Page 16 - DWF Graduate Recruitment Brochure

Trainee story
Name: Francesca Kinsella (2nd year trainee)
University studied at: University of Leeds
Subject studied: International History and Politics
Seats: Pensions, Commercial Insurance, Real Estate, Corporate and Manchester United (Commercial Secondment)
Office location: Manchester
I didn’t take the conventional route Now I’m in the second year of my DWF training contract
into law, after moving to America and loving it. I have sat in a variety of different seats
to play full time professional tennis; and gained a fantastic amount of experience. My
I decided to study History & Politics. secondment to Manchester United Football Club has
I knew I was interested in law and so certainly been one of the highlights.
decided to gain work experience in
London and Manchester. This ignited The opportunity to go on secondment is invaluable
my passion and I decided to study the and enables you to gain a unique insight into both a
GDL and apply for training contracts. business and a specific sector. By doing work directly
for a company you can really begin to develop your
commercial awareness and understand how an end
customer wants their legal services to be delivered. An
added benefit of working with such an innovative and
successful brand is that it has given me lots of ideas to
implement as an NQ at DWF going forwards!
The types of tasks I’ve been involved with have been
varied. In a transactional seat you’ll often be asked to
carry out research, draft ancillary documents, assist with
completions and attend client meetings. In a contentious
seat you may also be asked to attend court, draft
witness statements and prepare court documents.
As I have built my experience, I’ve been trusted to
manage my own files and deal with transactions from
start to finish. This has been an important progression
and has really helped me to develop the skills I’ll
need as a qualified solicitor, such as managing client
expectations and negotiating with solicitors representing
other parties.
However, you’re not thrown in too deep as DWF offers
lots of support and guidance to its trainees. In my first
seat I was able to rely heavily on my supervisor which
enabled me to grow in confidence and develop my skill
set. As I’ve progressed and become more comfortable
with the tasks I’m handed, the degree of supervision
I require has lessened.
I think the key characteristics of a successful trainee at
DWF are initiative and enthusiasm. Trainees are actively
involved in sector groups and are encouraged to put
forward ideas for developing and improving our business.