Author
Author
Three months into my first seat in the Firm’s Agriculture team, I was approached by the team leader about an opportunity which had arisen with a client, and whether I would consider joining the client’s in-house legal team for the remaining three months of my seat. This request intrigued me, as I had always wanted to experience working ‘in-house’ with a client to build direct sector knowledge, but I was also really enjoying my agriculture seat and being a part of the team.
Nevertheless, I decided to accept this offer and for the remaining three months of my Agriculture seat I was working directly for one of the Firm’s clients full time as part of its in-house legal team. This article reflects on my time on secondment, focusing on some benefits I have gained and skills I have developed as part of my time working in-house, and how I will take these with me for the rest of my training contract and beyond.
Client relationship building
When I went on secondment, I was presented with a unique opportunity to build a direct relationship with one of the Firm’s clients and to connect with people in its in-house team. During my time with the client, I ensured that I was actively engaged and enthusiastic about the work, as well as allowing my personality to shine through when getting to know others. I was even invited to a social for a team member’s leaving drinks, which helped embed the personal relationships that I was building even further.
Whilst working as a trainee within the Firm you do get direct exposure to clients, however going on secondment to an in-house team allows you to build deeper personal relationships, which you can then take back to the Firm and carry with you for the rest of your career. Michelmores as a firm prides itself on having a bespoke approach for every client, and providing a trainee for a secondment is a great way for the Firm to demonstrate their commitment to really understanding how a client works and developing that relationship, as well as investing in a trainee by allowing them to develop lasting client relationship building skills which will be useful later in their career.
Sector knowledge
Another benefit from my mid-seat secondment was the opportunity to work directly with a client and develop in-depth sector knowledge about a national industry and how it affected the client. During my time in the team, I was able to see how national events affected the work that the client did and how they would respond to this. I also developed considerable knowledge about how large companies like the client operate, the teams that are contained within such an organisation and how these all piece together to make the business work.
Like moving to another country in order to learn their language, no other experience allows a trainee to build in-depth sector knowledge like working on secondment directly with a client does. Moving forward, I now have direct knowledge of the issues that affect businesses in this sector, and the potential solutions for solving these issues. This knowledge will allow me to add value for the clients that I work for throughout the remainder of my training contract and to provide clients in this area with bespoke solutions which address their business needs and concerns.
Responsibility and adaptability
As well as expanding my knowledge of a client and their sector, my mid-seat client secondment also helped me to develop more skills such as taking personal responsibility for work and being adaptable to challenging situations. When I agreed to go on the secondment, I entered an unfamiliar environment in a sector which I was also unfamiliar with. However, supported well by the client’s in-house team, I gradually became more comfortable with the work as my knowledge of the client’s business and sector grew, to the extent that at the end of the secondment I was comfortably managing a caseload of my own matters for the client.
The adaptability which was required of me, as well as the responsibility of handling my own matters, have both been incredibly useful in developing skills which will benefit me throughout the rest of my training contract and beyond. Going forward, I will be more confident in taking personal responsibility for managing and progressing matters, as well as being more comfortable adapting to unfamiliar situations or tasks which present themselves to me, something which is common during a training contract as you move from seat to seat.
Reflections
Whilst going on secondment mid-seat was a daunting prospect, the experience has left me with a variety of valuable skills and experiences which I will carry with me throughout the rest of my training contract and career. The ability to create direct relationships with clients and build in-depth sector knowledge has been especially beneficial from a learning perspective.
For these reasons, I would highly recommend undertaking a client secondment to any trainee, and I look forward to using the skills and knowledge that I have learned as I progress through the remainder of my training contract at the Firm.