A day in the life of a Trainee Solicitor at
Pannone LLP
Richard Cowan is a second year trainee
solicitor
Legal departments worked in to date:
Commercial Litigation, Commercial
Property, Personal Injury, Banking &
Finance
Studied at: University of Sheffield;
University of California, LA; Manchester
Metropolitan University
Academic achievements: BA (Hons) Politics
2:1, MA in European Political Economy,
GDipL and LPC
8.15am – Early meeting about the Prospects
Cup, a business management game which a
team of five trainees from Pannone have
entered. We review our company's
performance and determine our business
strategy. We're doing well but need to
increase our sales. There isn't much time left
and we want to win!
9.15am – Back at my desk to check emails,
open post and start working on files. I am
mainly working on catastrophic injury cases.
I have a meeting coming up next week at a
client's house in Liverpool and I need to
prepare a case plan, setting out the actions we
need to take to progress the claim, send
letters and do research regarding his financial
losses and employment position. I also need
to draft a claim form and particulars of claim
prior to visiting the client.
10.30am – In the middle of drafting I take an
urgent call from a colleague to attend a
hearing at Manchester Crown Court. Our
client was seriously injured by a driver who
now faces charges for dangerous driving.
The Defendant has absconded but we are
eager for the trial to go ahead as a criminal
conviction will help us in civil proceedings. I
take a note of the criminal hearing and return
with the good news that the trial is to go
ahead as planned.
1.00pm – Departmental lunch seminar on
quantum in fatal accident cases, which is
delivered by a Barrister from a local set of
chambers. He provides us with a set of useful
notes, which includes the latest case law to
keep us up-to-date with developments.
2.00pm – Drafting pleadings from this
morning, before moving on to a witness
statement for an application for summary
judgment. The Defendant in the matter was
convicted of driving with excess alcohol and
the Defence put forward was vague, which
should assist us.
4.00pm – Short meeting with head of the
Banking and Finance team, as I will be
moving to this department for my final seat
before I qualify. We discuss the nature of the
work that I will be involved with, including
assisting on property finance and acquisition
finance transactions, acting mostly for banks
who will be lending money to a range of
companies and developers. I will be helping
to put in place the legal documentation to
secure the loan facilities that the banks will
be providing.
4.30pm – I make calls to two experts and a
medical agency to check on the progress of
reports they are preparing on clients, and also
confirm an appointment for some MRI scans
for another client. I dictate a pre-action
protocol letter in the case of another client, an
orthopaedic surgeon who slipped and fell
while he was at work at a hospital. We do
not think liability will be an issue in this
case, therefore the pre-action letter will give
the proposed Defendant the opportunity to
settle early.
5.00pm –As Chair of the Manchester Trainee
Solicitors Group I have organised an event
jointly with Manchester's trainee
accountants. Not quite the end of the
working day, as I have to take the guest list
down with me, meet the sponsors, make final
preparations and then run the door. I do
manage to take some time out to hit the
buffet, grab a couple of beers, talk to friends
and then take in the fireworks display.
9.00pm – The event is still going on but I'm
off home, only a short walk. Before calling it
a night, I have a quick read of some papers as
I need to draft a Defence first thing in the
morning and I have a meeting at 9.00am.
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