After completing the assessment day over two years ago, I have finally started my training contract at Michelmores. Since attending the assessment day in 2010, I have completed the LPC at Birmingham and worked within a small niche firm as a paralegal, however on my first day as I walked into the Michelmores office it hit me that after many years of studies I was finally walking into the office as a trainee solicitor!
Any first day nerves I had (and there were indeed a few) soon subsided upon the genuine friendliness that I encountered from the moment I entered the office – Michelmores’ reputation on this score had been one of the main factors that persuaded me to undertake my training here and at this moment that decision had never felt so wise.
Our first day was as packed as I had anticipated involving numerous talks from different parts of the firm; including an introduction from the partners who head up each department. Over lunch we got the chance to chat with the current trainees as they took us out to a local pub. This was a great opportunity to ask about life as a trainee, and to obtain a few tips for the first few days. I have personally started in the Commercial Litigation department, and thus towards the end of the first day split off from the rest of the new trainees to be taken on a tour of the department and introduced around – so many new names I wished at this point I wasn’t the only one wearing a name badge.
After a few days of IT training, we finally had the first day in our departments and at our desks. Within the first morning my supervisor already had some real work for me to do, this was brilliant as I had worried I might have been a bit useless for the first few days and left to twiddle my thumbs or do some photocopying. The induction, however, is not over and we still have an ongoing program of training to attend whilst working within our departments. Michelmores really feels like it wants its trainees to succeed and has a great support structure in place to ensure our continued development, this ongoing training just being a small part of that.
All the trainees were also invited to attend the Michelmores Summer Ball at Powderham Castle, which was a fantastic evening – and not just because of the free bar. It was a brilliant night in general and for us trainees an excellent opportunity to meet lots of other people within the firm, including people from the other offices, and therefore allowed us to integrate ourselves further within the fold.
So much has happened since that first day, it is hard to believe I haven’t even been here two weeks yet.