I have recently started my training contract at Jacksons and although my first seat is in litigation, this isn’t my first time working in this department at Jacksons.
During sixth form, I spent a week working with Toby for work experience. This led me to come back to the firm for multiple work experience stints and became a massive factor that influenced my decision to apply for a training contract at the firm. One thing that I consistently liked about the work experience was the fact that I was carrying out real work.
For example, at the beginning of my first work experience I contacted a client to request some information. By the end of the week, the client had been in touch and provided the information that I had asked for. Admittedly, it was only small/trivial, but it is something that stuck with me. The letter that I had drafted (under the supervision of one of the solicitors in the department) and posted to the client, and the client had acted upon it. I liked the responsibility that I was given even though I was only a sixth form student doing work experience.
There is often a conception surrounding work experience that it is not a realistic representation of the work that you would really be doing in that role. I remember being told by various people that all I’d be doing on work experience was making cups of tea or photocopying, and that it would be a waste of time. This couldn’t be any further from what I experienced at Jacksons. Each time I came into the Jacksons I was working hard and had the opportunity to sample work from different departments to be able to properly understand what Jacksons had to offer.
Overall, it was the variety and responsibility that made the work experience at Jacksons worthwhile. I wasn’t just placed in the corner of a room and forgotten about, I was actually given work that meant something to the firm. It’s very rare for a law firm to provide students with an opportunity to do this and properly sample legal work, and that’s why I came back to Jacksons on multiple occasions.
Fast forward to today, I have started my training contract and look forward to qualifying next year. I would encourage any student who is interested in a legal career to get in touch with the firm for work experience.
Jack Farrow, Trainee Solicitor
