Trainee 2018 - 2020 Associate, 2020
Departments to date: Commercial Property, Finance, Property Litigation, Corporate
University: University of Southampton
Degree: Law, 2(1)
8.45 am: On my way into the office I use the train journey to check the news headlines and browse the real estate publications the firm subscribes to. Working at a specialist commercial property firm means that it is important to keep up-to-date with what’s happening in the UK real estate market.
9.15 am: I arrive at the office, make a cup of coffee, check my emails and make a to-do list for the day. I currently sit in the corporate department where the work varies from corporate acquisitions and disposals of real estate assets, to joint venture and shareholder agreements, partnerships and company management work.
9.30 am: We are working on the acquisition of a company which owns a commercial property in London. One of the Trainee’s roles in the transaction is to assist with the drafting and negotiating of the ancillary documents, such as the board minutes and stock transfer forms and keep the documents list/completion agenda up to date. I have just received some ancillary documents from the seller’s lawyers which have been marked up with their amendments. I work through these amendments before discussing them with my supervisor.
10.30 am: One of the ancillary documents I have received is a finance document. I add my suggested amendments to the document and then run through these with the Senior Associate in the finance department. Transactions often involve more than one department in the firm and they are a great opportunity to work with other teams (such as our property, finance and planning teams) and gain an understanding of what they do.
11.00 am: My supervisor explains that one of our client’s needs two new special purchase companies set up urgently. I draft the incorporation forms and then liaise directly with the client. Once I have all of the required information I then submit the incorporation forms.
12.00 pm: As it is a Wednesday we have an internal Know-How training session. These sessions are a great way to keep up to date with changes in the law and current issues.
1.00 pm: I have lunch with the other Trainees and Associates. The firm has a really friendly atmosphere and there is always someone to go to lunch or a coffee with.
2.00 pm: I finalise my amendments to the ancillary documents I was working on in the morning, update the completion agenda and send these to the seller’s lawyers.
2.45 pm: I receive an email from a Partner in the commercial property department explaining that one of our client’s has granted a number of leases of a property and has instructed us to deal with the company management work, which involves transferring shares in the management company to the tenants. I discuss what is required with my supervisor and then draft the board minutes, stock transfer forms and share certificates.
3.45 pm: The Corporate team is working on the disposal of a company which owns an office block in a major Scottish city. I sit in on a “home team” call with the client, Scottish property lawyers and Jersey corporate lawyers. I make a note of the call and circulate it to the Associate I am working with on this transaction. Although I am not working on the property aspects of the transaction it is really useful to understand what is happening with the property due diligence and what issues have arisen.
5.30 pm: I check my emails, post my time sheets for the day and make a note of anything which I need to prioritise tomorrow morning. I then head off to meet some friends for a drink.
