one piece of advice to trainees at the beginning of their training contract it would be to keep an open mind. I know people say it a lot but practice areas you learn about during your degree and LPC can be so different in real life. It is only when you actually start to work in a department and deal with clients on a day to day basis that you really get a feel for what it is like. I had always seen myself working in either land law or probate but after completing my employment seat I could not think about anything else and knew that it was the area that I wanted to go back to. My first seat was in Personal Injury. I found this was an ideal department in which to start my training as there was ample opportunity to hone the skills that I was taught on the LPC; I drafted claim forms and witness statements; interviewed clients and witnesses; negotiated settlements; researched quantum and liability issues and represented clients at the County Court.From Personal Injury I went on to complete seats in Employment, Commercial Property and Wills and Probate. I soon found that each department had their own way of working and I found this invaluable in understanding how the law can work in many different ways for its clients.

Everybody at Flint Bishop has been very supportive throughout my training contract from the partners through to my fellow trainees. I felt as though there was always someone to go to should I have any questions or issues. The firm takes on 4 trainees per year and so that meant I had 7 other people who were going through the same experiences as I was. I found it invaluable having other trainees to talk things over with. During the training contract I was faced with daily challenges and new experiences. By rising to these challenges and being enthusiastic to learn I became a much more confident person. Confident in the way I now present myself to other people as well in my own abilities. Now that I have reached the end of my journey as a trainee I am looking forward to putting into practice all of the things I have learnt over the previous two years.

BACK TO TRAINEE TESTIMONIALS