I have now come to the end of my first seat in the Personal & Family team in Glasgow and the time has passed by in a blur. It barely seems like eight months ago that I had my first day of IT training, trying to get my head around the system. Now, I'm a third of the way through my traineeship and I have to say I've really enjoyed my time in the department.
As a trainee in the P & F department you have the opportunity get involved in a very wide variety of work. With only eight months in each seat I was unsure of how much responsibility I would get beyond assisting colleagues with different tasks.
In reality I've had a phenomenal amount of responsibility right from the outset. With the support from my team, I was soon given my own files to manage and my own clients to deal with. One of the best things about the P & F team is that I have been able to get stuck in right from the start and build on the knowledge and skills I gained during the diploma.
Day-to-day I have primarily been involved the preparation of wills, powers of attorney and administering a person's estate after they have died. However, as my seat has progressed I have been exposed to the wide variety of different aspects of work in the P & F department. I've had quite a bit of exposure to our charities and arts and culture teams. I've drafted advice notes and been involved in establishing a number of different charities. On top of all this, I've also been able to get an idea of how our family law team operates. From conducting research to drafting agreements and sitting in on cases at court, I've really enjoyed seeing how this team works.
It won't be a surprise that, as a trainee, things can get tough and a little stressful. So it's always important to enjoy your traineeship and get involved in the social nights, firm events and business development opportunities.
Throughout my time in the department I have had the opportunity to get involved in some great business development activities from helping out at seminars to black tie dinners and sleeping out at the zoo! That one I might have to explain... In aid of two very worthy homelessness charities (Four Square and Rock Trust) I, along with some members of my team, spent the night at Edinburgh zoo sleeping outside. The initial excitement of sleeping alongside the zebras and lions wore off when we tried to settle down on the cold ground in our sleeping bags. It was a great team building exercise and really made me think about what it must be like for those who are actually homeless... certainly not something I'd like to have to do every night.
So for me, working in P & F has been more than just work: it's been a steep learning curve; challenging at times; great fun and extremely rewarding. A seat in P & F will give you a very well-rounded experience and plenty of opportunity to get involved in the wide range of work we do. Everyday offers the chance to learn something new. The skills and experience I've gained will no doubt be vital throughout my traineeship and will stand me in good stead.
My time in the personal and family department has flown by! I'm looking forward to my next seat in Construction here in Glasgow. I'm excited to try something different and see how our litigation department works. Wish me luck...
