What's it like to join a committee?

Gregor Watt, trainee solicitor at Lloyds Banking Group plc, explains how he became a member of the In-house Lawyers Committee and discuss his first steps into the team.

Do it with passion or not at all …

When I committed to training in-house at a large UK-headquartered financial services company, I did so on the basis that I was passionate about committing to the organisation and its values. I consider passion as fundamental to connecting a person to anything in life, with work (and in this case the In-House Lawyers Committee) no exception.

With hard work comes reward

If you’ve got the connection then I think it’s easy for your passion to flow. But to get anywhere you need to be noticed. In business, this means taking the initiative and showing your passion in the form of the application. I believe this is all about striking the right tone and the best way is to do your research. Use the job advert to your advantage and really tailor your application to your audience.  Consider how you want to be perceived, whether you have evidenced all the key points in the advert and most importantly what makes you stand out in the crowd.

First steps

I’m proud to say that I am now the trainee solicitor representative of the In-House Lawyers Committee, having overcome the initial entry hurdles. But what does a new committee member do? 

To begin with, there’s an initial introductory meeting with the committee secretary to learn about the structure and policies of the team. I found this useful as a means of learning more about the role and showed the support of more experienced committee members to ease the transition process.

Afterwards, the first committee meeting awaits. This is an excellent first chance to gain experience networking with other in-house professionals who share the common purpose of enhancing the in-house legal community across Scotland. It’s also a great early opportunity for exposure to committee work, as well as a first foray into the teamwork of the committee. 

On the last point, the structure of the In-House Lawyers Committee is key to its output. The team is divided into three sub-groups:

• engagement
• education and career
• governance and professional practice. 

It’s through this format that the meetings are structure and work is assigned. It’s also about working out which sub-group you feel closest aligned with, which is an important consideration in the first few months.

What to expect

As a trainee I didn’t know what to expect when joining the committee but I was made to feel very welcome by the other committee members. I am really looking forward to helping to put across the perspective of the in-house trainee and it's great that even as a junior lawyer my input is appreciated. So I would encourage other less senior lawyers to get involved with committee work whether with the Society, their employer or elsewhere, as it really develops your professional skill set.

With my direction slowly starting to take shape within the committee, I look forward to seeing what lies on the horizon.