Sophie Mellor

Sophie began her training contract in 2021 and outlines her typical working week in a Private Client & Tax seat.

A Monday morning typically involves going through my to-do list and calendar and planning my week as best I can (as unexpected work often comes in and changes my plans). I will often check in with a partner or associate who I work closely with to catch up on ongoing matters we are working on and discuss next steps. I will then get started on my to-do list and make sure that I have a productive start to the week.

On a Tuesday, I attend the Private Client & Tax Team meeting which tends to involves a catch up and a discussion around new or impending legislation that the team should be aware of. Every other Tuesday, I attend the cryptocurrency working group meeting during which we discuss what is going on in the crypto/legal market, events that we have attended and opportunities on the horizon, content and insight ideas, and more. On a Thursday, I attend the Art Law Team meeting, which follows a similar format.

As a trainee in Private Client & Tax, my workload varies between more pressing tasks and assisting with ongoing matters. Throughout the week, I will typically do a lot of drafting including wills, codicils, deeds, declarations of trust, powers of attorney and co-ownership agreements. Other common tasks include legal research tasks, attending meetings with other fee earners and taking attendance notes, drafting inheritance tax forms and assisting with the administration of an estate. I also assist the contentious Private Client & Tax team which can involve liaising with the Court, filing documents online and in person, serving the other side with documents and proofreading documents such as witness statements and expert reports.

Aside from work, I will grab a coffee and go for a walk with the other trainee in the Private Client & Tax team almost every day, or we will have lunch in a communal area in the office with all of the other trainees. On a Wednesday or Thursday I often get the chance to attend an external networking event, some recent venues being the Tower of London and the National Gallery and in a few weeks I am attending an event at Somerset House.

By Friday, hopefully I have ticked most things off my to-do list, but I will make sure any pressing tasks are finalised ready for the weekend (and the next influx of work). If I have the time on a Friday afternoon, I will often research and draft an article for the Digital Assets or Art Law team, which I then proofread and send to a partner for approval. A Friday often ends with attending the firm’s “wine club”.