NewLaw Solicitors has appointed six new trainees to its expanding legal team.
The traineeships, which are akin to legal apprenticeships that any aspiring solicitor has to experience before they can qualify, have been awarded to Daniel Thomas, Ashleigh Hill, Charlotte Tracey, Catherine Dally, Ben Jones and Rhys Williams following a very tough interview process.
The new trainees will spend time at either of the firm’s Cardiff and Bristol offices, working in different departments, learning their trade and acquiring practical skills and experience to supplement the legal theory they learnt during their university and post-graduate degrees. They will join the company’s existing cohort of 9 first and second year trainees, although three of that number will qualify as solicitors shortly.
The six trainees were selected following a comprehensive interview process, which consisted of initially satisfying rigorous eligibility criteria, and then subsequently passing a legal test and impressing during a formal interview, which included a fifteen minute presentation on the topic of legal significance as well as other competency based scenarios. All applicants were existing members of staff at the law firm, and they had to be working as a paralegal with the firm for at least a year in order to qualify.
Jon Fitzpatrick, Head of the Bristol office and NewLaw’s training principal, said: “We’re fortunate to be in a position to take on six trainees this year, which has increased by two compared to last year, reflecting the growth and success of the business in 2014.
“The standard of applicants was higher than ever this year, which reflects the impressive calibre of the people who work for us. I would certainly like to congratulate our new trainees on their success in the face of such tough competition and I really look forward to watching their careers develop with NewLaw over the coming years.”
Daniel Thomas joined the company in 2012 as an assistant case manager and is one of the new trainees preparing to start the two year traineeship programme in February.
The 26-year-old from Clydach, said: “I’ve been working towards securing a training contract for many years and I’m so fortunate to have been selected as it’s become more and more competitive over the past few years.
“NewLaw has supported my professional career from work experience right through to this interview process. It was really challenging but looking back I really enjoyed pushing myself and we received detailed feedback at each stage, which helped everyone reach their full potential.
“I’m really excited to begin the next stage of my career, I’m not sure which sector I want to specialise in at the moment so this is the perfect opportunity to experience different areas of law.”
NewLaw Solicitors is one of the leading legal practices in the country and has one of the largest, most experienced catastrophic injury teams in the UK, as well as a rapidly expanding Wills, Trusts and Probate team. Every year it helps thousands of injured people recover the compensation they deserve following life changing accidents and also raises thousands of pounds for the charities that work with its clients. NewLaw has offices in Cardiff, Bristol, Basingstoke and Glasgow.