š 19.10.21 -23.10.21 š
To whoever is reading this,
How has it already been a month?!
I remember they told me on my first day it would go by quickly but I just thought thatās something you say.
Looking back to where I was on my first day, Iām really proud at how much Iāve learned. The court process is really interesting – during the LPC we only learned it from the fast track perspective. My court case was a small claims so I had no idea what I was doing (who knew a part 36 offer doesnāt apply…) but Iām lucky to be able to compare what I thought then to what I know now.
One of the biggest improvements Iāve noticed is my confidence. Itās always been something Iāve struggled with. It didnāt help that my careers advisor used to tell me I need to create a āshell of myselfā and be bolshy, as if I wasnāt good enough as I was. Itās just from observing how people in my team work and just building up my general knowledge. Iām excited to see what Iāll be like in the next 3, 6 months etc. thatās one of the reasons I decided to write these diary entries.
This week, I worked really late, ‘really late’ being 9:30 – all the trainee solicitor’s out there laughing at me – I’m exhausted but in the very best way. Iāve realized that my job is about making everyone elseās life easier and taking the initiative – donāt just do the bare minimum. I always try and do things first by myself. Researching (trying to remember how to use practical law!). Most of the times I spend ages and get it wrong, but thatās how you learn. Iām starting to understand the court process and find myself really enjoying it, wanting to learn as much as possible.
I remember feeling pretty useless during my first week – I didnāt have much to do and everyone seemed so busy! I remember one of my colleagues telling me to enjoy that period, to take advantage of it and learn as much as I could before the work piled on…. well, she was right, the work has definitely increased. I’m constantly busy so the days are going by so quickly! But this is the first week where Iāve been under pressure, had a lot of work but didnāt feel stressed. Before I started, I promised myself I would always accept more work, as much as possible, to prepare me for my training contract. Accepting responsibility and not being afraid to make mistakes is the only way you can learn, in my opinion. And it paid off.
Iāve always described myself as an organized person, but itās never been more important than right now. I never realized how many emails lawyers gets – my inbox is never ending, it seems like every one I answer, 5 more come in.
Iām also learning how to prioritize. Itās easy to want to deal with all the easy tasks first, to get your list looking more sane by the end of the day. But that just means that all the complicated, most like the more important tasks would remain by the end of the day. Rather than putting it off, I started to write myself a to do list at the very beginning of each day and ensure I get all those tricky tasks out of the way.
This week, I was in the office by myself for the first time – that’s not to say I was left working alone – there were others who were working remotely, from home, covid and all. But it was the first mistake I’d made. I didn’t realise until after 5, when everyone had logged off. I remember driving home, sick to my stomach, I couldn’t sleep properly the next day and was so scared to tell my boss in the morning. Turns out, it was completely fine. I had made a mistake, but it was reversible. Just goes to show that if you ever make a mistake, always let the person in charge know as soon as possible!
Hope you all have a great weekend, will be back next week… maybe the week afterš only week 4 and Iām already slacking!
Lots of love
Ang
Legally Correct 