I still vividly remember the first day of my training contract and having an introductory meeting with the Managing Partner. I remember him talking about Nockolds’ history and its strategy for the next few years and how I as a trainee would fit into all of that.
My key take-away, and the lesson I pass to any trainee who asks, is that a training contract is a two-year opportunity to take a leap, over and over again. It is a chance to throw yourself into every opportunity you can find because there is a safety net there to catch you if it goes wrong. There will be someone supervising you at every turn who will ultimately be responsible for everything you do – good or bad – within the boundaries of the law and SRA rules of course.
And so began my two-year journey of leaps and bounds, with many steps forward and on the odd occasion, a step backward.
That is how growth and learning works, particularly when you’ve been challenged to jump as much as possible. And Nockolds definitely fulfilled that promise.
If ever I didn’t leap, you can be sure someone pushed me instead. And all the while, I had absolute faith there was a safety net under me, just in case.
But the purpose of this blog is not really about the training contract but about the crucial step at the end of it, from trainee to solicitor.
Of course, for most of my training contract, that step seemed such a way off. A part of me knew that two years would fly by, but it still felt like there was plenty of time.
Fortunately though, the learning and support doesn’t end at the end of the two years and by no means should you expect to qualify with all the answers; no one else will expect you to either.
When I got round to qualification, I couldn’t celebrate in the way I had expected when I started. In some ways, that inability to make a big hoorah of the day helped me realise and reflect on the fact that it is a transition as much as one day.
By all means there is one day when things change, the job title changes and the expectations change but, in many ways, I have been starkly reminded that many parts of qualification are a slower process. The learning curve continues and that also means the support continues. The safety net hasn’t disappeared entirely just because the job title has changed.
Now, a few months into life as a qualified solicitor, I can safely say that the transition was probably far easier because I was able to stay with the firm that trained me. For those who are looking and applying for a training contract, I cannot recommend enough the benefit that will come from finding a firm that you can see yourself staying with after you qualify.
For more information and to find out how to apply for a Nockolds’ training contact, please click here: Training Contracts.