Articles

• July 2018
  Life as a Litigation Trainee at Jackamans Solicitors
  
  

  My name is Sophie Papworth, I’m the youngest of 5 children, 22 years old, and a trainee solicitor. Currently I am two months into my third seat in litigation and will hopefully be qualifying in just over a year. I hope to qualify into commercial property initially, whilst assisting on some corporate cases and eventually advising on property and corporate matters.

  In September 2016, I joined Jackamans working part-time alongside my Legal Practice Course at BPP University in Cambridge. I have so far completed seats in commercial property and commercial corporate.

  Each day brings something new in litigation. Recently, the team dealt with a landlord and tenant matter, where the lease was unfortunately (for the tenant) a full repairing and insuring lease and the tenant had some fixtures in need of repair. Thankfully, due to my previous experience from my seat in the commercial property department reviewing numerous leases, I was able to deal with this confidently. It is great to see how one seat supports the next, and I really feel like I am becoming more rounded and experienced as I approach qualification.

  The litigation team has been warm, friendly and approachable from the day I first arrived. The relationships I have with my colleagues are a highlight of my job. I feel very fortunate to work with not only intelligent and professional, but interesting and motivating individuals. I also love the challenge being a trainee solicitor brings, especially when I come across an area I am unfamiliar with and have a short amount of time to get to grips with the topic.

  Our litigation department deals with a wide range of cases from contractual disputes to tenancy possession orders. I never know what urgent matter I will be dealing with when I come into work. Another advantage of being at Jackamans is the one-on-one training you receive. My supervisor and Managing Partner Paul McGrath is always happy to discuss any queries I may have on legal topics.

  In addition I have been asked to assist with some personal injury cases. My involvement includes meeting the clients and submitting applications on the portal. The only part I don’t enjoy is photographic evidence of the injuries which as you can imagine aren’t pleasant!

  My training has (and will) involve working at each of our four offices, touching on each of the private client and business departments at Jackamans. It is such a great opportunity for me to gain a wealth of experience and widen my understanding of the law.

  Sophie’s profile 

  Studied: Law (LLB) at the University of Hull, LPC at BPP University in Cambridge. 

  Location: Aside from her time at university, Sophie has lived in Felixstowe for all of her life.

  Outside of work, Sophie can usually be found… on the tennis court or meeting friends over dinner.

   

   

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