Bits and Bobs

In recent weeks, I have found myself doing a lot of admin tasks, research, and the formalities of transactions. I have spent some time out of office which has meant that I had some early starts at work to catch up. This can sometimes make me feel like I've been in the office all day, but needs must!

At the moment my life feels like I am constantly on the go. The problem with me is that I love to be busy. Even if I give myself a day to rest, within an hour or two I find myself bored, I always find that there is something to do!

Outside of work, not only do I partake in bodybuilding, but I also bake cakes (contradictory, I know!). Baking and decorating cakes is the most therapeutic hobby I have. With weightlifting, I come out of the gym even more tired and sore than when I went in. But with cakes, it gives me a chance to create something beautiful and it makes people happy.

I sell cakes to people in the Suffolk and North Essex area. You can see my page at www.facebook.com/glutenfreefairy1.

As you can probably tell, all of my cakes are gluten free, but that doesn't mean you have to be gluten intolerant to try them. All of my cakes and bakes are tested on people without a gluten intolerance and they really like them. So go and have a look!

It is now 3 months until I qualify. Within this period, I have so much to look forward to, including two holidays. I have also found an NQ Solicitor position that I feel suits me very well, but unfortunately this means that I will not be staying with my current firm. Regardless of the change, I am looking forward to the new challenge. This year is turning out to be a very happy and successful year for me so I am loving every moment!

So Many Options...

As a Trainee coming to the end of my training contract, it is only right that I keep my options open.

It's easy to forget that you are working based on a fixed term contract and that at the end of the two years you actually need to think about what is best for you.

The advantage of being an NQ, is that you can literally do anything you want. You have the option to qualify in something that someone else wouldn't even think of.

For me, I have no commitments or ties to anything. I'm 25, mortgage free and no children. The world is my oyster!

I have options and opportunities, I'm grateful that I'm able to explore them. It's process of elimination time. What is best for me?!

Reality is definitely hitting me now. It's exciting, but completely nerve racking at the same time. I'm pretty sure I've said this throughout my training contract though...

Another week in commercial property means land registry applications, adverse possession and tenancy agreements. I still get moments where I still wonder what on earth I'm doing and whether the work I'm producing is ok. For those that are in the first stages of training, as a heads up, you'll probably feel like this for the next four years! It's all varied and it's all good fun!

Change, Change, Change

In the last few weeks, I have changed departments, I have completed the Professional Skills Course (PSC), and I have my own office. I'm pretty sure this wasn't intentional of my firm but it still seems awesome to me!

My final PSC class was "Effective Written Communication". It may seem a little dull at first, however I did actually find this class very beneficial. It has made me focus more on my punctuation when I write to lawyers and clients and how I write to people in general.

Now that I am in Commercial Property, I have assisted with lease renewals, applications of adverse possession, modification of restrictions and much more. Again, I am assisting with a variety of work, just how I like it.

I am trying not to look so far into the future as I know that the big day is just around the corner, ignore is bliss, right? So for now, I'm rolling with it!

My Last Week in Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

It's that time again, for me to say goodbye to my current seat. In the end I stayed in the Clin Neg/PI department for 7 months, and needless to say I saw a lot.

I was given a wide variety of work to do and each case that I worked on was completely different. I almost feel a little naïve in that I did not realise what some people really do go through, and I feel very lucky to have the life that I have.

I was also happy that I had the opportunity to attend a trial. Trials can be rare as parties are more willing to settle outside of Court, so it was great that I was able to witness some cross examination taking place.

Now the real countdown begins as I take my final seat on Monday, being Commercial Property. It's as if I've done a full circle, I started at my firm as a Commercial Property Paralegal and now I will be back there as a Trainee Solicitor.

I am hoping that I will enjoy my time in Commercial Property and that these next five months don't go too fast!

Lawyer by Day, Bodybuilder by Night!

As I've previously mentioned, I had a fitness competition coming up. Most people know that I am a very keen weightlifter but only a select few knew that I had signed myself up to a bikini fitness competition. A bit different for a lawyer, but I love being different and trying new things!

For those that don't know, a bikini fitness competition basically means that you have to stand on stage in a bikini and do set poses for judges to examine and judge your body. It sounds ridiculous, but it was so much fun!

As part of my preparation for this I had to cut down my body fat to as little as possible and tone myself up by weightlifting. In order to show off a toned physique, I had approximately four layers of fake tan applied to my body and make up painted on to my face. Yes, I am still orange!

This event gives a person like me the chance to release their attitude and show everyone their sassiness on stage. It is so much more fun than I can describe! And as part of your routine, you need to show elegance and poise, something that I actually struggle with. I'm more of a converse and baggy top kind of woman.

This was my first competition so as I expected, I was not placed in the top three. My feedback was to act more confident and tense my muscles more, I was happy with that.

The event was over so quickly and it now seems like such a blur, but the 16 weeks of diet and training was all worth it. I am already looking for my next competition!

So that's just an insight into what I do outside of work. As I have been on a diet for the past four months, I have spent this week eating. I am currently baking different gluten free cakes, cookies and pastry items. I have a massive sweet tooth so I am making the most of it!

I was back to work on Wednesday this week and as I currently have a patchy tan, a few questions have been asked. I find myself asserting that four layers of tan is not my usual choice!

I also had my end of seat appraisal which went well. I move into my final seat at the end of June, so I'm looking forward to the change.

My Last Six Months

I can't believe the position that I'm currently in, it's six months until I qualify.

My current thought is: "what on earth do I do with myself?", it's gone so quick that I still remember my first days as a Trainee like it was yesterday!

Now that I've come to a stage like this I feel like I have to think about my career seriously, on things such as what area do I actually want to qualify in? It's crazy to think that I have to start doing this.

Being a Trainee for the last year and a half has definitely helped me distinguish between the areas that I do and do not like. I think that this is the best part of the process, it enables you to know for sure if you're missing out on anything, or not.

They do say time goes very quickly and now I know what they mean. We are in the sixth month of the year already, soon it will be Christmas again! Not that I'm complaining, chocolate!

Within these next sixth months I have so much to look forward to. My fitness competition is in 10 days, I am heading to Anacapri, Italy in September, and the day that I qualify I am travelling to Gothenburg, Sweden. I qualify in November and on a Thursday so it was a convenient time to take a long weekend to celebrate and see the Christmas markets. I'm not running from responsibility!

As I say every now and again, I'm embracing the madness, the worry and the unknown. But that's all part of being a Trainee. Everything works out in the end, I'm just excited to see where the second half of this year will take me.

This week I have been drafting documentation for personal injury claims. Documents such as schedules of special damages, witness statements and consent orders. This gives me the opportunity to get to know the file and understand the claim that is being filed at Court.

I have not been told what my next seat will be yet, but I'm sure I will find out imminently, so I'm looking forward to that and will be sure to let you know as soon as possible.

A Sweaty Day in London

There's no denial that this week has been a hot one, and what better way to spend my Thursday than to sit on a stuffy train to London and walk past high rise buildings reflecting the heat back on to me.

Thursday I attended my penultimate Professional Skills Course class which focused on "a Law Firm as a Commercial Enterprise".

This class focused on how to attract clients, how firms can expand their client base and how to keep up with the ever increasing competition in the area. Our tasks were to identify the pros and cons of two fictional law firms and analyse how they can change in order to succeed.  In the second half of the day, the class was split into two groups in order to represent the two fictional law firms. Each law firm had to present a pitch to a corporate client in order to win them over and assist them with an acquisition.

Luckily the classroom had air conditioning so we were fine inside, however the heat really did hit you as you walked out. I suffer from a blood disorder which makes me extremely sensitive to sunlight, it can burn me very easily and cause horrific consequences (yes, I am one of those people who avoid the light!). So I had to be very careful, but luckily I do not have one of the worst cases of my condition so I can handle walking around in the heat, as long as I am appropriately covered up. I'm not quite a full vampire!

I hope everyone has a lovely bank holiday weekend and the scheduled rain for Sunday and Monday holds off. Enjoy yourselves!