Traineeship: Life as a Second Year Trainee in a Drummond Miller Branch Office

I feel very privileged, as a second year trainee at Drummond Miller LLP, to have had the experience of working in a branch office in the area of Family Law. If I was to choose three words to describe my experience as a trainee in our Dalkeith office they would be: challenging, productive and rewarding. The Dalkeith office experience has been made even more memorable because of the wonderful secretarial and other staff who work there. There has never been a dull moment!

The Dalkeith office environment is geared to making you feel like a valued member of the Family Law team. Whilst, there is more responsibility from the outset, there is also a good balance of responsibility and support.

The biggest difference between being a trainee in Dalkeith and that of a first year in our Edinburgh office is the level of client contact which I have. I interact with clients on a daily basis, either face-to-face or by telephone. Whilst always supervised by a Partner, I see my own clients and conduct client meetings. Our clients can be from quite diverse backgrounds and I have had to become familiar with the Dalkeith local “lingo!

I deal mainly with cases involving contact (contact between child and parent or grandparent), residence (with whom the child should live), parental rights and responsibilities and straightforward divorces. Two cases are never the same and I enjoy the variety of work.  

The responsibility which I have been given has allowed me to develop my drafting skills too. I draft initial writs, defences, minutes of variation and amendment for various types of family actions. I also draft affidavits and motions that require to be lodged with the court.

Over the past year, I have appeared regularly in the Sheriff Court at Child Welfare Hearings and Procedural Hearings. I appear at least on a weekly basis and, occasionally, have more than one hearing a day. At such an early stage in my legal career, it has been very beneficial for me to gain exposure to this the level of court experience. Initially, the thought of a Child Welfare Hearing can be quite daunting but after the first few appearances, it is more natural. I have become familiar with Sheriff Court procedure and the various Forms involved with the procedure.

Appearing in the Sheriff Court is a good opportunity to engage with other solicitors. It is important to develop good relationships with other solicitors, even though they may be the opposition, as it can facilitate agreements being reached between separating parties or disputing parents at times when emotions naturally run high.

Much of the trainee work in the Dalkeith office is funded by the Scottish Legal Aid Board. As a consequence, I have learned how to use and navigate the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB)’s website. I now feel comfortable applying for legal aid and completing the various applications on the SLAB website.

Life in the Dalkeith office moves at a fast pace. The workload is a definite step up from first year. Good work management, being able to organise time effectively and prioritising are all skills which I have certainly developed over the past year.

I am in the fortunate position that I will remain with Drummond Miller as a qualified solicitor in the field of Family Law when my traineeship ends in July. I look forward to the new and exciting challenges that await me.