I worked as a legal executive at Pinsent Masons while studying for the entrance examination to the Law Society of Ireland.
They offered the international opportunities of a full service professional business with law at its core.
Everyone was very approachable and always willing to provide mentorship which allowed me to develop a network here in Dublin and around the globe in our other offices.
I really enjoyed the variety of my training contract. I had the opportunity to do four seat rotations which included litigation, corporate, banking/property and funds. Each seat rotation deepened my understanding of legal practice and has undoubtedly benefited my development.
One Ballsbridge review: Can Oliver Dunne break the curse of this Dublin 4 dining room?
Alive and kicking – Frank McNally on the continued survival of the great Irish wake
Irishman in Canada for 50 years: ‘I was about to return home after three years but then things changed’
Death from anaphylaxis extremely rare and unfortunate, despite recent cases
We frequently attended training sessions with internal staff and external speakers on various legal issues.
In addition to the bespoke workshops provided for trainees by solicitors from across the firm’s practice areas, we as trainees were encouraged in turn to give talks to interns and graduates which really assisted in the development of our public speaking and presentation skills — vital for client-facing roles.
The mentorship is second to none and you know you’re learning from the best individuals in their areas of expertise. In addition to the variety, I really enjoyed the social aspect of my training contract, for example, we had the opportunity to travel to our head office in London to meet other trainees for networking events and workshops.
I qualified as a corporate solicitor because I enjoyed the tangible nature of transactional work. I enjoyed meeting people and gaining in-depth knowledge about their businesses. My career has begun with work on domestic and international transactions of all shapes and sizes. My main objective is to gain a broad and varied experience. I really enjoy the drafting side of corporate and have a keen interest in getting involved in contract negotiations.
While starting my role as a trainee solicitor in a multinational law firm like Pinsent Masons was initially a little overwhelming, I learned the true value of having a large international support network. We have 26 locations across the globe and the sense of team extends beyond our Dublin office as we worked closely together across jurisdictions.
I was really impressed to see how even the tremendously large-scale transactions and cases were dealt with in a calm and strategic manner with an emphasis on good project management and utilising your network of colleagues.
I learned the importance of team work and the power it has when bringing a number of specialised skill sets together.
