Smooth sailing from trainee to NQ
updated on 16 June 2009
Making the leap from trainee to qualified lawyer will be one of the highlights of your legal career. However, it can be tempting as a newly qualified solicitor (NQ) to emerge all guns blazing. Having slogged through years of academic study followed by a two-year training contract, qualifying as a solicitor feels like the end of a very long road. An NQ can hardly be blamed for wanting to make his or her mark on the legal community and begin a happy and successful career. However, the progression from trainee to NQ requires diplomacy, tact and professionalism.
Up to the job?
One of the biggest challenges that NQs face is the feeling that having qualified as a solicitor, they should now be up and running and able to manage alone. Although you will have learnt a great deal throughout your training contract, you are not expected to be an expert in your chosen field just yet. No matter how thorough the training has been, there will inevitably be transactions that you have not experienced yet and there will be significant gaps in your knowledge for many years to come. Therefore, it is important for you to behave in a way that is congruent with the role of NQ and not apply unnecessary pressure by trying to punch too far above your weight.
Top billing
One of the most important differences between being a trainee and an NQ is having to deal with targets and figures. Most firms will give trainees a provisional target during their training contract but acknowledge that trainees do not generally bill their own files and therefore are not entirely responsible for meeting their targets. Thus, they will be judged on other aspects of their performance and not their ability to meet financial targets. So for many NQs, being faced with financial targets can be particularly daunting. It is important that you meet these targets in the first year of qualification; if you're unsure what your target is or how to meet it, or how to monitor things such as "work in progress" or "aged debtors", it is imperative that you raise this with your supervisor or head of department straight away. Monitoring figures and targets is a good habit to get into as a trainee, even if little weight is actually placed on you achieving them. Hitting targets is based on skill, not luck.
Hitting targets can often be down to accurate time recording; another skill that may not have been considered particularly important as a trainee, but which becomes extremely important as soon as you qualify. The ability to accurately record time does take some practice. Be cautious of adjusting the time you record to reflect your skill level. This is a trap that most junior solicitors fall into - they think that they should have been able to complete a task more quickly than they did, so they record the time they feel it should have taken rather than how long it actually took. Your billing rate reflects your level of qualification so you do not need to discount further even though you feel that someone more qualified would have done the task quicker. Record your time accurately and ensure that all of your time is accounted for each day. You don't have to actually bill all the time recorded, but generally you cannot bill what is not on the clock.
Who's in charge?
Even post qualification, you are still a junior solicitor and therefore you are required to have, and are entitled to, a certain level of supervision. Depending on the firm that you are with, there may not be a huge difference in the supervision level between trainee and NQ. You will get a feel for this yourself - don't try to go it alone and be alert to any signals that you are getting from your supervisor as to whether you have judged the level of supervision correctly. Never be offended if your supervisor insists on checking all of your work - the advantage of this is that any mistakes will be picked up and corrected before they cause you a problem. Also, try not to bristle if your supervisor amends your work on stylistic grounds - just go with it for the time being because you will have plenty of time to develop your own style in the years to come. Some supervisors just can't help themselves!
As an NQ you are still on a steep learning curve and you are inevitably going to make mistakes. This never feels pleasant no matter what stage in your career you're at. However, as an NQ, your supervisor needs to be able to trust that you will act responsibly and professionally in acknowledging mistakes, correcting them as far as possible and learning from them. If you feel that a matter ought to be brought to your supervisor's attention (and more often than not, it should) then do so quickly and without fuss. Apologise for the mistake but don't beat yourself up unnecessarily. Your supervisor is likely to be more concerned if you try to cover up mistakes than if you make them in the first place.
Check your attitude
You need to remember that the people in the office have seen countless trainees qualify and may not be particularly impressed if you feel that you can now act in any way superior. This is a mistake that many NQs make, not because they have an attitude problem but because, deep down, they do not feel quite ready for the leap to qualified solicitor. They may try to impersonate one of the other qualified solicitors in the office, usually a partner. As you will learn, generally partners can get away with much more than an assistant solicitor. Therefore, until you have fully earned your spurs, you need to be humble and sincere when it comes to dealing with secretaries, support staff and other fee earners. Believe me, it is worth it - you will get far more of the help that you need if you don't get people's backs up. At this stage, it will do you well to remember that your secretary is likely to have far more experience than you and know more about the day-to-day running of the office. Appreciate this and make allies early on.
Depending on the size of the firm and the number of trainees, you may find yourself in the position of having to detach yourself slightly from other trainees once you have qualified. This is just a way to differentiate between you as a trainee and you as a qualified solicitor. Obviously, this requires tact and diplomacy - the other trainees will be qualified solicitors soon and potentially your future partners. It is not worth falling out with anyone but a gentle separation can be useful to establish yourself in your new role. As an NQ you are likely to have different expectations and demands made of you and you need to be able to put these first.
As a qualified solicitor you will generally be expected to work whatever hours it takes to meet your deadlines. It is good practice to establish a hard-working reputation early on in your career, as this will stand you in good stead later on. It is much better for your supervisor or head of department to tell you that you are doing too many hours than not enough, although ultimately your health and wellbeing are your own responsibility. For the first year at least, accept that you will have to put the hours in - once you have met your targets in the first year you can get into a more steady work/life balance. Notice what hours other fee earners in the department keep and ensure that you are at the higher end of the scale, at least until you establish your own routine.
Fitting in
The most successful NQs are the ones who simply fit into their departments and get on with their work conscientiously without bringing too much attention to themselves. Although that may sound a little disheartening, the truth of the matter is that your results will then speak for themselves. This mature, professional and responsible attitude is what is going to impress people the most. So even if you feel like you are not hitting the headlines in your first couple of years, don't worry - this is your time to build strong foundations for your future career.
Katie Beckett is the principal corporate trainer for MyElement Training (www.myelement-training.com). She is also a qualified solicitor and notary public.
