Trainee Talk

In this episode, Serena King, a second-seat trainee solicitor at Baker McKenzie, takes us through the first six months of her training contract.

For candidates, Serena explains the importance of working out your 'why' as you head into commercial law and why you should back yourself.

Serena also shares her advice for incoming trainees on managing expectations and dealing with constructive criticism, including the system she uses to reflect on her personal development during her training contract.

Finally, thank you to Serena for being open when discussing the feelings of imposter syndrome that trainees may have!

This episode is hosted by: Seren Williams.

The music in this episode is created by: Ichabod Todd.

ichabod-todd.weebly.com/

Our guest in this episode is Emma Burton, a future trainee at Baker McKenzie.

If you think of yourself as an introvert, we think you’ll especially relate to this episode. Emma explains how that isn’t a barrier to securing a training contract and how pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and being well prepared can help you along the way.

She also explains how she managed to convert such a high proportion of her applications to interviews and how candidates can stand out on their vacation schemes.

A big shoutout to Upreach as Emma explains the difference they made to her application journey.

This episode is hosted by: Jaysen Sutton.

The music in this episode is created by: Ichabod Todd.

ichabod-todd.weebly.com/

Our guest in this episode is Emma Burton, a future trainee at Baker McKenzie.

If you think of yourself as an introvert, we think you’ll especially relate to this episode. Emma explains how that isn’t a barrier to securing a training contract and how pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and being well prepared can help you along the way.

She also explains how she managed to convert such a high proportion of her applications to interviews and how candidates can stand out on their vacation schemes.

A big shoutout to Upreach as Emma explains the difference they made to her application journey.

This episode is hosted by: Jaysen Sutton.

The music in this episode is created by: Ichabod Todd.

ichabod-todd.weebly.com/

Our guest in this episode is Ali Siddiqui, a fourth-seat trainee at Accutrainee.

In this episode, we explore Accutrainee’s unique training contract structure, which involves trainees being seconded to different law firms and legal teams.

We also discuss managing uncertainty and partner expectations, making the most of your training contract and how Ali persevered through over 30 applications before securing his place with Accutrainee.

This episode is hosted by: Jaysen Sutton.

The music in this episode is created by: Ichabod Todd.

ichabod-todd.weebly.com/

Our guest in this episode is Ali Siddiqui, a fourth-seat trainee at Accutrainee.

In this episode, we explore Accutrainee’s unique training contract structure, which involves trainees being seconded to different law firms and legal teams.

We also discuss managing uncertainty and partner expectations, making the most of your training contract and how Ali persevered through over 30 applications before securing his place with Accutrainee.

This episode is hosted by: Jaysen Sutton.

The music in this episode is created by: Ichabod Todd.

ichabod-todd.weebly.com/

Our guest in this episode is Harry Clark, a future trainee at Baker McKenzie.

In this episode, Harry walks us through his journey to securing a training contract, as well as his advice for writing strong applications and performing at interview. We also discuss dealing with stress and making the most of networking.

This episode is hosted by: Jaysen Sutton.

The music in this episode is created by: Ichabod Todd.

ichabod-todd.weebly.com/

Our guest in this episode is Harry Clark, a future trainee at Baker McKenzie.

In this episode, Harry walks us through his journey to securing a training contract, as well as his advice for writing strong applications and performing at interview. We also discuss dealing with stress and making the most of networking.

This episode is hosted by: Jaysen Sutton.

The music in this episode is created by: Ichabod Todd.

ichabod-todd.weebly.com/

Rahul Gandhi is a second-seat trainee solicitor at CMS with a passion for eSports. Further to our conversation, he was awarded 'Best Trainee Lawyer in the TMT Sector'. How did he achieve this without first completing a TMT seat? Let's find out.

This episode is hosted by: Yee Rou Quah.

The music in this episode is created by: Ichabod Todd.

ichabod-todd.weebly.com/

Rahul Gandhi is a second-seat trainee solicitor at CMS with a passion for eSports. Further to our conversation, he was awarded 'Best Trainee Lawyer in the TMT Sector'. How did he achieve this without first completing a TMT seat? Let's find out.

This episode is hosted by: Yee Rou Quah.

The music in this episode is created by: Ichabod Todd.

ichabod-todd.weebly.com/

In this episode, we spoke to Kwasi Yeboah, a future trainee solicitor at Ropes & Gray.

Kwasi explains the process of acquiring a training contract and how to build resilience. He speaks about his background, the challenges he faced and how he overcame those challenges. 

Kwasi also discusses the principle of sweat equity, what it means and how it helped him reach his goals.

The episode is hosted by: Milambo Makani.

This episode is edited by: Milambo Makani and Jaysen Sutton.

The music in this episode is created by: Ichabod Todd.

ichabod-todd.weebly.com/