William Johnson

Will is a second year trainee at Boodle Hatfield.

How did you find the first seat of your training contract?
My first seat was in Private Client & Tax. Having always enjoyed related matters academically at University and Law School, I was especially excited to start my first seat.

Although I completed many tasks one would expect of a trainee in this department, (such as research on tax points or drafting Wills/Deeds for trust management) I was surprised by how much senior members press to get trainees involved, the variety of tasks I took on and the international element in much of the work

Further, every day I got exposure to a fantastic client base and trainees often (with the appropriate supervision) enjoy direct client contact. I was especially impressed by being given the opportunity to attend several face to face meetings in the first few months of this seat.

In summary, Private Client & Tax was a great first seat – I really saw why the Firm is so highly regarded in this area and working in this department at a time when it’s growing so well was very pleasing.

Describe a typical day at the Firm.
I’m currently sitting in the Property department – my second seat at Boodle Hatfield. My days can vary a lot given the fact that I get exposure to estate management work, a breadth of commercial real estate matters and also prime residential work. As a trainee you can obtain experience in the whole of the department’s work in this way and learn about what you enjoy the most.

Overall, my typical work has included, inter alia: drafting leases and deeds, drafting consent letters and licences, drafting contracts for residential sales and research for various fee earners and partners.

The department’s commercial wing has taken on some excellent clients recently. Notably, my deputy supervisor has several clients in the ‘shared office space sector’ and it’s been great assisting them on their daily management and expansion.

What was the most unexpected thing you learnt during your first month as a trainee?
I picked up a lot during my first month but the most unexpected was learning how international a lot of the work is (especially in PCT). Although the Firm has an ever-growing exposure to Middle Eastern clients, matters would often relate to different European and US jurisdictions (some several at once!) which provided a welcomed challenge.

In 10 words or less, what is your main piece of advice for someone about to start their first seat or first legal job?
Make the most of opportunities on hand.