How am I doing?

The time has come already, my mid-seat appraisal! The last three months have completely flown by, I can't believe we're in March too, where does the time go?

The appraisals are something that Trainee Solicitors are always worried about. We may feel that our work is fine and we're doing ok, but an area of concern could be brought up, which can sometimes feel like a knife to the heart!

As part of the appraisal process, I am required to fill in a form to highlight the skills I have used during my seat and how I've managed to handle things such as client care and case management. My Supervisor also completes an appraisal form to note my good and bad points. It's at this meeting that I also have the opportunity to raise any issues and discuss what I would like to gain more experience of, for example, client contact.

So I was expecting to receive quite a few comments on areas where I could improve, but overall the feedback was really good! My Supervisor said that I was doing well and that he was really pleased with my work. The relief!

There were only two areas of concern, the first being my confidence, which is expected of a new Trainee and second, that I write too many words when writing letters (woops!).  Confidence in my work has always been a problem of mine and hopefully that will come with time, but I'm sure correcting my writing shouldn't be too hard, I just need to stop babbling.

So I'm extremely pleased at the moment, all I need to do now is continue doing what I'm doing, with less words and more belief in myself. But now that's over, it's time to transform into a London commuter for next week and attend the Professional Skills Course.