Work Experience With Wills, Estates And Succession Planning Team

During August, I had the opportunity to take part in a week of work experience at BTO Solicitors in the Helensburgh office. Over the course of the week, I was able to gain insight into the day-to-day undertakings of a solicitor and see how a legal firm operates.

On my first day, I began by meeting everyone and getting a tour of the Helensburgh office, where I would be spending the next week learning how BTO functions. I started with an introduction to the case management and financial systems used by BTO. I was then involved with drafting and proof-reading letters to clients.

I was pleased to get the chance to assist with the drafting process for Wills and Power of Attorneys. Having studied Trusts & Succession Law a few months ago at university, it was engaging to put some of that knowledge into practice and to see how concepts that I had learned translate to work in practice. It was interesting to see the process that takes place between receiving client instructions and issuing draft documents. I believe that this will stand me in good stead as I had the opportunity to familiarise myself with the drafting process for both legal documents and advice letters.

One matter that I was pleased to assist with was the complex winding up of a trust. It was intriguing to see how the team worked through the various challenges that this matter presents and gain invaluable insight into how experienced solicitors identify the key issues and consider how best to address them.

Towards the end of the week, I took part in the Wills, Estates and Succession Planning team meeting. I was given a research task to aid with the preparation of a presentation for the meeting which allowed me to make use of the research skills that I developed during my university studies. The scope of my research was to review and consider the possible implications of a recent English case on charging clauses using Westlaw and LexisNexis. This experience helped to develop transferable skills and will assist me in completing similar tasks on the diploma and in my future career.

This week has been exciting as someone doing work experience in a law firm for the first time. Being able to observe a more practical side of the law was interesting and will serve me well in the future. I have learned so much from just one week and have had a great experience and met a lot of amazing people.

Ciaran O’Malley (Author of article)