I read English Literature at Edinburgh University and graduated in 2005, finding myself back in London with no clear idea of what to do next.  After working for a year in the Charities sector. I started researching a career in law and decided this was the path for me. I studied the GDL and the LPC at the College of Law in Bloomsbury and while doing this I secured a training contract with EAPD.

I realised I needed to get organised and after doing some research into the firm, I applied for a vacation placement.  One thing that particularly attracted me to the firm was the size of the intake; I felt that being one of eight would mean being given responsibility during the training contract, rather than just shuffling paper.   

What I found when I arrived for the two week scheme in the summer was better than I had expected.  I felt very welcomed by the firm, people seemed to know who we were and why we were there, which made it much easier to approach them with questions.  I spent a week in the Insurance Litigation department, where amongst other tasks, I got involved in some research for an article that was to be published. I then spent a week in Commercial Litigation where I was able to sit in on a meeting with counsel and some expert witnesses.  There were also mini training sessions and a fantastic advocacy exercise that really got us thinking and acting like lawyers. The social side was not neglected either; we got involved in the firm's internal football tournament (some of us only from the side lines) and we got taken to a comedy night as well as out for drinks in the evenings.

I found that during the vacation placement the firm invested time in making sure that we got a taste of both the work the firm does and the people who do it and I appreciated being able to talk to other trainees freely about what life was like at the firm.

Having finished my LPC I worked as a paralegal for a year at another City firm.  During this time the future trainees were invited to firm parties and other social events which meant that when I arrived on my first day, there were plenty of familiar faces.  My first seat is in Commercial Litigation and I have already been very involved in some very interesting work on various different cases.

I would recommend a training contract at EAPD because as well as being a very professional firm of hardworking lawyers, everyone is very down to earth. Even as a trainee you feel invested in and looked after as a member of a team.