Valeria Rose Wilding’s Post

🚀 Excited to share that I joined the Baker McKenzie Dozen+ Masterclass series on June 12th! This incredible series, consisting of 12+ events, is designed to help us learn more about the Firm and set ourselves up for clerkship success. 🌟 The topic for the day was "What to Expect from Your Vacation Programme," featuring leading lawyers and candidate attorneys from various practice groups. Their insights were invaluable, and a few key takeaways particularly resonated with me: Virusha Subban emphasized the importance of being optimistic, hungry for knowledge, and full of energy. Going above and beyond with eagerness demonstrates responsibility. She also highlighted the necessity of researching the firm you aspire to join, understanding its culture, and aligning yourself with it. Ayanda Mavata stressed that engagement is crucial when working at a law firm, regardless of the department you're placed in. Active participation and communication are key. Promise Ndlovu reinforced Ayanda Mavata's point about engagement, adding that the tasks assigned during vacation work are realistic and essential for learning. He advised speaking to colleagues if you encounter any challenges, as completing your tasks effectively is paramount. Vacation work is an incredible opportunity to gain experience that will stay with you for a lifetime. It allows you to see if you are a good fit for the firm and to immerse yourself in its culture and operations. and we can not forget Boipelo Soko who chaired and ensured the session runs smoothly. Looking forward to the next session and continuing this journey of professional growth! 💼✨ #LegalJourney #ClerkshipSuccess #ProfessionalDevelopment #LawFirmLife #CareerGrowth

I am excited to share that I've just completed the Legal Cheek Summer Virtual Vacation Scheme! 🎉 This experience has been incredibly valuable, offering me a behind the scenes look at the legal profession through a series of fantastic workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities. Here are a few highlights: 🧠 Gained Insight: I learned so much about different areas of law and got up to date with the latest trends in the industry, thanks to sessions from top law firms such as Mishcon de Reya LLP, Pinsent Masons, Mills & Reeve, DLA Piper and Clyde & Co 📈Developed Skills: From legal research to drafting and commercial awareness, the interactive sessions and case studies really helped me sharpen my skills. Model answers were provided at the end of the scheme to compare to my own and see where I could improve. 🤝 Built Connections: It was great to connect with fellow aspiring lawyers and experienced professionals, expanding my network. The virtual format of this scheme was very beneficial as it allowed me and everyone else to complete the tasks at home without being limited by office location. This virtual scheme (amongst others) is a great way to boost your CV and skills when in-person experience isn’t always accessible. Big thanks to Legal Cheek and everyone who took part in making this scheme possible. This experience has definitely boosted my confidence and passion for a legal career. #LegalCheek #VirtualExperience #LawJourney #CareerGrowth #Networking #FutureLawyer

As the end of year approaches, and the closer I get to celebrating my qualification date on the 18th of this month, I’d like to share three instances of how the Christmas rush impacted me at the stages of my career: 1. As a legal intern, whose telephone manner caused her to be chosen to cover the phones during a busy period and deliver one bit of bad news to a client, which stood to me as an advisor in future. 2. As a trainee attending my first Christmas lunch and commiserating with colleagues, while still being able to be professional and grateful. 3. As a qualified solicitor, sharing in the combined success of the entire team and walking through Dublin with a sense of accomplishment. Taking stock of the wins and the learning opportunities was always important to me, and it still is. Despite the challenging climates legal professionals face at year end, let’s not lose sight of what made that feeling of pride the most powerful and the lessons to be taken forward into another new year. #december #accomplishment #reflection #lawyers #success #businessdevelopment

As the summer season unfolds, it brings with it a host of legal work placements and vacation schemes, I find myself reflecting on the invaluable experience I gained during my Legal Work Placement (LWP) at Irwin Mitchell back in June 2021. Here are some of my key takeaways from my LWP: 1. Research the firm thoroughly Preparation is key and prior to starting my LWP, I made sure to comprehensively research the firm. I made sure to understand the firm’s culture, current legal trends, and recent case law that may be relevant to the departments they have in my office. This not only helped me take part in engaging conversations but also showed my genuine interest in the firm's work. 2. Be proactive During the LWP, I embraced a proactive approach. I tried to engage with all of the tasks I was set, by asking insightful questions and going out of my way to seeing if I could take on any additional responsibilities. 3. Be enthusiastic Lastly, I worked hard to be enthusiastic at all times, as nothing else can help make you standout more. As I was genuinely interested in working at the firm, I took every opportunity to ask questions, sought out fee earners in various teams, and tried to immerse myself in the firm’s culture in the short period of time I had available. I embraced the mindset that the LWP was not just about what I could learn from the firm, but also what I could contribute to it. I am lucky that I managed to convert my LWP into a Training Contract in June 2021. Now, three years later in June 2024, I am 9 months into my Training Contract having enjoyed seats in the Employment and Restructuring & Insolvency teams at Irwin Mitchell. The journey has been both rewarding and enlightening, and I am grateful to be working for such a fantastic firm – my supervisors, buddies and fellow trainees have been invaluable during this journey. #traineesolicitor #trainingcontract #legalworkplacement #vacationscheme 

It’s going to be a busy week! Law firm summer programs start across the country. I will be delivering five trainings this week to these newly arrived summers at White & Case LLP, Dechert LLP, Fox Rothschild, Mayer Brown and Linklaters What am I most excited to share with them? Having studied lawyers careers for over 30 years, I have found that creating a successful AND fulfilling career requires: 🗝️Supportive Work Habits 🗝️ Mindset Management Practices For example, establishing time management habits early in an associates career will help them to feel more in control and able to focus on getting important, not just urgent work done each day. I also teach them to focus by getting in the habit of doing the “worst” things first. In addition, I provide them with practical tools like a Daily Focus Plan that helps them to be proactive. When I speak to them about Mindset Management Practices, I share that we all have a negativity bias. This is the part our brain that is looking for problems. Law students are trained and rewarded for issue spotting. This tool works well for lawyering, but if we are always looking for a problem, it could effect our well-being and impact our relationships. So we need to be aware and develop practices like gratitude and keeping track of our achievements. I am so excited to share habits and practices with these summer associates so they can thrive at work, and be present to take in all the good things that occurs each day. #habitsforsuccess #lawyerwellbeing #summerassociates #2024summerprograms

I remember starting my first job as a Trainee lawyer at a Magic Circle law firm. I was afraid of asking questions, in case people thought I was stupid. I wasn’t sure how to ask for ‘feedback’, when everyone seemed so busy. I often wanted to say something in a meeting but wasn’t sure it was my place. Schools, colleges and universities do not prepare young adults for the demands of working working world. No one teaches you how to be a good professional. No one teaches you how to deal with challenging clients, to manage priorities, to take the initiative, to deal with senior staff. You are just expected to know. Supervising junior lawyers myself, I saw so many technical brilliant individuals starting their careers (with amazing qualifications, CVs, and credentials) but so often lacking soft skills or what we call ‘Human Skills’—such as communication, teamwork, and emotional intelligence. These are skills that we need to teach the younger generation, the skills that really matter at work (and in life). LEVRA was started to help bridge the gap between people sinking or swimming at work. To help empower the next generation to become the best version of themselves. Gen Z are the future but we are not giving them an easy future to navigate. Not enough is being done to help them thrive at work and that is a failure on our part as leaders. We must do more. * Pictured as a young (and serious-looking) bunch of Trainees from 2014, I hope we have lightened up! 😵🤣

Lawyers, today's summer associate advice is for you: Treat your summer associates like you would a client: ❓🟢 Be proactive in answering their potential questions. We have become masters at trying to figure out what questions a client might have before they even ask. It's an important skill because oftentimes the clients don't know enough about the subject to know what to ask or even that they have questions. Summers are the same way. Don't just assume they understand everything if they don't ask a question. Think about what information you'd be missing at their level and try to proactively answer questions they might have or not know to ask. ⏰🚪Make yourself available as a resource during work hours. We always make ourselves available to clients, that's part of our service. The same needs to be true for summers. Remember when you were a summer? You probably had questions all the time. If you don't have enough time for someone to knock on your door with a myriad of basic questions... don't give out a task to a summer. You have a responsibility to use this as a teaching assignment. If you are too busy or it's too urgent, it's not a proper task for a summer. 🤝🗣️Focus on the relationship. We want the summer to walk away the same way we want a client to: wanting to work with us more. If you're in biglaw, you probably don't remember all the summers you meet or work with by the time they come back a year and a half later. But they will remember you. So focus just as much on the relationship as you do the assignment. After all, the assignment is just a proxy for you to get to know the summer and begin teaching them. Training a summer is a rewarding experience. It'll give you a chance to see how far you've come and help battle imposter syndrome. I wouldn't have survived biglaw without it. I'm proud to be a part of this year's summer program at HSE, both as an assigning attorney and as a mock witness for deposition training. I haven't seen many firms that offer that type of training on a summer level. Guess that's one of the benefits of summering at a regional firm! 🔔 Follow along for more tips this summer! #Summerassociates #Lawfirms #Recruiting

🎓 Applications are officially open for our Vacation Placements and Training Contracts! Here's a few useful pointers to know before you apply: ✍ You will need to select your preferred office location, you can only select one location and scheme per recruitment round. If you select to go down the VP route, you will also be considered for a TC so no need to submit two applications! ⏲ As long as you meet the eligibility criteria, you will move onto our Blended Assessment. This is made up of 3 parts (Case Study, Video Interview and Situation Judgement and Numerical Reasoning Questions) - you do not have to sit all of these element in one sitting - we have removed timers on our assessments so the only timer to keep an eye on is when you record your video interview and the closing dates! You will need to complete all stages of the Blended Assessment before the application closing dates! 🏢 We will be running insight evenings per location so why not attend one of these before submitting your application. Not only will we run through the application process but you will have an opportunity to meet colleagues within your preferred office. Keep an eye on our website and social media for when these are announced! 📅 Keep an eye on your office location closing date! We have different closing dates per office location so make sure you are aware when you need to complete your application by! #pinsentmasons #lifeatpinsentmasons #trainingcontracts #vacationplacement https://lnkd.in/eGwFFZ_2

When I was a summer associate, these rankings and evaluations mattered a lot. 😄 When I became a client, it meant little. If anything it meant inefficient and generally not great work, billed at hundreds of dollars an hour and justified by relationship partners in generally very annoying ways. The programs rated most highly for perks and entertainment were the most nonsensical from a client and firm perspective. The only way to make a summer program work now is to select clerks based on attitude and hunger, passed over by the highest ranked perk-laden programs at the top of the list here, who will then use the opportunity to demonstrate that thet belong. Clerks should not be paid exorbitant salaries to learn, nor be billed out at massive rates. When almost no summer associates become partner, a summer associate program becomes a vestige, maintained mostly for nostalgia and prestige.

It's been three weeks since I left Residential Property and started a-new in my third seat, this time with Wills, Trusts and Probate. There’s nothing like a seat change to make you pause and reflect. A few points I keep coming back to are: ⏰ Time really does fly. It’s a cliché but my time in Residential Property felt like six months passed in five minutes. 🌶 Variety is the spice of life. Being in my third seat, I’ve been thinking about what a privilege it is to be able to rotate departments and get a glimpse into different areas of a law firm, each with new elements I’ve enjoyed, grappled with and can apply in my daily life. 🙋♀️ Vulnerability is key. I think every Trainee reaches a point where they feel like they’ve got a grip on a seat and inevitably you get that feeling about two days before the seat ends and you're plunged back into being the newbie! One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced during this career change is learning to put my hand up and say “I don’t know”, it’s a vulnerability I am not naturally comfortable with. 💭 Teamwork makes the dreamwork. I was dreading coming back to work after maternity, I didn’t know if my brain or my heart could handle it! But the support I received from everyone in the Resi team was phenomenal, they all guided me through and helped me rediscover a part of me I’d missed. 🚪 Sliding doors. At the beginning of September, I kept thinking “I should be qualified by now (if it wasn’t for that pesky kid!)”. This journey has taken longer than I imagined but I certainly wouldn’t change the reason and I’m learning to lean in to it and stop thinking about the “what ifs…” I wonder how many other Trainees go through this rollercoaster at every seat change? #traineesolicitor #legalindustry #traineelife