Trainee blog - John Morgan

John is one of our trainee bloggers from Brodies LLP. John grew up in Coatbridge, in North Lanarkshire, and attended the University of Glasgow for his LLB, spending time abroad at the Universities of Toronto, Connecticut and Cagliari. He then ventured to Edinburgh University for his Diploma. He spent his first seat in Brodies’ banking team, and is currently working with the employment team in Glasgow.

Mythbusting the traineeship – the seven biggest misconceptions

Trainees from across Scotland, such as myself, are currently applying for NQ jobs. This process has put me in a bit of a reflective mood and, looking back, it’s notable just how completely different my expectations of the traineeship were from the reality! I hadn’t undertaken any summer placements so my understanding was based on TV and off-hand complaints made by friends from university. I thought it might be useful to discuss a few of the myths that cropped up in the hope that it offers a more rounded view of what the traineeship is.

1. You’ll never leave the office

This is one that differs by practice area, and – contrary to the belief that it’s good just to be seen to be present – it depends entirely on the work that you have to complete. Most law firms realise that a work-life balance is important, and that tired lawyers don’t produce the best results, so there’s definite encouragement to avoid being in the office when you don’t need to.

What are my hours like? I rarely have to stay beyond 6pm in the employment team because the nature of our work is such that we can spread the preparation for our big cases, but when I was in the banking team I was in quite late when there was a big transaction to complete. These periods are cyclical though, and were more than balanced out by the nights when I could happily head away from the office on time.

2. You’ll never leave your desk

It’s rare that I spend an entire day at my desk. The variety of work I’ve been given on my traineeship has been excellent – from appearing at court, instructing counsel, attending big completion meetings or travelling around Glasgow to find signatories for documents, no two days have been the same!

Even when I am at my desk, there’s no predicting what might come up each day. To take yesterday as an example, I was negotiating a settlement, drafting submissions for a case, researching a particularly complex set of regulations, interviewing a witness and then attending client drinks. If you throw yourself into the traineeship, you’ll definitely be given opportunities beyond the norm.

3. You’ll be a photocopier extraordinaire

This just hasn’t been true for me, or for any trainee I’ve spoken to. Trainees are hired because of their legal and organisational abilities and it wouldn’t make much commercial sense for them to spend two years tied to a photocopier. That’s not to say I haven’t become acquainted with the settings of the latest Ricoh photocopier, but it’s certainly been restricted to those times when I’ve been working on things which are required urgently and outwith normal office hours.

4. You’ll be working with difficult personalities

A career in the law is often a stressful job and I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that some people react to this stress in different ways.

Part of the skill of being a trainee is knowing how best to deal with different personalities, both inside and outside your own firm. But your boss will be aware of the value of a good trainee, and it’s not in their interest for you to be too scared of slipping up that you don’t think straight!

5. You’ll be expected to be an instant expert

On day one of the traineeship your firm will know exactly what background and education you have. The team you’re working with will also be well aware, so won’t ever give you work outside your comfort zone. The whole point of the traineeship is to learn how to practise law so it wouldn’t make much sense for them to expect you to be fully fledged on day one!

My own traineeship has been a phenomenal opportunity to learn from some of the best solicitors and advocates in the country, picking up the skills and knowledge needed to practise fully. The trainee role is often to bring fresh ideas into a team and keep up to date with more recent developments, so occasionally I have ended up educating my team rather than the other way around!

6. Your traineeship will have to cover certain areas

This is a common misconception. The LLB and Diploma have to cover certain mandatory areas, but once you’re on a traineeship you can be entirely focused on one area - which sometimes happens in-house - cover different ‘seats’ (areas of law) on a rotation - which is most common at big firms - or be tasked with lots of different areas all at once, which is more common at smaller firms.

The traineeship is structured instead around different skills and competencies. I myself, quite rarely for a big commercial firm, have been allowed to stay for 16 months in the employment division. I was very happy to specialise, but most people prefer the variety that’s offered by rotating through seats.

7. And maybe, just maybe, it might be quite glamorous?

It’s certainly nothing like TV but I do have to admit my parents definitely like telling people that their son is a lawyer - we must still retain some level of respect!