I am currently a first seat trainee, sitting in the Workplace Injury team in Irwin Mitchell’s London office. I previously worked as a paralegal at IM and was able to carry on working for the firm part-time whilst completing the LPC.

A typical day for me as a trainee at Irwin Mitchell would usually be as follows:

8:40am: I arrive at the office early so that I have some time to catch up with colleagues and get set up at my desk before the working day starts. At Irwin Mitchell we use a desk booking system and I have booked a desk on the second floor of our London office, where my team usually sit together.

8:50am: After setting up at my desk, I review my to do list and my diary so that I can prioritise tasks that need to be completed today. I also check my emails to see if I have received any urgent emails from clients that need to be dealt with as a priority.

9:00am: I begin drafting a Part 8 claim form, a notice of funding and witness statement on a mesothelioma personal injury claim that I have been working on. These documents are required so that the court can approve of a settlement agreed between our client and the Defendant. Once I have finished drafting, I send these documents to my supervisor for review.

10:30am: I attend the weekly London Workplace Injury team meeting, in one of our office meeting rooms. Today is an ‘anchor day’ for our team, which means that most colleagues in the team are in the office to attend this meeting in person, whilst others join remotely via Microsoft Teams. Whilst we have a flexible by choice system at Irwin Mitchell (that gives colleagues the choice on whether they work from home or in the office), some teams have regular anchor days to give colleagues the chance to work together in person, catch up and attend business development events. At today’s team meeting, we discuss the team’s current targets, how everyone is managing their workloads and any current trends effecting our cases.

11:30am: I make a call to a family member of a client to discuss information required to prepare a witness statement, detailing the care and support provided to our client following a diagnosis of mesothelioma. This is an emotional call for our client’s family member, so I have to manage this conversation sensitively to obtain the necessary information to progress our client’s claim, whilst also ensuring the family member feels supported.

12:15am: I complete the file note for this call and subsequently begin drafting the corresponding witness statement for my supervisor’s review.

1:00am: I take my lunch break and meet with the other trainees in the office today. There is a great food market close by the London office, so we walk outside to get some fresh air and take some time deciding which of the many stalls to choose from (I ended up going for a Yorkshire pudding burrito!).

2:00pm: I attend a conference with counsel and a client with my supervisor. The purpose of this conference is for counsel to advise the client on the requirements of an evidence on commission hearing necessary as part of the client’s mesothelioma personal injury claim. This claim is particularly complex due to a large number of defendants and as a result, I make detailed notes to ensure that the corresponding conference note is accurate.

3:00pm: During my trainee induction, I signed up to IM Aspiring (one of the many diversity networks at Irwin Mitchell) and this afternoon I attend my first meeting with the group. IM Aspiring is a group that focusses on social mobility issues and works to continue IM’s efforts to become a responsible business by giving those from low socio-economic backgrounds the chance to build a career at the firm. It is great to hear about some of the projects that the group are working on and start to get involved.

4:00pm: I draft my attendance note from this afternoon’s conference with counsel. I take care to ensure that all key pieces of advice are included so that we have an accurate record of these discussions on file moving forward.

4:45pm: I run the Irwin Mitchell men’s football team in the London office, so I send an email organising next week’s game. We play once a week in a league with other law firms in the local area.

4:50pm: I review my to-do list to ensure that I am on top off all tasks that I have been assigned and plan what needs to be done the following day. I also respond to other emails received during the day.

5:30pm: I attend a ‘speed networking’ event organised by the IM London Client sharing team. This event gives colleagues a chance to meet new people from a range of departments across the business and build their networks. It is a great event with drinks and nibbles available too!

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