I read History at Cambridge University, graduating in 2005. I had always been interested in Law and so in my third year I began to think seriously about what my route was going to be. My plan was to start the GDL in the September after graduating, and try to get some experience in a law firm in the time between. EAPD (then Kendall Freeman) was one of the firms I applied to for a vacation scheme in the summer of 2005.

I really enjoyed the two week vacation scheme. Initially, I was worried that I would be disadvantaged in some way as a non-Law graduate, or would not be able to participate, but it was never an issue. I really enjoyed the vac scheme and never felt out of my depth. I was able to assist on work, which I found really interesting, as well as partake in all the activities set up for the vac schemers (which, contrary to what you might expect, were a lot of fun). I was really struck how friendly everyone in the firm was, and how willing everyone from trainee to partner was to give up their time to answer questions about the firm and the work.

I was also able to talk to the trainees at the time who all had a lot of praise for the firm. It seemed to me that EAPD gave trainees a high level of work and responsibility, making them part of the team straightaway, and also genuinely cared for each of them. I think that this is an advantage of having a smaller trainee intake.

I started my training contract at EAPD in September 2007 after completing my GDL and LPC at BPP in London. My first seat was in the Commercial Litigation department. During this seat I was able to work on many interesting matters, ranging from a libel case to a fraud investigation. As I grew more confident, the responsibility I was given increased and I was really able to get stuck into my work. I was also relieved that the positive impression I had formed during my vac scheme was borne out in my training contract.

For my second seat I went on secondment to Harrods, which was a fantastic experience. I spent six months working in the in-house Legal Department, part of a team of around 10 people. Harrods is such a unique place, that the work was often unusual, but always interesting! Working in-house you get a huge amount of responsibility and start adjusting to a very different way of working. In private practice you will often work on big matters which will take up a lot of your time, whereas in-house there are a million small things which crop up all the time and have to be dealt with. It is a great experience in terms of learning how to manage your time and make executive decisions quickly.

You also learn how to extract the information you need from non-lawyers, and to explain legal points to them, which is a very useful skill when it comes to dealing with clients. The secondment made me feel much more confident in my abilities as an all-round lawyer.

I joined the IP department for my third seat and whilst in London I was involved in a matter concerning a pharmaceutical patent for HIV drugs and looking into trade mark protection.  I then got the fantastic opportunity to go on secondment to the New York office for 3 months.  I worked on a whole range of matters covering trade mark and brand protection, trade dress, and copyright – in very varied areas.  I also undertook training with the US IP lawyers, so it was nice to feel part of the firm on a wider level, and see how colleagues overseas work.  As I found in all my seats, as a trainee in the IP department, I was part of the team and was expected to take on responsibility.

I think that EAPD's great strength is that it is ultimately an extremely professional firm which expects high standards from its lawyers, but it manages to be very relaxed and down to earth at the same time – and genuinely cares about its lawyers. It is a difficult balance to strike, but one that EAPD has achieved and maintains. As a trainee at EAPD, you will be guaranteed a high level of training, but also lots of fun.