Qualification – reflecting on the first 18 months

By Isabella Mason

Solicitor

08 November 2024

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Qualifying as a solicitor is a daunting prospect; one day you are a Trainee Solicitor and the next day your title becomes Solicitor. The key is to ensure you have confidence in your ability but know that the supervision doesn’t just disappear once you qualify. At Taylor Walton there is always someone on hand to guide you with any tactical or technical challenges on a case.

On my first day of qualifying into Property Litigation and Commercial Property, I jumped straight into a varied caseload and quickly became exposed to independently running a case from start to finish. Having ran aspects of a case using my own initiative albeit under supervision as a Trainee at Taylor Walton, I felt better prepared to have conduct of my own cases at an early stage once qualified.

One of the more challenging aspects of qualifying, which you do not necessarily experience as a trainee, is managing your files and clients (in addition to fee earning) and doing it well! Being organised is important as your caseload will build and you will be instructed on increasingly more complicated matters, therefore you need to have a good system in place early on.

I have enjoyed a seamless transition into my role as a qualified solicitor at Taylor Walton and so far, I have learned something new daily.  I have been fortunate enough to work on an interesting range of cases spanning litigious and transactional property matters. In addition, I act for different types of clients with diverse commercial needs. As a result, I am better at tailoring my advice, because what may be appropriate for a commercial entity with a large property portfolio may not be appropriate for individuals who own few properties.

A typical day for me will include reviewing emails that have come in overnight and prioritising those that require urgent attention. I then check my list of active cases and the next steps on each of these, including any upcoming deadlines, which informs what I work on that day. The substantive work may involve anything from heavy drafting, reviewing documents, drafting advice letters, instructing barristers, attending court hearings, responding to emails from clients or solicitors on the other side, and research of a particular issue.

My litigation work generally comprises court work and advisory work. The advisory work is particularly interesting as frequently the matters will throw up a quirky issue. The litigious work has many twists and turns and I enjoy the uncertain aspect of that, often requiring me to quickly adapt to changing situations. The transactional work offers a level of certainty in that I know what the next steps are and I enjoy negotiating documents to achieve the commercial interests of my clients.

The first 18 months have been as expected: fast-paced, challenging and fulfilling and I am excited to observe my development as a solicitor over the next 18 months.

If you are interested in training with us, applications for our 2027 contracts open on 1st December 2024. For an insight into what a training contract at Taylor Walton looks like, please visit the Trainee Solicitor page here.

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