I completed my first trainee ‘seat’ in the busy Residential Conveyancing department and am now approaching the end of my first two weeks in the Employment department. Personally, this seat rotation has been quite a change as I had previously worked in Conveyancing for over two years before starting my training contract. Joining the Employment department was somewhat daunting as it was the first time, as a trainee, I felt like I no longer had my feet firmly on the ground. Thankfully, I realized that there was little to worry about! I have been working with Paul Clark, Head of Employment, and along with Paul’s guidance, I am fortunate that the current group of trainees at Jacksons are super supportive of each other meaning I have been able to turn to them with questions from time recording to general nervousness about starting a new seat.
Adjusting from Conveyancing to Employment has certainly been an experience! In Conveyancing, you often receive a sales memorandum or a reservation form from a client which you process with a simple end goal – buying or selling a property. In Employment, initial inquiries are usually received either over the phone or by e-mail from a range of people with varying circumstances who may not be sure what their end goal is or should be. Often, clients simply believe that something is just not quite right and turn to us for help working out what to do. After the initial inquiry, detailed instructions are required to ascertain what the issues are so that we can confirm what assistance we can offer. It is not unusual for people to become quite emotional when you speak to them to take instructions, and it quickly becomes apparent how much we can be affected by issues at work and issues at home which affect the workplace.
The Employment department handles a mix of personal and commercial work, quite different from Conveyancing whereby most instructions originate from an individual rather than a business. This means that my tasks vary from drafting a letter on behalf of a business, such as one of our Jacksons Shield retainer clients, to following up on an inquiry from someone who has contacted us for advice on a disciplinary hearing or after being informed that they are at risk of redundancy. I have already helped two clients commence ACAS Early Conciliation, which is a necessary step to pursue an employment tribunal claim, and observed in meetings where Paul has advised clients on settlement agreements. I have also drafted several documents for business clients including a dismissal notification and a letter confirming agreed changes to terms of conditions of employment. This just goes to show the range of services that the Employment department has to offer and I look forward to continuing to expand my knowledge and experience throughout this seat.
Martha Rea, Trainee Solicitor
