Join us for a free crash course in contract law — designed to prepare you for the SQE. This session includes:
📅 Date: 18 June 2025 🕒 Time: 6pm
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Just thought I'd add some tips on approaching work you have been given:Always take the time to think about the task. Consider things like:Why am I being asked to do this? How does this fit into my supervisor's own work on the matter?How does it benefit the client?What ultimate result do they want?Ask as many questions as you want. It is much better to clear up any confusion you might have at the outset rather than realising halfway through that you might have misunderstood something (with not much time to fix it)Take some time to think about the work separately on your own first. This will help you identify the true extent of what you know, what you don't know, what you can research on your own, and what you really do need additional clarification on from your supervisor. The little bit of effort you put in initially will go a long way in showing that you are able to handle a piece of work on your own first.Make sure that you clarify the deadlines of your work so you can plan your time accordinglyDo not take on additional voluntary tasks for the sake of doing so. Always assess if you have the capacity to deliver the work to a high standard before saying yes. Quality over quantity.Plan some time to ask your trainee buddy to review a draft of your work before handing it in to GR or your supervisor. I think this point depends in part on who the work provider is but generally if you need feedback on anything you're handing in to an associate or partner, ask your trainee buddy first.If you do have capacity to take on more work, send an email out to your supervisor and trainee buddy slightly before you anticipate being done with your current workload. That way you are giving them some time to think about what additional work they can get you involved in as well.Ask for feedback where possible. Not only does this show a willingness to improve but it will prevent you from making the same mistakes in work that you have to complete for someone else. You may also get asked in final interviews about any issues you encountered while doing the work and having your supervisor's feedback to go off of will help you reflect and provide an honest answer.Ask your trainee buddy if there are firm templates that you can use. For example if you've been asked to produce a research note or a memo, firms usually have standard templates for this and using them just adds an extra polish to your work.
Just thought I'd add some tips on approaching work you have been given: