Starting a training contract comes with a steep learning curve. You’re learning to practice different areas of law, working with different colleagues, managing competing deadlines, and figuring out the unwritten expectations of working in a law firm, often all at once.
Here are three trainee solicitor mistakes worth avoiding.
1. Treating the smaller tasks as unimportant
When you've spent years studying law, it can be frustrating to find yourself proofreading documents, preparing bundles, taking attendance notes or completing other seemingly straightforward tasks.
But don't underestimate them! Particularly at the beginning of a seat, smaller tasks are often one of the first opportunities an associate has to see how you work. Did you follow the instructions properly? Is your work accurate? Did you meet the deadline? Did you communicate when something changed? Did you spot issues without needing to be prompted? These things help people decide whether they can rely on you.
If you rush a straightforward task because you don't consider it important, the conclusion is unlikely to be that you're ready for more sophisticated work. It may instead make someone reluctant to give you greater responsibility. Doing the basics exceptionally well is often what earns you the opportunity to do more interesting work later.
2. Thinking proofreading just means finding typos
If you're asked to proofread a substantial document, don't just run through it looking for spelling mistakes. Depending on the document and your instructions, you may also need to look for inconsistent terminology, incorrect names and dates, formatting inconsistencies, inaccurate cross-references, unclear drafting, incorrect quotations and factual statements that don't match the underlying documents.
Essentially, ask yourself: Does everything in this document actually make sense? Where appropriate, go back to the source material rather than assuming that what's already in the draft is correct. If a document says an agreement was signed on 14 March, for example, check the agreement. If a quotation is important to the analysis, check the original source.
This is also why returning a long, substantive document with almost no comments can sometimes concern a supervising associate. There may genuinely be very little wrong with it, but make sure that's because you've checked it carefully, rather than because you've only looked for obvious typos.
3. Forgetting that your performance needs evidence
This one is particularly important for trainee solicitors. Your firm will usually have criteria or competencies against which your performance during each seat is assessed. Don't wait until your end-of-seat review to think about them! Read them at the beginning of the seat. Then, as the months progress, pay attention to whether you're actually getting opportunities to demonstrate each competency.
Suppose one area you're assessed on is technical legal ability. You might be performing extremely well operationally (managing matters, communicating with the team, meeting deadlines, etc) but your supervisor still needs sufficient evidence of your technical ability to assess it properly. That could mean seeking opportunities to prepare a research note, draft part of a substantive document or undertake another piece of technical work.
Your mid-seat review is particularly useful for this. Before the meeting, look at your firm's competencies and consider where you already have strong examples and where there are gaps. You can then discuss with your supervisor what experience you should try to get during the remainder of the seat. Don't think of your review purely as a retrospective assessment. Use it to shape the rest of your training.
Staying organised as a trainee solicitor
Avoiding these mistakes ultimately comes down to being deliberate about how you work – and building good organisational habits early is key. The Daily Planner for Lawyers is designed to help you manage competing deadlines, prioritise your workload and stay on top of your professional development, with dedicated sections for matter management, performance review preparation and more.