Training Contract to Solicitor with Crombie Wilkinson

We are pleased to be able to share with you the blogs written by our staff, talking about their job role, working at our firm and career progression opportunities at Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors.

In this blog by Ben Simpson, Solicitor at Crombie Wilkinson, he answers questions about his journey into law as a career, his training contract and qualifying as a solicitor whilst working at Crombie Wilkinson and what his goals are moving forward.

He has demonstrated how our Values (#ClientCentred, #ContinuousImprovement, #Citizenship, #CommunityFocus) are embraced by us in our day to day roles and activity and why we all strive to deliver on the commitments in our #ServicePledge.

Thank you to Ben for sharing his journey so far.

What has been your journey into law so far?

During school and college, a career in Law was not something I ever considered. I studied Law at A-Level and became interested in the area because of its various branches. This influenced me to study for the MLaw qualification at Northumbria University which incorporated a Law Degree, Masters, and aspects of the LPC. I graduated Northumbria University in July 2018 with a First-Class Honours Degree. #ContinuousImprovement

I began my research into law firms I wished to apply to, and Crombie Wilkinson really stood out for various reasons. Firstly, Crombie Wilkinson is well established law firm in North Yorkshire. I was particularly drawn to the firm because of the values they promoted, such as teamwork (#Citizenship) and providing an exemplary client service (#ClientCentred  #ServicePledge). I therefore made an application for the Training Contact and was successful in my application.

Training Contract

I started my Training Contract in October 2018. My first seat was for 6 months in the family law department whereby I was given responsibility for drafting Court documents such as Divorce Petitions, Children Applications and Witness Statements. My second seat was in commercial property which involved me assisting Solicitors in drafting leases and I also had the opportunity to be involved in commercial law. Finally, my last two seats were spent in the private client department. My roles involved drafting Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection work. I also got the opportunity to work directly with the Directors and they would provide me with constructive feedback, which has ultimately benefited me further down my career as a qualified solicitor.  #ContinuousImprovement

My Training Contract supported my development in becoming a solicitor in many aspects. I found being placed in three different seats an enriching experience because I learnt about many different areas of law, and how they are interconnected to each other. Throughout my training, my colleagues have been on hand to assist with my learning and provided guidance on my work, which I have found extremely beneficial.  #Citizenship

What do you think has been challenging?

The Coronavirus Pandemic saw the majority of the country being told to work remotely. The transition from working in the office to remote working was done efficiently at Crombie Wilkinson. As a team we adapted to this new way of working and my supervisors were always on hand to assist me with my work. The Pandemic has been mentally tough for all of us and at Crombie Wilkinson, they recognised this and put into place weekly coffee mornings and department catch up chats. These have proved to be popular, and it gives the team the opportunity to relax and socialise (albeit virtually) with other colleagues.

This culture of teamwork, especially during the Coronavirus Pandemic, has ensured we strive to deliver the Crombie Wilkinson #ServicePledge throughout this unprecedented time.

Qualification

I qualified in December 2020, (during the Pandemic) and I am now a Solicitor in the Private Client team. I now run my own matters and assist the Solicitors in the team in various aspects of law. I am lucky enough to work with a team who genuinely help each other to provide our excellent service to our clients. #ClientCentred  #ServicePledge

Goals

I am proud that I completed my Training Contract in December 2020 and I could not have done so without the guidance and support of my fantastic colleagues at Crombie Wilkinson.   With regards to the future, I wish to build upon my knowledge of Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney. At Crombie Wilkinson, they encourage development, and I am looking into obtaining the SFE qualification.  #ContinuousImprovement  #Citizenship

The past year has been one of reflection. I have been fortunate enough to complete my Training Contract and be offered a full-time position at Crombie Wilkinson. Ultimately, I am lucky to have a supportive team around me and I look forward to developing my knowledge within the Private Client field and my career at Crombie Wilkinson.