"I was still studying undergraduate History when I was offered my training contract at OC, but I was made to feel part of the firm straight away, with social and sports events all through the three years before I started.
I was pretty nervous in my first few days, but the support you get from everyone and the work you're given means that you gain confidence really quickly. The feedback you get is constructive and positive so that every piece of work you do feels like you're progressing, and by the end of my first seat I was doing work similar to that of a newly qualified solicitor.
Being in the work place can be pressured, with clients having very real deadlines and expectations. Learning how to manage clients is a big part of the job even when you're training, but you're taught to deal with these expectations and handle them. You also learn the meaning of that strange phrase 'commercial awareness' pretty quickly; clients are interested far more in costs and speed of work than in legal niceties
In both my seats so far I've been working on matters that have made it into the legal and mainstream press, and it's been great to have real responsibility. OC are looking for you to hit the ground running when you qualify, so you get exposure to clients and good work early on."
Trainee Solicitor, Bristol