|
Trainee Profile - Jennifer Roberts
 I spent my first six months at the firm in the Dispute Resolution group. During this time I had the opportunity to become involved in a wide variety of legal work covering areas from conflicts of law, to internet defamation, to researching procedural issues in connection with an application to the Privy Council.
One of the first projects I was assigned to was an internal investigation involving FCPA and POCA issues. As part of this work I was able to attend witness interviews and team meetings with the client and forensic accountants, and assisted in the review and analysis of documentation.
I also worked as part of a team on a case involving trade mark infringement, for which one of my main tasks was sifting through and analysing information collected to try to piece together an evidentiary trail tracing the movement of counterfeit goods across several continents.
As many of the firm’s clients are multinational companies, litigation work often involves a cross-border element. The London office works closely with colleagues in Washington DC, and during my first seat I was asked to carry out a disclosure exercise at the London office of a company the firm was representing in litigation in the US.
My current seat is in the Employment Practice, and the work here has been very different from what I did in my first six months in Dispute Resolution. From the beginning of my seat, I was asked to produce first drafts of contracts - from termination agreements to consultancy contracts - which has been an excellent way of improving my legal drafting skills. My work has varied between reviewing a client’s maternity policy and examining a director’s rights under a pension plan, to drafting a company constitution for a client wishing to establish a trade association. The nature of the work carried out by the Employment team means that there are opportunities for trainees to have a more direct role in liasing with clients and responding to client queries.
During my first two seats with the firm what has impressed me most, apart from the high standard of work sought from and given to trainees, is the firm’s friendly atmosphere and how helpful other trainees, senior lawyers and staff are - which makes a huge difference when you are starting out. As I enter the second half of my seat, I look forward to gaining further experience of the firm’s practice areas and developing my skills as a lawyer.
|