Meet Sophia - Trainee Solicitor

What is your role, when did you join the firm? 

I am a trainee solicitor, and I joined the firm in 2020.

What inspired you to apply to this law firm? 

I was inspired by Travers' leading transaction and contentious capabilities in the market, its unique international strategy, and its award-winning training contract programme. What sealed the deal for me was attending an insight event with Travers Smith in collaboration with a charity called Strive. The trainees that spoke at the event were honest, open, and transparent about their journey to law and their experiences. They spoke very highly of their training contract experience, particularly about the opportunity to learn through the training programme and by osmosis through our renowned room-sharing model. I left that event feeling more positive than ever about applying to Travers Smith. 

What does a typical work day look like? 

While cliché to say, the saying is true – no day is the same! As a trainee you could get involved in various tasks across the day, either big or small. If I could give you an idea of what a typical day would look like with some structure. I come into the office at 9:30 am, get settled, work through any emails that may have come in overnight and get to preparing my to-do list for the day. In the current rotation I'm in, Financial Services and Markets, I have a "stand-up" style catch up with my room where we go through our capacity and client to-do list for the week, twice a week. This is helpful as it gives me a guide as to what my capacity will be like for the week but also gives me the opportunity to hear about what my team are working on and how I can get involved and help out. Once I have settled my to-do list, I'll start working on the most urgent task first. I may stop to have a coffee or stretch after a couple of hours. At around 12:30pm, I'll have my lunch in Braithwaite's, our firm's full-service canteen with a friend that is also a trainee. I'll then either go for a quick walk around the area or come back upstairs and begin my second block of work. Tasks can range from reviewing an agreement for a regulated financial services firm, to researching complex legislation in the FCA Handbook to assist the associate with advising a client. I'll then take another break in the afternoon, and then begin my third block of work until the end of my workday. 

What are your working hours like? 

Each day varies, like any other job. I generally start my day at 9:30 am and sometimes I'll finish by 6/7pm. However, when there is lots going on you sometimes have to stay later. 

What is the single most important thing you have learned so far as a trainee? 

To have enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. Nobody expects you to know everything, you're a trainee! If you're willing to learn, people are often (time permitting of course) willing to teach. 

What are your top tips for someone applying to this law firm? 

I would encourage you to get to know the firm, attend our open days, listen to our podcasts, speak with people who work at the firm and ask the questions that are important to you. This will enable you to present an application that it is well-informed but also personalised. This should demonstrate that you've taken the time to really get to know the firm and confirm that its right for you, which is very important!

What's the best piece of work you've been involved in? 

The best piece of work I have been involved in has been working on an internal investigation whilst I was in the employment team. While I cannot go into the full details, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the process develop from seeing the internal interviews, to joining meetings with the HR teams to discuss strategy, to assisting with preparing the investigative report and the documents were prepared following the conclusion of the investigation. 

Are you involved with any of the Firm's networks? 

I am currently apart of the firm's REACH networking, which meets regularly to discuss how we can improve diversity at Travers. 

What makes this law firm a great place to work? 

The people! I feel comfortable at Travers Smith. You can go from talking about the work, to what's happening in the news to talking about popular TV shows, travel, and even food. Because people are open and willing to get to know you, I feel comfortable asking questions about the work, being open when I may make mistakes or even being able to ask for career advice and about people's experience. This is not just at an associate level, this attitude filters right up to the partnership, which is unique! 

What are the most important qualities you need to be a lawyer? 

I think you need to be detail-oriented, calm under pressure, and have the ability to write and communicate complex ideas/legal language into simple terms for clients to understand.