A Week in Practice: My Work Experience at Thomas Flavell & Sons

On my first day I was warmly welcomed by the whole team at TFS, which was followed by an office tour. I then had to complete some basic online induction training relating to health and safety and office culture. Following that I was given a simple administrative task of making sure that all the required forms relating to a specific matter were all present and correct. This first task allowed me to become familiar with the database which TFS uses to track and organise all their ongoing matters. 

During the remainder of the week, I had the chance to complete a variety of tasks relating to residential conveyancing and commercial property. One of the tasks involved me completing a Deed of Release of Restrictive Covenant. This task allowed me to become familiar with Register of Titles, with which I had to extract information to fill out a deed. This deed was intended to inform the client about certain covenants/restrictions that was attached to a piece of land. Additionally, I was given the chance to complete the Heads of Terms for the grant of a lease. This is a document which includes the most important details of a lease. This involved me referring to a draft lease and extracting the relevant information to the Heads of Terms. This task was rather crucial as it is how law firms ensure that they are being transparent and straightforward with their clients without including any overcomplicated legal jargon in the Heads of Terms document.  

In addition to completing such tasks, I was able to sit in on client meetings with the Private Client team carrying out will signings and also family law matters. As a result, I gained critical knowledge about the core concepts of wills and probate, and further methods of assistance in family law such as Do It Yourself Divorce and the use of bundles in court. Being in such meetings gave me an understanding of the value of interpersonal skills such as communication, active listening and empathy. 

My work experience placement at Thomas Flavell and Son’s Solicitors has been both challenging and productive. It has allowed me to apply my already existing theoretical legal knowledge in a practical environment. This allowed me to gain a new perspective as to how the law is applied in daily practise. Being a part of a team environment also assisted me in understanding the significance of teamwork and support.