Private Client – Being a Trainee and What to Expect

I am now approaching over 4 months in the Private Client Department, my final seat of my Training Contract, so I thought I’d provide an idea of what it’s like being a trainee in this area of Law, and the type of work I have been experiencing on a day-to-day basis.

So far, I have loved joining this department, as for me, a huge part of Law is client contact and being an approachable person in the process.  In previous seats, I enjoyed Family for this reason, delivering a high level of personal service to clients and making any process for them that bit easier is extremely rewarding. From the beginning, I knew my private client seat would give me plenty client interaction.

At GoodyBurrett, Private Client is the largest department, which makes it feel like a family.  We provide advice on a wide range of topics such as Wills, Lasting Power of Attorney’s, Trusts, Probate and Court of Protection Matters. Every day is different, and especially now with the recent pandemic, our work is busier than ever.  Members of the department are constantly called out to care homes, to client’s homes or hospitals to deliver a quick service in some pressing circumstances.

As a trainee in the department, I have been regularly attending meetings with other colleagues.  This has shown me how the process can seem the same, but every single client has a different question that I haven’t heard before. After a meeting, I am regularly tasked to draft the Attendance Note, which is an extremely important task in this department.  I must ensure that I have covered not only the issues discussed at the meeting, but also whether that client had the mental capacity or if there are concerns surrounding capacity that need to be raised. The Banks v Goodfellow test is constantly on my mind.

The technical expertise in Private Client is amazing, and the ability of all the women in our department is admirable.  There are so many challenging and contentious issues to consider in Private Client. So far, this seat has tested my knowledge on drafting Wills and Power of Attorneys. I am now starting to draft a Will quicker than I ever thought I could!  I am excited to progress more over the next few months and gain further experience in more complex matters.

GoodyBurrett is committed to supporting clients in the Private Client Department, if you need advice regarding Wills, Trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Probate or Court of Protection matters then please do give the team a call at the Colchester office on 01206 577676 or our Dunmow office on 01371 873277. Any email enquiries can be sent to [email protected].

If you have any questions about the GoodyBurrett trainee application process, you can email us at [email protected] for more information.