Starting my traineeship during lockdown

On 23 March 2020 Prime Minister, Boris Johnston and Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon announced a series of measures which fundamentally placed the whole of the United Kingdom into a state of “lockdown”. These unprecedented measures were intended to stop the spread of COVID-19. As frightening as this was, I had other things to be anxious about, namely, my first day as a Trainee Solicitor.

I started my training contract with Neilsons Solicitors and Estate Agents on 30 March 2020. Neilsons were kind enough not to postpone my start date despite the current pandemic and due to their Cloud based computing system, I have been able to start my training contract from the comfort of my own home.

On my first day I received lovely emails welcoming me to the firm. This was followed by video and telephone calls to explain processes and how to navigate my way around the Cloud based system. The team all really did make me feel at home …  All joking aside everyone was extremely helpful and made my first day very enjoyable.

I am based within the firms' Private Client department and from day one I have been assisting in all aspects of Private Client work. I have been particularly focused on drafting wills and powers of attorney as there has been a surge in demand for the drafting and updating of wills and powers of attorney due to fears of contracting coronavirus.

Despite the additional pressure that the Private Client team have been under, I have not been forgotten. I have drafted many wills and powers of attorney which have all been checked and approved online by my mentor and I have been able to ask questions and receive feedback on all my work which has made me feel fully supported.

As it is a legal requirement in Scotland to have your will witnessed by an independent person, Neilsons have adopted a dynamic and innovative approach - in line with new Law Society of Scotland guidance. We have been able to ensure that all wills are correctly witnessed by using video calls. We have even witnessed documents through the window for those of the older generation!

Working remotely was not how I expected my traineeship to start, however, I have felt fully supported throughout my first few weeks and I am very impressed with how the firm has evolved to cope with the many challenges that COVID-19 has brought.

I am looking forward to when I am able to get into the office to meet everyone. It will be nice to finally put a face to a name for those who I haven’t video called yet! I am also looking forward to further develop and learn from my new colleagues.