From Trainee to Solicitor: A Day in the Life of…

Hollie Orgee, Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors in Birmingham, shares insight into the transition from a trainee to a fully qualified solicitor alongside how her role has evolved since qualifying. 

After 4 years of studying, 2 gap years, 2 and a half years as a paralegal and a 2 year training contract, the countdown until the 1st  September was on when, after many years of hard work, I qualified as a solicitor. The path, whilst not always smooth, has been hugely rewarding and the last year of my training contract has terrifyingly flown by.

After completing my undergraduate degree at Lancaster University, I worried that I might not ever get a training contract. Failed application after failed application I wondered what I was doing so wrong. Admittedly, at University I hadn’t found my niche. I filled out so many applications without much success and can only think it was because I had fallen foul of quantity over quality. Ironically, the year I successfully got my training contract, I pinned all my hopes on one application.

I knew instinctively that I favoured the personal legal services. The thought of being able to help people was a draw to both Clinical Negligence, where I started my legal career as a paralegal and eventually to Family, where I have now qualified. 

In Family, no two days are ever the same, which is my absolute favourite part of the job. From days in Court, to days in the office preparing for hearings, each and every day is different. A typical day, I will get into the office, check my emails and consult my to-do list. On most days the to-do list goes out of the window, when a more urgent job present itself. My days are spent speaking to new and existing clients, preparing court papers, preparing instructions to Counsel and researching case law and statute. Whilst working on my own smaller cases, I also assist the other members of the team with bigger cases, which has been a fantastic experience. Speaking to clients is such an enjoyable part of the job. Giving advice to new clients’ who come to us at such a confusing stage of their life is so rewarding, often we are the first people they speak to when their relationship has broken down or they are having family problems. When I speak to a client, my hope is that they come away from the conversation feeling slightly more in control of the situation they find themselves in and with some options of how to move forwards to solve their problem.  

Transitioning from a trainee to a fully qualified solicitor, has been a learning curve but the highlight of my career so far and I have quickly settled into my new role. Going from being task focused to case focused is a skill which I am sure will take a little time to master, as well as finding my own style, after two years of adapting to fit in with my supervisor at the time. 

However, I have had quite a lot of responsibility over the last year in family as a second year trainee and as a result the jump from trainee to newly qualified solicitor has been less daunting than I suppose it could have been. As far as my style is concerned, I am hoping that develops over time. Whilst the work I am doing remains the same, the expectation on me from my colleagues has shifted. I am expected to take more responsibility for the progress of the cases that I am working on, making sure to follow up tasks and to know when tasks need to be completed, rather than being asked to do so. I have more contact with existing clients, which is both exciting and challenging. It has, at times, been difficult to build up a rapport with clients when they are used to another solicitor handling their matter, however this has made me work even harder to prove I am as capable. I have realised that even though I now get to call myself a ‘solicitor’, I have questions almost daily and seeking the advice and guidance of my more experienced colleagues is helping me to expand my knowledge and ultimately do the best for my clients.

In Summary

Life as a solicitor is highly rewarding and my biggest achievement to date, but one thing I have realised about life as a solicitor is that it is a constant learning experience and it will be a long time until I am anywhere near the finished package.