Trainee to solicitor - my journey

Long before I became a lawyer, I was a historian at University College London. I chose to read a subject I enjoyed and thought I would excel at, planning to cross the career bridge when I came to it. University afforded to me an enriching education in history and a wider coming of age. Somewhere along that journey, an interest in law came to mind, from which point I never looked back.

I gained legal insights which spanned from placements on the high street to open days at magic circle firms

This fostered a genuine interest in black-letter law and I was awarded scholarships to study postgraduate law and the Legal Practice Course (LPC) in London, where I spent two fantastic years and learned in a very different environment to that which I had studied during my arts degree. I was fascinated by the law as an academic subject and decided that being a solicitor was the right path for me, after trying out a few mini-pupillages on the way. During the LPC I worked part-time for a PR company, without realising how much business development experience would help my future career.

After law school I began my training contract at a full-service firm in London

This was where the learning really began. I had an idea of what I might enjoy, but thought it important to gain exposure to a variety of areas. I wanted well-rounded training to really see the difference between working with individuals and businesses, and find out which would suit me best. My seats included family, dispute resolution, employment, and corporate and commercial law. I got the feeling that the last was the best.

I was two thirds through my training contract when I started thinking about qualification

It was a daunting decision, but having the benefit of a well-rounded training contract allowed me to see quite clearly what I enjoyed and could see myself doing. I approached the process as thoroughly as possible, speaking to colleagues and contacts I had developed, getting advice from recruiters, reading legal market review guides and attending events about the qualification process. My key considerations were what area I could remain interested in for the rest of my career, what the market and remuneration would look like and where I would be a good fit.

I chose corporate and commercial

And thereinafter put all my efforts into ‘making it happen’. I asked my firm to let me stay in the department for a double seat to gain as much exposure as possible. I asked for extra responsibility, read widely around the law and kept up to date with market trends. I took a huge interest in business development and was heavily involved in developing my firm’s growing practice. What I loved about the area was the chance to work with astute clients from interesting businesses and help facilitate deals. I found my experiences to be positive and exciting, as they afforded me the opportunity to develop commercial acumen as well as legal skills. I enjoyed non-contentious drafting and negotiating - a lot more than I did being in court and dealing with litigious matters.

My interest brought me to Barlow Robbins in Surrey, where I qualified

What stood out immediately was that a former head of corporate from a global firm had left the Square Mile and come to Guildford to help the firm achieve its unique vision to become the leading firm in the region. I found myself in a team of highly driven partners, with a challenging and varied workload ranging from corporate advisory to transactional, company secretarial, commercial contracts and intellectual property and IT matters. The work here is complex and, at times, bespoke; but the most significant thing is that I feel I am learning something new every day, which is why I love what I do.

Qualifying is terrifying

But it is certainly my biggest achievement. I am now expecting more responsibility and client contact, and the chance to understand law firms as businesses, as my work becomes geared more towards fee-earning and achieving financial targets instead of learning. I hope to become more efficient and confident, but know that the learning curve will be steep and there will be mistakes to be made and learned from. I know that expectations will inevitably change from both colleagues and clients. I have noticed that, quite naturally, my mind has shifted from wanting to learn about the law to wanting to progress cases, and that I want to put extra effort and care into cases to provide the best possible service for clients. I am expecting a lot of hard work on the road ahead, but I am excited to see where it takes me and build my career.

My advice to you is…

Start planning for qualification as early as possible. Have a strategy and really think about where you want your career to go, but understand market conditions and be flexible and open to the opportunities which open up to you. When interviewing, remember it is a two-way street and be sure that the firm you will qualify with is the right fit for you.

Qualifying is a huge achievement which has taken years of hard work and perseverance, so be focused and diligent, but also be sure to enjoy the ride and be proud of how far you have come.

Sej Lamba is a newly qualified solicitor in the corporate and commercial team at Barlow Robbins LLP.