Last Week in Commercial Property

We're now in the final week of November (give or take) which means that I'm in my final week  of working in the Commercial Property department at my firm.  I've worked in property, both residential and commercial since graduating in June 2013. It was never something that I had a specific interest in as I didn't particularly enjoy studying land law at University, but when I graduated there were a lot of property jobs available, which is how I found myself working in this area.

By working with a mixture of residential and commercial transactions, it's easy for me to say that Commercial Property appeals to me more than residential.  I find that residential transactions, most of the time, are quite similar and there is not enough variety in it. I've found that the difference with commercial transactions, is that the procedure is tailored specifically to the business buying/selling or taking a lease on the property.  Moreover, legal research is required on certain aspects that would not be required for residential property which allows me to gain further knowledge in the areas which are more difficult to work on.

Although property is not my main choice of practice, I've still enjoyed working in this area and I've really enjoyed working with the Commercial Property team at my firm.

The first seat of my training contract is going to be in the Corporate and Commercial department. This is something that I am looking forward to experiencing.  I've enjoyed working with businesses in the property department, but I feel that I would prefer working with the actual businesses and not just for their property transactions.

I'm really excited to get going, and what's even more exciting is that right before my training contract starts I will be travelling to Amsterdam for a long weekend.  It's very exciting times for me at the moment, I shall post again once I am back from Amsterdam. Bon Voyage!

"Do you watch Suits?"

As a young female I spent the best parts of 2014 and 2015 on the dating scene.  Many first dates were enjoyable (or not so), but I noticed that each male had one thing in common.

As soon as I told my dates that I was a Paralegal I always received the same response, "Oh so, do you watch Suits?". On the odd occasion what would follow was "There's this really fit Paralegal on there called Rachel, do you do what she does?"

During this period I had no free time due to working and studying at the same time so I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.  I didn't have enough time to think let alone watch a whole box set about American law firms.

Now that I've finished the LPC, I've decided to take up watching Suits to see what all the fuss is about, and to see whether the programme gives the British public a false representation of what lawyers do.

I can now see what everyone was talking about, it is a really, really addictive show.  I can somewhat empathise with 'Mike Ross', the Associate who works for 'Harvey Specter'.  Albeit he has no legal education, but I sometimes chuckle and relate to the way he struggles to find what he needs to do in order to meet a deadline.

It can be testing for graduates new to a law firm, finding out how they run on a daily basis and also being assigned work from, sometimes, various fee earners which could all be urgent at the same time. I was happy to see that this was being reflected in the show for different characters, and that it wasn't telling the audience that we instantly know exactly what we're doing all of the time.

It's a show that I'm going to continue to watch, and I'm sure there will be a lot more 'chuckling' throughout the seasons.

End of Education

It only feels like yesterday that I walked into the University of Law in September 2013 with my suitcase ready to be filled with books.  It's safe to say that I didn't know what I was getting into. Studying part-time and working full-time, I look back now and think 'how on earth did I do that?'. For the past two years I've been continuously tired and wondering when I'd have the time to relax without the guilt of not doing any work, now I can say that I can!

This week my certificate came through to say that I'd completed the LPC. (I really need to put that somewhere safe).  It almost feels like this is the certificate to say 'you're free to go!'.  It's been a long time coming and I'm so relieved to have my evenings and weekends back, every LPC graduate knows exactly how I feel. However, I sometimes find myself a little lost in the evenings as I feel like I should still be studying.  I seem to be watching a lot more TV, and I'm not sure if this is a good thing. Maybe I should buy some books, I genuinely can't remember the last time I read a book purely for enjoyment!

It's hard to get to grips with the fact that I've had the security of education since I can remember and now I've been set free into the big wide world.  I'm still trying to figure out my new lifestyle, my workouts at the gym after work seem to be getting longer as I find myself bored when I get home.  I guess I just have one of those minds that finds it hard to relax.

But it's done and I'm happy that I don't have to sit any more exams (save the Professional Skills Course). And for the first time in a long, long time I can enjoy Christmas this year without revision or coursework!

Breakfast

Every two weeks I represent my firm at a Bob Club which is a 'business over breakfast' club (see link: http://www.bobclubs.com/).  These breakfast meetings give local businesses a chance to come together, network and refer work to one another over a lovely fried breakfast.  The meetings I attend are held at Bears Boutique Bowling Bar and American Restaurant in Ipswich, Suffolk. (link: http://www.bearsbaripswich.co.uk/)

Each business owner has the opportunity to stand and talk to the rest of the group for approx. 60 seconds about their business.  Each time I speak about my firm, I tend to focus on what my firm is looking for and what makes my firm different from the rest.

These meetings are very different to the normal way of networking.  There is no pressure to force referrals between one another and it is not the standard 'stand in a room and try to speak to as many people as possible' networking event.

At each meeting there are usually a few visitors so I have to introduce myself and state where I am from.  For the first time this week I was able to tell everyone that I had passed my exams and that I will be a Trainee Solicitor in December.  Everyone was pleased for me and it was great that I could share my progress with them.

I am always looking for ways to expand the firm and generate more business, and I feel that the Bob Club has already done a lot for the firm.  On top of the business side, I also get a lovely fry up every two weeks!

I'm looking forward to the next meeting, I will have a 10 minute slot to talk about me, the firm, and why I chose to work at my firm.  I'm not the most confident person when speaking in front of people so this will do me the world of good to try and gain more confidence. As someone who is new to the business world, I always try to put myself in situations that will give me more confidence and experience. The Bob Club certainly helps me with this and I will continue to go in order to help develop myself and my firm.