An early start is not as bad as you may think, especially when the sun is shining and you're off to the seaside, well near to it anyway! 6.45am came and I set off with trainees from another law firm in a car full of sugary snacks! We travelled to the University of Sussex in Brighton for a Law South course as part of the over-arching Professional Skills Course.
The course focused again on Client Care and Professional Standards, covering more regulatory topics such as the SRA Code of Conduct and Risk Management. Whilst these rules and practices were already familiar following the Legal Practice Course (LPC), it was really useful reviewing certain topics having now spent time in practice and appreciating that such matters are not always clear cut. We were provided with invaluable tips and guidance from partners who have spent a great many years practising as a solicitor in a variety of firms and we learnt how to deal confidently with many different scenarios. As always, there was plenty of time to catch up with other trainees and find out how others are enjoying their second seat and trainee life generally and it’s great to see that everyone has settled in well.
Towards the end of the day out came a bundle of pink straws and safety pins and we were put into teams and tasked with building the highest structure. As in any successful law firm, we each brought different skills to the task and although our structure wasn’t the highest, it was sturdy and outlasted many of the others!