I am currently in my third seat rotation with the corporate team within our Edinburgh office. Half way into this seat, my experience so far has been extremely varied and I have learnt a lot. Prior to this seat, I had 6 months in insurance and 6 months in finance litigation so this has been my first transactional seat which brings with it a huge learning curve! The corporate team at DWF focus on M&A work but also act on behalf of clients on various other corporate matters.
PM: Along with one of the NQs, I delivered the first of three workshops to pupils from Leith Academy. This workshop included a networking bingo icebreaker to get us started and then focused on networking, successes and touched on CVs which is the topic of our next workshop.
PM: I continued working on the ancillary document drafting. Once those documents were drafted, I got started on another task given to me by the commercial partner which involved conducting trademark and company name searches for a possible rebranding for one of our clients.
Lunch: As part of my role in the Sports & Social Committee, I have organised lunch time spin classes at a local spin studio. These run every second week and this week we had a class. Our class is 40 minutes and is a great way to spend a lunch time and come back to the office feeling energised for the afternoon. The class is only open to DWF members and is attended by all levels within the business from trainee to partner!
PM: After recovering after the spin class, I was tasked with updating a membership agreement for one our clients. The updates involved a member resigning, new members joining and changes to their profit share structure.
Monday
AM: Catching up with emails and internal communications, before speaking with my supervisor to discuss workload and my schedule for the upcoming week. I then finished tidying up some tasks that has carried over from the last week before preparing for the second workshop of 5 STAR Futures. This programme invites pupils from a local school (aged 14/15) into a DWF office to participate in three workshops which are designed to inspire students to stay in education and build up the skills and confidence required to succeed in the workplace, whatever career they choose to pursue.PM: Along with one of the NQs, I delivered the first of three workshops to pupils from Leith Academy. This workshop included a networking bingo icebreaker to get us started and then focused on networking, successes and touched on CVs which is the topic of our next workshop.
Tuesday
I attended the University of Aberdeen Law Fair as a representative of DWF. I am originally from Aberdeen and studied there so it was a nice trip back home. The day involved speaking to students about who DWF are, what work we do and how I have found being a trainee. It was a great day and I managed to catch up with a few people I went to university with who were also there on behalf of their firms.Wednesday
AM: Every second Wednesday, our Corporate PSL (professional support lawyer) provides 'Bitesized' training to junior members of the corporate team. This week's training was on derivative claims. As the training is aimed at juniors members, it is digestible and easy to follow, allowing new trainees in the team to gain a sound understanding of the topic. Following the training, I had a brief catch up with one of the corporate partners to discuss workload, and tasks I am completing for him. I then started drafting ancillary documents to one of the Projects I am involved in, these include board minutes, written resolutions, and various letters to companies.PM: I continued working on the ancillary document drafting. Once those documents were drafted, I got started on another task given to me by the commercial partner which involved conducting trademark and company name searches for a possible rebranding for one of our clients.
Thursday
AM: I had a call with one of the associates in our Glasgow office to explain a new task I had been assigned. This involved share buybacks and reviewing multiple documents before setting them up in a DocuSign envelope ready to be sent to each of the shareholders. I then got started on completing this task.Lunch: As part of my role in the Sports & Social Committee, I have organised lunch time spin classes at a local spin studio. These run every second week and this week we had a class. Our class is 40 minutes and is a great way to spend a lunch time and come back to the office feeling energised for the afternoon. The class is only open to DWF members and is attended by all levels within the business from trainee to partner!
PM: After recovering after the spin class, I was tasked with updating a membership agreement for one our clients. The updates involved a member resigning, new members joining and changes to their profit share structure.
Friday
AM: I started my morning with a weekly client call to catch up on progress of one of their ongoing deals. This call allows the client and DWF to give an update and ensures everyone knows the stage of the deal and what tasks are still to be completed. After this call, I started drafting ancillary documents for the deal then started on some other tasks I was given by my team.
PM: I caught up with my supervisor to discuss my tasks and workload and then tidied off the tasks I was completing that week before noting down my to-do list for the following week. I then finished up for the weekend!
Find out more about training contract opportunities at DWF
Katrina Hall, Trainee Solicitor