Profile (as at March 2008)

My initial contact with Lovells was almost accidental. I was set on becoming a barrister but was persuaded that it would be prudent to see the other side of the profession before making a definite decision about my career. I therefore attended an Easter vacation scheme at Lovells with a less than open mind and anticipating that it would not be for me. However, over the course of two weeks my opinion changed completely.

I found that I was being challenged more than I expected, that the variety of work was broader than I had anticipated and that the sense of atmosphere was vibrant and exciting. I was amazed by the efforts that people at all levels within the firm made to include me in work that was going on, to talk to me about what they do and to treat me as an individual.

Although impressed I was still unsure about being a solicitor and the graduate recruitment team made additional arrangements for me to spend a further week later that summer in their dispute resolution department. During this week I began to appreciate the role of a solicitor in litigation work requires not only expert legal knowledge but also the additional capacity of being able to understand the concerns of clients and manage their expectations. I also enjoyed the collegiate sense of the department which had been absent from my experiences of mini-pupilages. Given this and the firm’s excellent reputation for litigation work, Lovells was always my first choice when it came to applying for a training contract.

During my LPC year the firm continued to make great efforts to stay in close contact with my cohort of trainees. Over the course of the year we were invited into Lovells a number of times to take part in workshop sessions and to meet with other members of the firm. Asides from helping to bridge the gap between education and employment the benefits of this link scheme have become truly apparent now that I have begun working here.

I decided to start my training contract in February, which allowed me to join a two-month expedition to South Georgia and Antarctica over the winter.

My first few weeks working in the firm have gone well. Partly this is down to the training we received during the first two weeks and which will continue for the next two years but just as important a factor are the people I am working with. My supervisors manage to strike the right balance between instructing me and encouraging me to use my initiative.

The efforts that Lovells has made to accommodate me and treat me as an individual during the application process, whilst I was studying on the LPC and now that I have begun my training contract has been outstanding. None of the other firms I applied to even come close.