What Cases Will I Be Working On?
When you join the Family Law Department as a Trainee Solicitor, you won’t be expected to run sixty cases on day one. The team appreciate that you may not have studied Family Law since the Diploma and that refreshing your basic knowledge of this area of law is necessary. In the initial weeks, you can expect to be working on a number of cases from financial provision on separation, to adoption and guardianships. You will be assigned a supervisor who will involve you in their cases. This will provide you with a valuable opportunity, as you will likely be sitting in on consultations with Advocates and court hearings very soon into your seat.
Soon enough you will be running cases yourself with the assistance of the team. At the beginning, the cases you run yourself will be non-contentious separation cases, such as simplified or ordinary divorces where the consent of the spouse is not required. As you move through your seat, you will begin to take on slightly more complex cases, such as financial provision or contentious child contact cases. Even when you have your own caseload, you will be given the opportunity to sit in on unique meetings or court hearings, allowing you to gain as much experience as you can during your seat.
What Can You Expect from Clients?
As we do not offer Legal Aid in this department (exclusive of Guardianships), clients are required to pay for our services. Consequently, clients in this area generally request updates more often than in other areas. In addition, ending a marriage or seeking contact with a child whom they haven’t seen in weeks or months is naturally an emotional time. It is important to recognise that clients may become upset or frustrated during the course of their case, and an empathetic approach is essential.
Will I Have to Appear in Court?
Any litigation seat will offer court experience, whether this is online via WebEx or in person in front of a Sheriff. If you have not appeared before, the team will ease you into the experience with initial procedural appearances online. All Child Welfare Hearings are now back in person, so you will be expected to appear before a Sheriff if you have one. Appearing in court can be daunting for any Trainee—or even a Solicitor—but the team is always there to support you.
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We appreciate your interest in pursuing a Trainee position within our Family Law Department. We encourage you to regularly visit our careers page for any updates and announcements regarding available opportunities.
Please note: This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional legal advice tailored to your specific circumstances. If you need advice on a legal matter, get in touch with our team.
