Meet Will | Trainee at Watson, Farley & Williams

We recently caught up with Will, a Trainee at Watson, Farley & Williams, to hear his journey into joining the firm.

After finishing my A-Levels, I went on to complete my LLB at Durham University. I really enjoyed the academic challenge that comes with a law degree. It was great to study a broad range of modules across my three years, from core subjects like Criminal Law and Contract Law to more specialised modules, including Company Law and the Chinese Legal System.

My first introductions to law were the experiences I gained when completing my university applications. Varied experiences, such as work experience in the employment law team at a local firm and sitting in on Crown Court and Old Bailey trials in the public galleries, were invaluable and triggered my initial interest. Over the course of my degree, I began to explore in more depth law as a career, and in particular commercial law. I wanted to make the most of opportunities to meet different law firms on campus, attend first-year insight programmes and, ultimately, take the next step to apply for vacation schemes and training contracts.

I completed a vacation scheme with Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) in my final year of university and was very pleased to accept a training contract offer following the scheme. I then did a ski season in the French Alps before completing my Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School in Holborn, which was sponsored by WFW.

I am a trainee solicitor at WFW, currently in my third seat and approaching the halfway point of my training contract. At our firm, trainees rotate through six seats, with each one lasting four months.

To date, I have worked in the Dispute Resolution team in London and have recently returned from an international secondment to the WFW Dubai office.

My primary motivation in applying to become a trainee at WFW was of course the strong reputation of the firm in both transactional and contentious practice areas, together with the opportunity for international work across a breadth of sectors. WFW has a growing network of global offices and many of the matters you can work on as a trainee have an international dimension, whether through collaboration with an overseas office or supporting clients located in different countries.

All trainees are guaranteed an international secondment during their training contract. This was something I was really drawn to having previously worked in different countries and having spent time in Japan growing up.

In addition, WFW excels in the energy, infrastructure and transport sectors. Trainees can get a good feel for these different focuses of work over their six seats.

It is difficult to pinpoint the single most important thing about being a trainee but, if pushed, I would say that effective communication is key.

This can take a number of forms, whether that be clarifying task instructions, communicating technical legal concepts in a succinct format or providing updates on work progress.

I think when starting out straight from university this can be challenging at first, but it is definitely a skill that naturally develops over time.

Often, asking a question and dropping by someone's office to have a quick chat can be more effective and, from my experience, I have certainly benefitted from being physically present in the office as much as possible.

I am currently sitting in the Assets & Structured Finance team in London, with a focus on aviation finance transactions.

The great thing about being a trainee is that no two days are the same. That said, on a "normal" day, I tend to get into the office for about 08:30. I like to take some time first thing to review any email correspondence that has come through overnight, which is often the case when working on global deals! I will action any immediate items and make a to-do list so that I am clear on what needs to be done and by when.

Typical tasks in my current seat include preparing conditions precedent checklists, drafting ancillary transaction documents and incorporating comments into the latest set of drafts. As a WFW trainee, the firm also offers great opportunities to attend seminars on latest legal developments or training sessions to develop key trainee skills.

Depending on the stage of the relevant transaction and how busy the team is, I will look to finish up at around 19:00 and close down my time for the day. If it is a Thursday evening, the trainee cohort will sometimes meet up after work near the office in Liverpool Street.

I really enjoy the variety that comes with a career in the legal industry.

As a trainee, each day and each seat is different. At WFW, you get the opportunity to do six seats and experience different types of legal work. Whilst this can certainly be challenging when moving around seats so regularly and switching, for example, between finance work and disputes work, this brings more opportunity for exposure to new areas.

I would describe the company culture at WFW as collegiate and supportive. Trainees share an office with their supervisor who will give feedback on work done and encourage their trainees to challenge themselves and take on responsibility where possible.

I have been impressed right from my very initial interactions with the firm about how capable, friendly and welcoming the people are. As a trainee, you are made to feel like your contributions are valued.

Diversity is very important to me and something that needs to be taken seriously by all large organisations. In a law firm, a diversity of opinions and being able to draw on a range of perspectives is key when working on challenging matters. Diversity is also important to reflect the client base, which, at a firm like WFW, is truly global.

WFW has developed its "Global D&I Strategy" in place across the firm's network of offices and there are also D&I groups and initiatives, such as the "Mosaic" network, which help to implement this strategy day-to-day.

1. Research – it is important to do thorough research and try to get to know a firm to be able to decide if it might be the right fit for your career ambitions. WFW has its own unique selling points, and it is important for applicants to understand what these are when applying.
2. Meet law firms in person – prospective trainees can take advantage of a number of opportunities to meet law firms. For WFW, that could include meeting representatives at a university law fair, at an open day or by attending a two-week vacation scheme with the firm, which are all good opportunities to speak to graduate recruitment teams or current trainees and work out if a particular firm would be right for you.
3. Be confident (and patient!) – applying for training contracts is a competitive business and it can be a tough process with lots of different stages in the relevant application processes. Make sure to have clear reasons why you are interested in commercial law and why WFW in particular appeals to you, and be confident in your application.