My First 8 Weeks as a Trainee Solicitor: Do’s and Don’ts I’ve Learned So Far

2 December 2025 | Disputes & Claims |

The Journey to My Training Contract

Starting Fishers Solicitors in September 2025 wasn’t the start of my training contract story. As many current applicants will know, the process is a long hard road. It took an undergraduate and post graduate degree with lots of unsuccessful applications and lots of weeklong work experiences to even sit at my desk.

It may sound bizarre to some but being given tasks on your first week of your training contract is such a relief; a ‘you made it’ moment.

Diving into Dispute Resolution

Since then, I have been juggling all things Dispute Resolution. To say it’s fast paced is an understatement. I can help with work on employment disputes, to family disputes to buildings disputes within a day.

As you can imagine, with such a variety of work, I have learnt an awful lot within my first 8 weeks. Some mundane, random things and some which you’d expect to have been taught at law school, others that only come with practice.

In this blog, I will focus on some do’s and (big) don’ts I’ve picked up. Let’s rip the band aid off and start with some don’ts from a current trainee!

Don’ts from a Current Trainee

1. Don’t let imposter syndrome weigh you down

If you feel as though you are out of your depth, please know this is a generally universal feeling! It may feel like you need to know everything but the best advice I can give is it’s okay to not know as long as you know where to look for the answer or when to ask for help.

2. Don’t underestimate the importance of time with colleagues

Spending time at the kettle catching up with friends is one of the best ways to get away from your desk and take a breather. If the firm is anything like Fishers Solicitors, there will always be events going on to brighten peoples mood too. Since joining, we’ve had a hot chocolate morning for mental health, a games session at lunch and a pub quiz! These events really make a new trainee feel more at home so throw yourself in.

And one last big don’t…

3. Don’t go to the wrong court!

Always check the previous order for the court location, not the top of the front page of the bundle (lesson learnt and won’t be making that mistake again!).

Do’s to Set You Up for Success

1. Do get used to making mistakes

It’s all part of learning, just make sure to retain the feedback and carry it through to future tasks.

2. Do get stuck in

Make a training diary (and keep on top of it), read the Law Gazette each week and do some networking. You can also save the work you’ve done as a precedent, so you have something correct to refer to. It may not be part of the tasks you get given as a trainee, but it is all still important training.

3. Do ask for help

Law school teaches you a lot but sometimes the things which may seem easy, can be tricky. Don’t be afraid to ask silly questions! I had to ask how to use the printer and scanner!

Final Thoughts

I hope this has been helpful and please let me know if you have any questions or if I missed some major do’s and don’ts. My email is isabella.mac@fisherslaw.co.uk.

Thanks for reading!