Iona MacRitchie is a trainee solicitor at the BBC who spent her final seat on secondment to the corporate team at Brodies LLP. In this blog, she explains the differences between working in-house and in private practice, as well as her key takeaways from both experiences.
View part 2 of this series, written by a trainee solicitor at Brodies LLP who spent part of her final seat on secondment to the BBC.
Life as a trainee solicitor at the BBC
I am a second-year trainee solicitor at the BBC in Glasgow. I was fortunate to join the first Scots Law trainee scheme following the success of the Solicitor Graduate Apprenticeship in London. My traineeship, much like in private practice, involves rotating through different departments or ‘seats’.
My first seat was in Commercial, Rights & Business Affairs ("CRBA") within the Production, Events & Talent team. Notable highlights for me included:
- negotiating location agreements for CBeebies and Edinburgh Hogmanay;
- contracting musicians for TRNSMT and the Scottish Symphony Orchestra; and
- advising BBC internal production teams.
My second seat was in CRBA's Commissioning Entertainment team, who are responsible for overseeing popular programmes such as The Traitors, Gladiators, University Challenge, the RuPaul's Drag Race franchise and Interior Design Masters. In this seat I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work closely with BBC commissioners and independent production companies across the UK and I helped:
- draft, negotiate and manage production, development and acquisition agreements, novation agreements and NDAs; and
- advise on Ofcom regulations, including guidance on balancing creativity with editorial and financial risk.
What I enjoyed most at the BBC
What I appreciate most about working in-house for the BBC is the sheer diversity of the work of the organisation, both within the creative and the legal spheres - each day brings new opportunities and challenges keeping me constantly engaged and learning.
I find it really rewarding to work on current content and programmes, which you tangibly see come to light and know you played a part in it. For example, I volunteered on the BBC Election night as a data in-putter. I have also volunteered at the Edinburgh Fringe as a runner and have had the opportunity to note-take on court cases of journalistic interest and work with Programme Legal Advice in London on a court order for disclosure of information.
Life as a Trainee Solicitor at Brodies LLP
For my final training seat I joined the corporate team at Brodies LLP in Glasgow. As a corporate trainee I assisted on transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganisations and investments as well as advising on general corporate governance issues. My work for clients included preparing:
- letters of engagement;
- Companies House reports;
- due diligence reports;
- transaction documents e.g. share purchase agreements, board minutes and shareholder resolutions; and
- statutory registers, Companies House filings and transaction bibles.
I found that Brodies offers exceptional legal training and I benefited from regular corporate knowledge updates and interactive training sessions. This significantly developed my knowledge and understanding of corporate law and legislative and regulatory developments.
What I enjoyed most at Brodies
I have always had a positive preconception of Brodies and its prestige as a firm, and my experience has lived up to those expectations. The highlight of my time with Brodies was the firm's culture and people. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of a large cohort of trainees and the support we received from colleagues in the corporate team was exceptional - they were always willing to dedicate time to the learning and progression of trainees and strongly encouraged questions, no matter how 'silly' they may seem.
In-house Counsel -v- Private Practice
A notable difference between an in-house and private practice traineeship is the transition from serving a single 'client' to serving multiple clients. At the BBC, my focus is to ensure the best value for licence fee payers while aligning with the BBC’s mission, purpose and long-term objectives.
In contrast, at Brodies, I had to adapt to understanding the varied needs of multiple clients, both domestic and international, and the commercial necessity to cultivate strong working relationships and deliver tailored solutions for each clients' unique needs.
I also found my secondment to Brodies interesting in terms of understanding how firms are financially successful and the billing metrics in place. Admittedly, I found time recording (a new phenomenon for an in-house trainee!) a useful tool that enhanced my organisational and time management skills. However, I doubt suggesting its implementation at the BBC would make me very popular!
What insights will I take back to the BBC?
Overall, I would highly recommend a secondment opportunity to anyone considering it, as it has provided invaluable insight into a different legal practice area and built my professional network.
Ultimately, both corporate law and broadcast & media law require a business-oriented approach – managing and delivering projects to tight deadlines and having a strong understanding of the broad commercial landscape and market trends.
I look forward to applying the skills and knowledge I've gained at Brodies in my future career upon qualifying as a solicitor at the BBC.
Contributor
Trainee Solicitor, BBC
