Rhys’s Trainee Journey: Spilling The Beans On Life As a Trainee

Dive into Rhys Bresland's journey from Court of Protection Paralegal to Trainee Solicitor at Wolferstans. He spills the beans on the nerves, the highs, and the unexpected twists. Stay tuned for the real scoop on what it's like to be a Trainee Solicitor!...

It has officially been five months since I began my Training Contract with Wolferstans and I have now had the opportunity to get settled into my new department (Residential Property) and overall life as a Trainee Solicitor with the Firm. Even in this short space of time I have gained a wealth of experience which is slowly shaping me into the future-lawyer that I want to be.

At the beginning of my trainee journey, I didn't really know what to expect. I had been comfortably occupying the position of a Paralegal in the Court of Protection department for over a year in the buildup to my Training Contract, and I was not entirely sure how the subsequent transition to Trainee would unfold, given that I had not really practiced anything other than COP work in my life - to say I was nervous would be a massive understatement!

However, when that first day of my Training Contract did finally arrive, I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it did feel somewhat like I was beginning a new job and starting from scratch, but despite this, I was welcomed into my new team with open arms, and I have been shown nothing but support from all of my colleagues, Paralegals to Partners and everyone else in between.

As my time in the department has progressed, I have been continually exposed to new and intriguing, high-calibre work, which has been challenging but also extremely interesting and nothing that I couldn’t handle without the support of my colleagues.

The most memorable experience so far

The most memorable experience that I have had so far since being in my new department would probably be when I exchanged my first ever contract on a residential property sale.

For those who are not familiar with the conveyancing world, this is the point that the contracts become legally binding, and the client can no longer pull out of the transaction without facing legal repercussion. To know that I was responsible for binding my client into a contract to pay hundreds-of-thousands of pounds was somewhat daunting, but likewise exciting and a memory that I will never forget.

Learning new skills

Since becoming a trainee, I have also had the opportunity to get involved in various trainee projects which have been equally exciting and have helped me to build upon my skill set, which I will transfer into my career as a solicitor.

An example of this would be helping to organise and run Wolferstans’ annual Vacation Scheme, which saw twelve eager students come into the firm and get a hands-on experience in the legal world. I think that this experience was particularly memorable to me as, just a few years prior, I was in the exact same shoes as those students and was eagerly trying to get some sort of experience behind me.

Being on the ‘other end’ of the Vacation Scheme as an organiser rather than a participant, was truly insightful and confirmed to myself exactly just how far I have come in the past few years.

I am now over half-way through my first seat and can honestly say that the time has flown by. I very much look forward to the rest of my time in Residential Property and to experiencing a new department when I rotate seats in Spring 2024 - keep posted to see where I end up next!