Ask Ash: Trainee in a rut

Work has been particularly busy recently; and as a trainee I seem to be emailed about relatively mundane administrative tasks by colleagues, which despite not being very complicated can be quite time consuming. As I joined the firm shortly before COVID, I did not have the chance of much face-to-face interaction with more senior colleagues before having to work from home, and feel I have missed out on being able to develop relationships and be trusted with more complex pieces of work. I know I am fortunate to be working and I don’t want to burden unnecessarily my overstretched line manager; however, I am beginning to feel more of an administrative assistant than a trainee lawyer, and this is only adding to my frustrations and impinging upon my mental health.

As a trainee, please be assured that many of us also had to start at the bottom of the career ladder by initially dealing with more mundane tasks. This unfortunately seems to be par for the course. However, the initial period of training should also normally be peppered with legal work such as client interaction, attendance at meetings or court/tribunals, all of which you seem to be missing out on because of the restrictions. I suggest you come up with a few ideas on how you could improve your situation, and then consider presenting this plan to your line manager for further discussion; this way you will be viewed as taking the initiative rather than, as you fear, seemingly burdening them.

For a start you could request perhaps being allowed to attend any virtual meetings with clients in regard to the cases you are involved in. A number of hearings are currently online and you could again request your line manager to consider asking the relevant clerk to allow you to attend virtually due to your involvement.

I have recently attended virtual hearings myself which have included trainee lawyers and trainee social workers, therefore there should not be an issue with your attendance.

In order to make your allotted tasks more interesting, I suggest you consider setting up a call with the person managing the case to get more background; this will not only give you an opportunity to deal with colleagues on a one-to-one basis but will also help to provide more context and interest for the task in question, even if it is more of an administrative task.

With the introduction of the vaccine programme we are hopefully moving towards a light at the end of this long tunnel, so keep your spirits up and take care of your mental health.

Try to go for a walk and interact with colleagues or friends on a regular basis to allow you to vent and deal with your lockdown emotions. We all need a listening ear to get through this final stretch of the COVID marathon, so please do not feel you are alone.

“Ash” is a solicitor who is willing to answer work-related queries from solicitors and other legal professionals, which can be put to them via the editor. Confidence will be respected and any advice published will be anonymised.

Please note that letters to Ash are not received at the Law Society of Scotland. The Society offers a support service for trainees through its Education, Training & Qualifications team. Email legaleduc@lawscot.org.uk or phone 0131 226 7411 (select option 3).