My experience of an in-house traineeship

In-house training involves training within the legal department of a business or organization, instead of within a law firm. It offers the chance to expand your legal knowledge in a number of areas, as well as gaining a deep understanding of the particular business. This blog post will focus on my role, why I decided to train in-house and my reflection on the experience.

I am currently a second-year trainee at the University of Glasgow in their Research Support Office. I completed my DPLP part time from 2018 to 2020 whilst working full time in the third sector as a Legal Advisor and commenced my traineeship in 2020.

My primary role requires me to review a diverse range of commercial contracts such as non-disclosure agreements, consultancy agreements, service contracts – amongst many more! However, due to the nature of working in-house, I also assist the Head of Legal with ad-hoc legal queries and the drafting and review of various sets of terms and conditions relating to the university. I was immediately given my own case load and was able to enjoy taking responsibility for my own work. I have been able to work on various exciting projects and have become an established point of contact within the university.

During my studies, I wasn’t really aware of in-house traineeship roles. Training in-house never crossed my mind until I came across the advert for the University of Glasgow traineeship. Having worked previously in the third sector, I was unsure that a typical private practice traineeship fitted in with my skills, experience, and personality. When the University of Glasgow opportunity arose, the more I read into it the more I felt it was perfect for me. The interview process was such a positive experience and I left knowing I would have the opportunity to work at the heart of the organisation and really make an impact. I was also attracted to the lack of time recording, which gives the opportunity to spend more time offering a high-quality service.

Another reason I chose in-house was the work life balance aspect. Having completed my DPLP whilst working full time, I was seeking a role that would allow me to have the social life that I had lacked for the previous two years. I feel very much in control of my working hours and the department acknowledge and appreciate that you have a life outside of work.

As I am approaching qualification and reflect on the past two years, I can say with confidence that I have had an extremely positive experience completing my training in-house. Here, I have been given creativity, independence, and responsibility from the beginning of my training and the opportunity to really make the role my own. I get to work very closely with clients and get to know them, which has been incredibly invaluable.

Some would say that focusing on the same practice area for the full two-year period pigeonholes you but in my opinion, weighing this up against the skills that I have built-up, it’s a fair trade off. The experience has allowed me to develop not only my legal knowledge, but also my business and industry knowledge and I am confident I will qualify as a strong, well-rounded lawyer.

If an in-house traineeship is something you think you would be a good fit for, I would suggest doing some research into in-house traineeships and reaching out to current and previous in-house trainees for information and guidance. If anyone would like to ask any questions regarding my traineeship and working in-house, please feel free to add me on Linkedin.