Moving To The Big Smoke To Start A Traineeship?

 

Starting a new job and moving to a new City are two incredibly challenging prospects facing those fresh out of Law School. Brenda Broughan, trainee solicitor at Harbottle & Lewis reveals her experiences...

 

After graduating from the Legal Practice Course in June 2007 I was not only embarking on my choice of career but moving to the big smoke too!  I can remember the first few days - the hot, stuffy and overcrowded tube, getting pushed and shoved by the morning commuters and walking through the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street to get to work.  The combination of this and the thought of starting my training contract was a little overwhelming.

Walking through the doors at Harbottle & Lewis in the heart of the West End I was greeted by a friendly receptionist and ‘The Hits’ playing on a flat screen TV - a clear indication of the firm’s media and entertainment focus and client base. My first seat has been in the film, television and theatre group.  I was excited telling my friends who were going to other law firms about this as they would never have the opportunity to do this kind of seat.

The first few weeks as a trainee are really about finding your feet and getting to know everyone and the areas of work which they undertake.  My first pieces of work involved carrying out research and for the first time I was thankful for the experience of the research projects on the LPC that I had complained of so many times. 

It wasn’t long before I realised that the film, television and theatre group wasn’t the showbiz, glitz and glamour that I had at first anticipated.  Working in the department isn’t about seeing a never ending stream of celebrities every day, though that is not to say it would not happen!  The mix of film, television and theatre allows for a varied workload and a good mix of clients ranging from production companies, distributors, film studios and talent agents to writers, directors and broadcasters. The work I have been involved in so far includes meeting clients to get them to sign agreements, turning documents into precedents and putting bibles together for a production, film or new television programme.  Learning how to do a bible is standard for a trainee, and although monotonous at times it is the best way to become familiar with new documents.

There are definitely highlights to working in the group such as getting to know in advance about the next theatre productions and films that are due for release.  I have been invited by a client to see the showcase production of their new theatre show and colleagues from my group have just returned from the Cannes Film Festival.

Another benefit of being a trainee is that I’ve had the opportunity to carry out some work across the firm which is not just confined to my department.  The advantage of this is that I now have a broader spectrum of knowledge in different areas.  Most recently I carried out quite a large piece of research on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and its implementation into the UK. This involved spending lots of long hours reading documents and articles, however on the plus side I got to be involved in giving an external talk to one of our largest clients on the subject and getting really positive feedback.

Having been with the film, television and theatre group for a few months I can definitely say the work is interesting, although documents such as production agreements, directors’ contracts and option agreements can be daunting initially.

Trainees are not expected to know everything; in fact the most important thing to remember is not to be afraid to ask questions.  Not only will it save time but it will save face as well.  Although I wouldn’t go knocking on their doors every five minutes, I’ve found the partners here to be approachable and extremely supportive - there is a dedicated partner who is responsible for overseeing the trainee programme.  In comparison to other firms the culture here is friendly and pretty relaxed and there are great staff perks including free lunches every day!

The hours of work for a trainee vary depending on the department you are in.  I’ve been incredibly lucky and get to leave at a reasonable time most nights - the latest I’ve had to stay in my department is eight o’clock.  Some of my fellow trainees in litigation have been working extremely long hours, sometimes all night, on a very high profile case.  However, they have told me that the tiredness is balanced out by the work they are getting to do for such an important client so it is not quite as horrific as it first sounds.

All in all being a trainee is a steep learning curve and I think your enjoyment and satisfaction will depend on how you embrace it.  It takes a lot of hard work and effort just to get to this stage of your career so my advice is to just go for it!

As for being terrified of moving to London, I have to admit it doesn’t take long to settle in and begin enjoying it.  Socialising with work colleagues from across the firm on a Friday and having a well earned drink is a nice end to the working week. 

Brenda Brougham

Trainee Solicitor

Harbottle & Lewis LLP