In May two Lawscot Foundation students were selected to spend a week of paid work experience placement in the Edinburgh offices of Anderson Strathern.
The Lawscot Foundation encourages and seeks to facilitate work placements so that students can gain a better understanding of the different routes that working solicitors have taken to their legal careers, and get a sense of the culture and what it’s like working in a full-service law firm like Anderson Strathern.
Emily Simpson – a DPLP student at Dundee University – and Darren Woodall – an LLB student at Aberdeen – were able to put the skills and knowledge they’ve acquired through their studies into practice while learning first-hand at one of the leading independent firms in the country.
Below is an account of Emily’s week – where she spent time in AS’s corporate and dispute resolution teams – told from her perspective and that of the firm.
Emily Simpson, DPLP student at Dundee University
Everyone was really friendly and welcoming, always happy to answer any questions we had. They were all very approachable and happy to have a chat and see how you were getting on and how you were finding everything. They were also happy to talk about their journey not just becoming a lawyer but how they came to be at AS.
When speaking to trainees, they provided a good insight into the department they were currently in as well as the other departments they had been in. They were honest about how they liked each department and were willing to give tips on the application process and how they found the process themselves.
Knowing that the work we were doing was actual research that the trainees or partners needed to be done, rather than just fictional scenarios for me to work through, was good and gave a sense of accomplishment.
Some of the work I did in the dispute resolution area included research for different members of the team. The first piece of research was looking into time bars and when the prescriptive period begins and if this period can be paused or restarted.
While in the corporate team, I researched information on the Charity Law reform in England and investigated how it could relate to a possible Scottish Charity Law Reform. I helped send and rewrite a draft NEC 4 contract, which relates to a construction contract and that got sent away to the client on my last day. I did some research into Data Protection, specifically Article 9 and how it can relate to employers.
During the week I got a good sense of the firm’s hybrid working arrangements which allows flexibility within teams.
Kate Mulholland, HR Adviser, Anderson Strathern
When we welcome students for placements, we want to provide them with an insight into how different departments work and give them a good perspective into how varied legal work can be depending on the chosen specialism.
Emily joined our corporate team and our dispute resolution teams undertaking a variety of tasks. We also arranged time with our trainees to hear about their experience at the firm and ask questions.
All of our work placement students are paired with a buddy, who provides support and feedback throughout their time with us. We look forward to hosting our next Lawscot Foundation students, as we're always impressed by their knowledge, skills and ambition.
