In the Real Estate Disputes team, no two days are the same. Within two months of joining Real Estate, I became involved with the preparation of a trial relating to a ‘rights of light’ issue. I was responsible for creating the bundles for the trial, carrying out research, and I often liaised with counsel and the client at meetings. It was great to be trusted with these tasks which had a real impact on the case. I also spent time drafting documents such as witness statements or letters to solicitors on the other side of a case. Responsibilities like reviewing and reporting on leases and particular clauses meant I got invaluable experience in property law in the real world.

Taylor Wessing offers extensive opportunities to expand your knowledge and continually develop. The Real Estate group has a monthly know-how meeting, as well as monthly training sessions for all levels – trainees, junior associates, senior associates and partners.

The know-how meetings are a useful way to obtain updates in the legal property world, as they cover case developments and changes to legislation. As a trainee, our monthly training sessions focus on practical areas you may encounter during your time in the department.

Outside the office there’s a host of interesting and fun activities for you to get involved in – it’s a very sociable firm. There are a number of sports teams, and my recent trip to Paris was a great way to get to know other trainees, associates and partners from the London and other European offices.

Throughout my training contract I learnt an enormous amount, which equipped me with the necessary tools to undertaken a role as an Associate in the Private Client department. During the course of my training contract, I worked alongside legal and industry experts and developed not only my legal skills but project management, client management and excellent client service.

Recently, I completed an international wealth restructuring for a European individual working in the finance sector and his South American family. With financial interests in several countries, the project involved a number of major international financial institutions and an array of complex legal and commercial issues. One of the client's main objectives was safeguarding his family's significant private wealth for future generations, whilst ensuring tax efficiency across several jurisdictions.

I was responsible for documenting our legal advice and for the day-to-day management of the project, working closely with the partner to implement the advice and liaising with the financial institutions and a team of non-UK lawyers and specialists across the firm to put the planning in place. Some of the issues required some fairly innovative tax structuring and creative thinking and we were working to a demanding timescale, so it was vital that everything came together at the right time.

What I liked most about my training contract was that partners and associates all take the time to share their knowledge and experience. Following qualification, the firm has supported me in building my professional qualifications, to complement my practical experience and build links with international and industry
contacts.

I started as a trainee in 1993 at Taylor Wessing, qualified as an associate in 1995 and was promoted to the partnership in 2002 within the Trade Marks, Copyright and Media department. I have held the posts of graduate recruitment partner, and head of Trade Marks, Copyright and Media department before being appointed to the Board in May 2012. The firm's commitment to, and support of their staff, provides the richest opportunity for everyone to develop their career.

At Taylor Wessing, responsibility is given from the word go, which demonstrates a certain a level of trust. Trainees have the opportunity to work on high-profile cases within the department. For example, a recent case that the department acted on was the representation of Nature, the publication, in a libel suit brought by a professor who had said his reputation was damaged by an article which featured in the magazine.

This very high profile case was interesting as it is very rare to have a case that goes all the way to trial. One of our trainees was an active member of the team which resulted in a significant win at trial for Nature.

The firm recognises hard-working trainees who demonstrate ambition, commitment, collegiality, common sense and commercial awareness. Under the supervision of senior associates or partners, you're constantly engaging with lawyers of all levels and working on a variety of first-class projects. Beyond pure law training, our industry specialists enable learning and research into the latest industry developments, so you can understand your clients' businesses. With exposure to high-profile clients and cases in so many distinct seats and highly rated departments, this really is a well-rounded and valuable training contract.

I really enjoyed my two weeks on the vacation scheme. The work was fast-paced, diverse and involved some of Taylor Wessing’s most notable clients. Work ranged from researching clients, to drafting legal opinions. I felt like I was making a meaningful contribution to the department, as well as challenging myself. Fee-earners were more than willing to explain the work I had been set, so I was able to complete it to the best of my ability.

For me, Taylor Wessing’s Private Client group and the Trade marks, Copyright and Media made it stand out from other City firms, because they’re different from the norm. The firm’s extensive client base contains several household names but they’re all quite varied. One project I worked on involved the fashion industry and its designers, but they’re also involved in high-profile work, such as the advising the trustee of the Madoff estate on international litigation and asset tracing arising out of the Madoff fraud.

As an undergraduate, factors such as retention rates of trainees and reviews of the firm were important to consider – all of which were reassuring and encouraged me to apply.

When I start my training contract in 2014, I’m keen to do a seat that will allow me involvement in the Financial Institutions and Services sector. I wouldn’t have thought this would have been the case before the vacation scheme, but I found it interesting and enjoyable. I’ve learnt that it’s important to be open-minded when it comes to which area of law you may want to specialise in because you might just be surprised.

The level of ambition at Taylor Wessing is inspiring. With an already impressive list of clients, the firm is ambitious to build on its prior successes and to continue delivering outstanding service. Our strong and expanding international reputation is testament to this because even in a highly challenging economic environment, the firm continues to perform well.

I thought my Mechanical Engineering background would make me most suited to the firm's Life Sciences and Healthcare sector,, but I was interested in other practice areas within the firm. The great thing about Taylor Wessing is that the potential for all students, trainees and associates is recognised and developed - beyond their qualifications. After the vacation scheme, I was offered a training contract and when I accepted, I was pleased to be given a seat in Patents.

This has been a fantastic experience for me. One of my most interesting cases to date was for one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, concerning a patented drug for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. I worked closely with external experts and was involved in meetings with professors in the fields of medicinal chemistry and neuroscience. It was a demanding case but patents usually are, and our hard work paid off.

Each new patents case has given me an opportunity to apply the skills from my degree to a new area of science, and I have now developed my knowledge in a range of technical areas including telecoms, flea treatments and malaria. The firm’s full-service philosophy and strength in a broad range of sectors makes this a well-rounded and interesting training contract.

I was impressed with Taylor Wessing's industry focus and sector expertise. I started my training contract with the firm in 2006.

As a trainee I was given responsibility to run matters under the supervision of partners in each of the four departments I worked in. I was constantly encouraged to be proactive and use creative thinking to address legal issues in order to deliver a project to the client's satisfaction. This was an excellent way to start my career because I developed a good understanding of how each department worked. It helped me decide to qualify into Construction.

Over the past 18 months I have been involved in a project for the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant in Eastern Europe. This involves advising our client on the English law-based construction contracts that govern the project.

In this ongoing project, the legal perspective is interesting and critical, but it is just one of several perspectives that need to be factored in. As an EU-assisted project there are a number of international, national and regulatory bodies which are actively involved in delivering it. I’ve also learnt all about the storage and handling of nuclear fuel and the mechanics of a project to transform a fully operational nuclear plant into a fully decommissioned one, which I’ve found really interesting.

As a trainee and an associate, responsibility and training have always gone hand-in-hand. I’ve been encouraged to attend a number of training courses externally, such as a junior advocacy course in front of High Court judges, and I’ve even run internal sessions for the rest of the group. Recently, I attended a number of renewable energy seminars and conferences, and I’ll continue to do so as the Firm continues to expand it’s expertise in this area.