A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FLADGATE TRAINEE
JACQUELINE HOLDER REAL ESTATE
8.30am: I like to arrive early at the office at around 8.30am, though working hours are 9.30am – 5.30pm. I walk to work so I normally stop for coffee along the way to ensure I’m well caffeinated for the day ahead. There’s lots of local options - Redemption Roasters is a go-to, but Black Penny is also great.
8:45am: First things first, I like to go through my inbox and create a to-do list for the day. Having some time in the office before everyone else gets in allows me to prepare for the day and finish up any outstanding tasks.
9:15am: While each day is varied, today I’m assisting on a residential property refinance. I am drafting replies to enquiries for our client’s properties, which involves looking through the various title documents and compiling queries and comments for the client to review and approve. Our client, the landlord and borrower, has advised that each property is handled differently depending on the tenant’s needs, so I carefully review the client’s comments against our records before preparing a draft response setting out our client’s position. The partner on the file reviews the documents before they’re sent to the client. I email the draft reply to enquiries to the client and move onto my next task. 11:00am: Another property we’ve been working on is close to completion, so I start to prepare the financial statement in order to receive funds, alongside finalising the lease for signature. I send the lease to the other side’s solicitors and ask for them to confirm once the lease and stock transfer form have been signed. This is the first time I’ve done a financial statement in this seat, so I reach out to one of the legal secretaries for guidance. Fladgate is very collaborative, so it’s easy to ask for help when you’re not sure. I send the statement to my supervisor for review and message the rest of the team to see what the plan for lunch is. 12:30pm: The Real Estate team tries to eat lunch together most days, work permitting. We often walk to nearby Seven Dials and bring the food back to the office and eat together in the 8th floor common room. This is a really great way of catching up with colleagues in a more personal and social setting. 1:30pm: Fladgate opens up department specific training to all the trainees, so anyone can attend if it’s a subject they’re interested in. Today, we’re learning about fake evidence and how to spot it. Although I just finished up my seat in Litigation, this sounds like an interesting topic so I join and take a note. You never know when the tips might come in handy! As well as regular training, the firm hosts lunchtime yoga and weekly personal training sessions in nearby Lincoln’s Inn Fields. 2:30pm: Time for another coffee. Residential Real Estate is fast paced which makes it exciting, there’s a constant onboarding of clients and new properties to look at. My supervisor briefs me on a new file, so I start to review the matter notes and client emails. I put together comments for my supervisor and set aside some time to review with her the following day. 3:00pm: It’s time for our team meeting. This is a chance for us to get together and go through admin topics or questions that have come up recently. It’s an informal way to make sure we’re all on the same page, and also a good chance for anyone to flag if they have any capacity. I let the team know my availability and a few team members mention they have some incoming projects that they’d like my assistance on. 4:00pm: Our client has responded to the draft enquiries I prepared this morning. I review the client’s comments and save the file as a new version, taking into account any amends they’ve made and ensuring the document is correct before sending to the lender’s solicitors. The client has a few questions, so I call them to clear up any enquiries and ask for a few outstanding documents the other side have requested. This is a complex matter as there’s quite a few properties on the go and the documents are varied so they require careful organisation and review to ensure the right amounts and details are captured. 6:00pm: I check in with my supervisor and ask if there’s anything else I can help with. We catch up on what I have planned for my to-do list the following day and I head into nearby Soho for some shopping ahead of drinks with friends – the upside and downside of working in a busy part of London is the temptation to go out!
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