Trainee case studies

What it feels like to work on the project

"Eversheds was acting for the members of a pension scheme who stood to be disadvantaged under the Pensions Protection Fund - and I joined the team in the months before the case went to court. It was a major test case that attracted a lot of press attention. It was also extremely complicated and I did a considerable amount of preparatory research - on Trust Law, for instance - that fed directly into the case.
One of the most satisfying aspects of my role was acting as first point of contact for the clients. I regularly instructed and liaised with counsel, making sure that they had everything they needed. But I also built a good working relationship with the beneficiaries - responding to queries, explaining the process and keeping them fully informed. The main representative of the beneficiaries had a law degree, so I had to go beyond the ‘what' to address ‘why' things were being done.
The result was a level of client contact and influence that I didn't expect to get at junior level. I had lots of support and supervision, of course, but I felt that what I was doing really mattered - and that sense grew when I attended the court case and got to know more of the beneficiaries. It was a brilliant experience that has shaped my desire to specialise in litigation when I qualify."
Laura Walters - Trainee Solicitor, Birmingham

"The last six months of my training contract were within the Banking team where I was involved on a number of deals, including a £30 million refinancing of an AIM-listed company.
This was a great opportunity for me to be directly involved in all aspects of a deal and to see it through from start to finish. From doing the legal groundwork of reviewing the company searches for each of the group companies, I quickly moved on to drafting and negotiating the full set of corporate authorities for the group. The pace of the deal meant that I built a good relationship with the client and it was particularly satisfying to be involved with co-ordinating and managing the signing meeting.
I feel I benefited most from the level of responsibility given to me on this project. Combined with good supervision throughout, this enabled me to develop my confidence, along with my technical and commercial skills - all invaluable when the next deal is never far away."
Rebecca Gibson - Banking, Leeds