What does Personal and Family cover?
Our Personal and family practice works with individuals and families to assist with their personal matters. The team is split into private client, family and tax. My seat is based in the private client team which deals with wills, powers of attorney, executries and trusts.
What does a typical day look like?
The work is varied so no two days are alike. However, I typically start the day with a quick catch-up with colleagues to run through the work I have on for that day. After that I might attend client meeting to take will and/or power of attorney instructions. I then create a note outlining any discussions or points of action from that meeting and begin drafting the will and/or power of attorney documents for my colleagues to approve. In the afternoon, I tend to deal with administrative tasks such as phone calls and emails, as well as working through any research tasks I've been set; an example might be finding out about the executry administration process in another jurisdiction or examining recent precedent on what the courts deem to be a valid inheritance tax exemption.
What type of activities have you been involved in?
I've had the opportunity to be involved in a huge variety of work. I was involved in the launch of Wills by Brodies, our online wills service, which gave me great experience of having my own clients and progressing matters myself. I've also helped colleagues with more complex trust work for a range of different clients with differing amounts of wealth and assets.
I've also assisted in setting up a family investment company, which involved working alongside the corporate team. A particular highlight of my seat in Personal and Family has been assisting with a charitable trust, attending the trustee meeting and administering funds to charities; it was rewarding to liaise with charities that do great work in our communities. On the family law side of things, I've taken on some tasks too, helping the team with drafting a pre-nuptial agreement and taking a precognition (a witness statement that may be lodged in court) ahead of a proof.
A seat in personal and family is right for you if you…
Are interested in people. The personal team cater for a huge variety of clients and no client is the same. Needs differ depending on many factors including family structure, wealth, age and life priorities. If you enjoy talking to people and hearing about their lives, you will enjoy the seat. It also requires a strong work ethic and good organisational skills; you'll be balancing many clients with different deadlines and expectations.
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Trainee Solicitor
