This is the image of the “dataroom”, but probably not representative of that enjoyed by many corporate law trainees.
The recent post by @MagicCircleMinx belies a powerful aspect of the training contract.
“So is this what newly qualified recruiting partners are looking for as well i.e. a lawyer who doesn’t raise any alarm bells (AB), a lawyer who delivers a little magic (LM) and a lawyer who makes the right impression (RI)?
(LM + RI) – AB = NQ”
This theoretically may seem like a strange concept, when this is the tool of the trade for the trainee corporate lawyer, that possibly the late (great) Lord Denning didn’t have in mind?
Nonetheless, a really interesting discussion then ensues by @MagicCircleMinx.
One of the most salient points for me is that, to become a ‘NQ’ (newly qualified), you need to deliver a little magic, create a good impression, but, be most of all, safe.
This is a very powerful concept. It means that you do not have to know a huge amount of case law to ‘make it’ as a trainee provided you obviously put in the slog. Most pertinently, for mere law students like me, it’s about making sure that you complete the training contract competently (having got one – I haven’t got to that stage), such that you can be admitted to the Roll by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
This is undoubtedly a huge privilege, despite possibly the sweat and tears of being a trainee in the data room, etc.
