SNEJLD

SNEJLD...funny word isn't it. I can guarantee you've just tried to say that in your head. I have, many times.

So what is SNEJLD? It's the Suffolk and North Essex Junior Lawyers Division, a branch off the Suffolk and North Essex Law Society, but as said in the title, for the junior lawyers.

SNEJLD members can range from Paralegals/Trainee Solicitors to qualified Solicitors that are up to 5 years qualified. The aim of this group is to interact and network with other lawyers in the area. Having a range of people at different career stages means that everyone can share their experiences and also ask for advice or general questions about their career path.

A new committee has recently been elected and this week the first social event of the year was held.

I always enjoy these events as it means that I get to mix with other people that have gone or are going through the same journey as me. However, I always underestimate how many lawyers there are in the area. Suffolk seems to be such a small county, but an absolute sea of lawyers seem to come out of nowhere at these events and I always wonder where have they been hiding!

The new committee are a friendly team and they seem to have big plans for the year with regards to social events.  I think that this is a good thing, sometimes these social events can be spread too far apart during the year and you forget who you've met before. I also find that you could be saying the same thing to everyone each time you attend.  I know that there are many plans for this year so watch this space!

If anyone in interested in attending these events visit www.sne-jld.co.uk to contact the team.  The more the merrier!

I look forward to the next meeting, here's to a successful year for SNEJLD!

On The Spot

If there's anything I've learnt since being a Trainee, it's that you're always being pushed out of your comfort zone.

As part of my duties as a Trainee, I volunteer and give advice at a local centre.  This week was my first time actually providing clients with advice. I had previously observed these sessions with another Trainee Solicitor, so I was familiar with the format of the evening. Luckily for me, the Trainee I observed previously, shared the advice sessions with me. It was good to have someone experienced with me in case I found myself in a tricky situation.

I don't know about other Trainees, but for me, this was one of the most terrifying experiences to go through.  As part of my preparation, only minimal information was provided, so I needed to try and cover all areas and questions that may be asked when I would be with the client. These sessions could also be on any area of law so I needed to make sure that I was researching the right information. When speaking with the client, just one minor detail could put a whole new spin on the situation, and you could essentially find yourself, stuck.

There were a million and one questions going through my mind when I was advising. Do I come across as nervous? Do I sound like I know what I'm talking about? Am I even doing ok? Does the client actually understand what I am talking about and is able to go away happy with the advice that I've provided?

As a Trainee, nothing is going to be straight forward and I'm not going to find everything easy, but for someone that feels the need to understand everything perfectly, this is really a worrying and tough task for me.

Once the evening had finished I felt so much happier, and I was really happy to be pushed out of my comfort zone. I feel a lot more prepared for when I have to do the full session next time and I've learnt that I should worry a lot less about these things. I'm not going to know everything, and this is all part of the learning process!

Back to Work

We're half way through January, already! Where does the time go? It's time for us all to get back into the swing of things, it's a new year and as usual we all have lots of work to do.

I don't really have much to report on this week as I'm slowly getting back into a routine. Sometimes it can be hard returning to work after a week and a half off, I for one am a victim of this. Sitting at home in front of the fire with a tub of Quality Street seems so much more appealing! The dark nights and mornings have also been rather depressing, for everyone. How are we expected to get up for work when we can't even see outside?

For some reason however, after the initial stumble of getting back to work, 2016 has seemed to give myself a good old kick. I seem to be a lot happier and I've experienced no anxiety. I've been training hard (for those that don't know, I'm really into my weightlifting) and I'm already seeing results.  I haven't been able to go to the gym properly for the past month as I've been unwell so it's nice to get back to normal.  I've also quit alcohol for a while, I'm not taking part in dry January, but I thought that this was needed. Too much alcohol is always consumed over the Christmas period!

I hope that the discipline that I've forced on myself has also been reflecting on my work and continues to do so. I've received some good comments from my supervisor recently so that's definitely contributed to my good mood. I must remember though, as I'm always having to be reminded....fill in my training diary and record my time!

So it's back to the healthy, disciplined routine for me. It doesn't worry me though, I like the challenge, exercise, food and work wise.  Whatever you've decided to change for this year, good luck!

Happy New Year!!

So it's that time of year again, everyone is making new year's resolutions and probably not sticking to them (myself included), but they're looking forward to starting afresh with a new year ahead of them.

I'm starting 2016 as a newly single lady.  I think that with this blog, I should also take you through the personal obstacles I face throughout my training so that you get a real insight into my journey. My other half thought it would be the perfect time to end our relationship over the Christmas period. But I've had my down days and I'm ready to start the new year on a high (the white wine sorted that out). I've never really been the type of person to need someone, so I'm embracing the single life for now.

So what are my new year's resolutions? I've never really had one, but I guess this year they would have to be to be more positive and focus on my happiness. I've been experiencing a lot of anxiety recently and for those that suffer with this, they know that at times it can be a very frightening experience.

It's a strange thing to say, but I've actually really looked forward to going back to work, my office was closed between Christmas Eve and 4 January and by the end of this period, I was bored! But like I've said before, my mind constantly has to be focused on something and I'm not the kind of person to switch off easily, in both professional and personal manners.

I hope that everyone had a good Christmas and New Year, I certainly made the most of the time off by seeing friends and consuming a lot of food and drink! I hope that you achieve everything you wish to and that you all have a happy and prosperous 2016.