We caught up with Ryan, a fourth seat trainee at HFW to hear their thoughts on securing a Training Contract.
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I am a 25-year-old who grew up in a single-parent family in Blackburn, Lancashire with no previous contacts to the legal industry. I was also in the first generation of my family to go to university.
I am currently a fourth seat trainee in our Sanctions team. My first two seat were within our Contentious Insurance and Shipping Litigation teams. I have just come back from third seat in Dubai where I spent six months within our Aerospace team. Outside of work, I enjoy playing sports, including dodgeball and cricket. I also enjoy watching American football and travelling (which my secondment definitely helped with).
Describe your journey into becoming a trainee at HFW.
My first experience of the legal industry arose from personal circumstances during my childhood. This experience motivated me to become a lawyer, so I studied Law at A-Level, before undertaking both an LLB and LLM at Lancaster University. During my third year of university, I decided I wanted to follow the solicitor route after enjoying hands-on client contact through the university's law clinic.
I applied to HFW as their focus on sector work and disputes was particularly interesting to me, having enjoyed learning about these areas during my degree modules. After passing HFW's application and assessment centre stages, I secured a place on the spring 2021 vacation scheme. Due to the pandemic restrictions my vacation scheme was virtual. However, I was still able to conduct research for the arrest of a shipping vessel and attend several interesting talks and events. After completing the scheme and Partner interview, I was offered a training contract starting in September 2023, which I quickly accepted.
In the gap between accepting my offer and starting my training contract, I studied my LLM LPC in Manchester and worked within a high-street firm's Private Client practice.
What is the culture like at HFW?
The culture is very welcoming and friendly, with colleagues keen for your development. For example, I was given the responsibility of drafting a settlement agreement and have had direct contact with prominent clients (under appropriate supervision). Colleagues are also very appreciative of your help and understand that you are still training. They are therefore often happy to explain their feedback to enable you to learn and improve as a lawyer. The culture here is also very non-hierarchical. It is quite common to socialise with colleagues across the firm's sectors, from paralegal to Partner level. For example, I have often been invited to after work drinks and even watched cricket with colleagues at the Oval!
What has surprised you the most about being a trainee?
Firstly, the variety and prominence of the work. To date, I have assisted on a range of legal matters covering areas such as insurance, shipping, arbitration, aviation, regulatory, sanctions, and white-collar. These areas have frequently involved high-profile and high-value matters, with many millions of pounds often at stake.
Secondly, I was surprised by how easy it is to get involved in activities outside of work matters at the firm. For example, I have attended many social and networking events, such as Lloyd's Rugby 7s, barristers' chambers parties, and 5-a-side football. I have also partaken in various charity and pro bono activities, including walking from Essex to The Hague in aid of promoting seafarers' human rights and advising clients on employment issues as part of the Tower Hamlets Law Clinic.
What’s been your favourite project/thing you're most proud of from your time so far?
In my third seat, I was involved in a project providing regulatory advice to a major aviation client. My role involved reviewing international conventions and UAE laws, across various areas, and assessing their relevance to the client. I also reviewed aspects of the work undertaken by other teams working on the project. This project gave me exposure to working with foreign law, which is a unique opportunity, and developed my co-ordination skills and network across the firm.
What top tips would you give those wanting to secure a Training Contract?
Try and obtain as much work experience as possible. Having legal work experience can help show your interest in the subject. However, this does not have to just come from formal vacation schemes. For example, the best legal experience I gained was via my university law clinic, which gave me real-life experience of advising clients. Also, non-legal work experience is important. From my previous interviews, I always received a question about my time playing and coaching the university's dodgeball team. So, even if you think something is an irrelevant or atypical experience, it will have transferable skills and may even make you stand out from the crowd!
Anything else you'd like to add?
Considering my experience growing-up, attendance at a non-Russell Group university, and distinct northern accent, I certainly do not have the 'typical' background for an international law firm in London. I have thought that I could not get to where I am today and would not 'fit in'. However, my experience has shown me that you should not let your background stop you from becoming a lawyer (or anything else you want to become).