Having started my training contract in mid-September last year, I have almost entirely been working from home. I was able to have a few days in the office in September and October, but for the rest of the time, I have been working remotely. Whilst this has made settling in more challenging, the firm has been extremely welcoming, and everyone has been very friendly.
“Of course, remote working has meant that the firm has had to adapt but, in my experience, this has not caused any disruption.”
I was given thorough IT training and was issued with a laptop and work mobile so that I was able to stay connected and have access to everything I needed. This has allowed me to work on files and draft documents with relative ease.
Regarding my work, my first seat has been in the property team. Office working restrictions have particularly affected residential property work, which still involves hard copy documents as part of the conveyancing process. Therefore, we kept this under review and were able to identify which tasks that were usually done in the office could be carried out from home. This has taught me the importance of being flexible to ensure work can still be completed.
Of course, social events on Zoom and Teams are not quite the same as meeting up in person, but there has still been a chance to socialise outside of work. For example, the teams recently organised mini-Christmas parties.
“My team celebrated with a remote Christmas-themed escape room, where we were running around looking for various household items to solve the challenges!”
It was something none of us had tried before but we had a great time. In addition to this, I am looking forward to the annual firm-wide quiz this week, which is a long-term tradition at B P Collins LLP.
In general, I have found the firm to be supportive. If I do need to speak to someone, people do try to set aside time and help you with a task over Microsoft Teams. This has allowed me to continue learning as a trainee and gain an understanding of the work involved in the property department. I am now starting my second seat in dispute resolution and am looking forward to finding out more about this area!
Posted by Alexander Martiyanov
Prior to starting his training contract in September 2020, Sasha completed a work experience placement in the Dispute Resolution department in the summer of 2018. His role is to provide assistance to partners and other fee earners in the practice group he is currently in.
The Insider 