A day in the life: trainee solicitor in local government

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A bit about me…

I studied law at the University of Bristol. City firms would regularly attend to speak to students about a career in the city in an attempt to entice them to apply – and equally, many of my peers were aiming to secure a position at the magic and silver circles. Upon attending insight days at these firms, I realised that my interests lay more in family and criminal law over largely commercial work.

When I graduated in 2018, I took on several roles in both private practice and the public sector. In 2019 I accepted a position as a legal support officer within the legal department at Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC). I worked predominantly on education law matters, while volunteering at Citizens Advice one day a week.

I then completed my LPC LLM in 2020/21, before working as a litigation paralegal at a medium-sized law firm for six months. When I was offered training contracts at both that firm and BHCC, having experienced both the public sector and private practice, I chose local government. I was impressed by the variety of career-related and personal benefits, and the ability to engage in frontline legal work.

I am training within the social and education services (SES) team. My first seat is in education law, before I move onto adult social care and child matters in my later seats.

An average day

One of the reasons I wanted to work as a solicitor is that every day is different.

8:50-9:10: I arrive at work. So long as I complete my weekly hours, my daily hours can be flexible. This means that even if my bus fails to turn up or is delayed, I don’t have to stress about arriving for 9am!

9:10: I spend the first 20 minutes of my day reviewing the to-do list I created yesterday. I check my emails and alter the order of priority I assigned to tasks depending on whether I’ve received any urgent tasks/requests. This morning I’ve received an email from the admissions department requesting an urgent call. I call the client who explains that an admissions panel member isn’t responding to correspondence, but the panel is due to begin hearing appeals tomorrow. I research the strict rules within the School Admission Appeals Code and provide urgent advice.

9:30: I continue working on my first draft of the local authority’s evidence in response to a Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal appeal, due for submission next week. I ensure that the Education, Health and Care Plan is attached, and reference the educational psychology, occupational therapy and speech and language therapist reports within my submissions. I complete the local authority’s hearing attendance form to submit with evidence and send both documents to my supervisor for checking before sending to the client and requesting instructions.

11:30: I call chambers and book counsel in an ongoing discrimination case.

12:00: I attend a scheduled bi-weekly team meeting with my colleagues from the SES team. We discuss both work and non-work related matters, and each attendee is individually asked how they are and whether they have any specific concerns.

12:30: I receive a request for legal advice from the home to school transport team concerning the interplay between Personal Independence Payment and transport funding. I research the law and provide written advice.

13:30: I embark on the five-minute stroll to Hove seafront with my packed lunch!

14:15: I review legal news updates. Education law is an extremely fast-paced area, so I take some time to get to grips with recent education decisions and their implications.

15:15: I research the newly published Schools Bill and draft a summary of the most relevant provisions for LAs, which includes updates on plans for multi-academy trusts. I avoid legal jargon, and an explain the difference between this Bill and the recent education White Paper.

17:00: I attend a working group meeting to discuss progress on the academisation of a local school. Myself and my colleague provide legal updates. I will be leading the conversion with her supervision.

17:30: I review my to-do list, and update this according to completed and outstanding tasks. I prioritise each task so that I know where to start when I begin work tomorrow.

18:00: I head home!

Why train in local government?

Days can vary wildly in content, length, and haste. The workload is challenging and varied and the political environment is stimulating and exciting. The office is bustling and spirited, and the organisation acknowledges the need for flexibility of employee work practices. The work can be tough, and the hours long, but taking care of your wellbeing is actively encouraged.

A career in local government can often be overlooked by prospective applicants who are allured by the shiny offices and eye-watering salaries private practice can offer. But for those future lawyers who want to be challenged and trusted with high responsibility at an early stage, it should be seen as a genuine legal career option and not just an ‘alternative choice’. The skills you learn are highly transferable and you can specialise in niche yet extremely important areas of law.

Myself and my colleague Iko Onuh, also a trainee solicitor within BHCC’s SES team, noticed the lack of information and resources available for prospective applicants about the option of training in local government during our recent training contract application experiences. We aim to fill this gap by providing more guidance, and we will be featured on The LawCareers.Net Podcast later this year. Watch this space!

Should you have any questions, please contact me via LinkedIn.

Bethane Harland (she/her) is a trainee solicitor at Brighton & Hove City Council.