Trainee Blog - A day in the life of a Gordons trainee

Ben, a second year trainee in the Commercial Property team, shares a typical day in the office.

8:30am

I arrive, saying hi to a few of my colleagues on my way to my desk. Gordons has an open-plan office, with different teams sharing floor space, so it’s easy to get to know people. I check my emails, calendar and the to-do list I made before leaving the office the night before, to see if there are any meetings or urgent tasks to be done first thing. Joanne, one of the partners needs to discuss some new work, so I make a note to speak to her when she is free.

9:00am

It’s Wednesday, so it’s time for the team’s informal weekly meeting. We briefly summarise our workloads and capacity to take on new tasks. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the spectrum of work the team does, and it gives trainees the chance to get involved in a wider range of jobs. Offers of help are always welcomed!

9:15am

I speak to Joanne who explains one of our retail clients has agreed a deal to acquire a new site, but they need to have the documents sorted quickly. The lease has arrived from the landlord’s solicitor and my task is to amend it in line with the client’s instructions. This will take a few hours, so I speak to the other solicitors I work with to warn them that I will be busy for a while.

11:00am

Taking a break from working on the leases, I check my emails and see that one of the solicitors has asked me to join a discussion with some of the corporate team about an acquisition of a business we are helping a client with. There are some properties included in the deal, which will need to form part of the due diligence exercise. I confirm I can attend and put a reminder in my calendar so I don’t forget.

12:45pm

There’s a lunchtime training session from the corporate team, this time about directors’ duties. The session is led by a solicitor and a legal apprentice. It’s great to work at a firm where everyone, regardless of title, is encouraged to contribute. I come away having learned something new!

2:00pm

It’s time for the meeting about the corporate job so I grab a pen and notepad and head upstairs to the meeting. We establish the scope of the work and I head back to my desk with my property colleague, who asks me to download the title documents and conduct an initial review, ideally by the end of tomorrow. After checking my to-do list I confirm I’ll be able to meet the deadline.

3:30pm

I’ve finished reviewing and amending the lease and Joanne suggests we review the document together and call the client. After receiving feedback on my drafting and clarifying the points I was unsure on, we call the client who confirms the approach he wants us to take. After the call, I type up the final changes to the lease before sending it back to the landlord’s solicitor.

5:30pm

It’s the end of the working day but tonight there’s a networking event. Trainees are encouraged to attend these events as it helps build relationships, as well as being an enjoyable way to end the day. I make sure I have prepared my to do list for the morning, before heading to the event with a couple of trainees.

7:30pm

Time to go home. Life as a trainee solicitor can be fast-paced, but working at Gordons is a positive environment in which to develop as a lawyer. The firm offers a mixture of top commercial clients combined with a good work/life balance and friendly atmosphere, and trainees are given responsibility and exposure to the firm’s clients right from the start.