When I was patiently waiting for the day to arrive where I could officially call myself a Trainee Solicitor, I did not expect that it would also entail the challenges of working from home! Your normal routine of getting up and going to work completely changes and in turn so did working.
At first many think it is a dream working from home, because you have the convenience of not having to wake up earlier to leave or make lunch for work. However, when sat at your desk all day, you almost get into the habit of checking emails past working hours, or getting the last job done for the day.
Whilst being a trainee, it can be daunting with having more responsibilities, and at times you seek out for reassurance, but this can be difficult when your colleagues are not around. As such, I continually am in correspondence with my Training Principle, by way of email and phone calls. By having the support of my Training Principle and knowing that I can ‘poke’ him for guidance brings comfort as I know I am learning from the best.
Since being in lockdown, I have noticed that clients are becoming keener to speak to either myself or a solicitor over the phone, rather than email. Perhaps that is because they feel they are able to express themselves more openly rather than waiting for a response to their email. I have learnt that whilst I have wanted to please clients by returning their calls as soon as possible, it is also important to balance this with the work load to be more efficient and effective.
Attending hearings has been interesting and eventful, to say the least! It becomes quite clear during the hearings of those who are tech savvy, as they offer out their assistance to others struggling. On occasions there have been mishaps of microphones being left on, which means I am more cautious to make sure that does not happen to me. It has also been positive to see that everyone is patient and cooperative during remote hearings or meetings and I think being in our third lockdown has allowed others to grow more confident and prepared in working remotely.
Whilst I did not expect to face these kind of challenges, I am glad that I have. Not only do I feel more confident and able to tackle new tasks, but I also feel these experiences will mould how I grow and develop into being the best solicitor that I can be.
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