‘My time is now’: Addleshaw Goddard’s Edinburgh training contract

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Nov 01, 2021

Written By Emma Finamore

After a few attempts Sarah Buzuk finally landed the training contract she wanted at Addleshaw Goddard. She tells us how she managed it, and why the programme means she's so optimistic about her professional future.

Landing a training contract

How did you get your training contract?

I applied for my training contract through the internal process at Addleshaw Goddard in May. Getting my training contract was a few years in the making as I had actually applied for it on a couple of occasions before and was successful on my third attempt(!). Prior to getting my training contract I had worked at the firm for two and a half years as a paralegal in the Edinburgh office and had used this time to develop my legal knowledge within the litigation, commercial and finance divisions.

I knew that my goal was to get a training contract and that through my previous attempts I knew what I needed to work on. Thankfully my time is now and I'm incredibly optimistic about my future at Addleshaw Goddard.

What's a typical day like as a trainee lawyer?

The typical day of a trainee can always change. Monday mornings are usually dedicated to team catch-ups and understanding what capacity there is throughout the team. It's usually at these meetings that work can be passed to me or I can be added to new projects that are starting up.

The communication within the team is fantastic and I never feel like I'm out of my depth, as I can always reach out to a more senior solicitor for help and guidance.

Once work is passed to me, I organise it in order of priority, deadline, and complexity so that I have a better understanding of how my day is going to pan out, and also so the senior members of my team know what I'm dealing with and how I'm dealing with it.

Rising to the challenge

What do you enjoy most about your job?

As cliché as it might sound, I really love the challenge. The type of work I’m involved in changes on a daily basis and I love that there is a big push for teams to get their trainees involved in anything and everything. I genuinely feel like I am making an active and positive contribution to my team and that in itself is a very rewarding experience.

The size of Addleshaw Goddard means that we can be involved in really big projects with high profile clients, and it's always really interesting to understand the background of the transaction that is taking place and knowing what work you're going to be helping with. So it's this variety that I love: no two days are ever the same.

What are the biggest challenges?

The big thing for me is that deadlines can change and work might become suddenly urgent, and so being able to adapt to these moving parts is crucial in working in a busy law firm.

Everyone is in the same position and you need to remember that you are working as part of a team, so whenever these situations do happen I need to remember that I'm not doing this alone and it's part of the bigger picture. Having a proactive attitude and not letting these changes bother you is a really important trait of being a trainee.

Opportunities with Addleshaw Goddard

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Professional development

How has your role developed & what are your career ambitions?

As mentioned previously, I had worked as a paralegal at the firm before starting my training contract at the end of August. My time as a paralegal was crucial for my development to trainee solicitor as I feel like I have a greater understanding of the type of work that the firm is involved with and I have an advantage in being able to suggest practices that I learned as a paralegal to the wider team.

If anything, I feel confident in the challenges that being a trainee will bring and I believe that I will be able to use the knowledge that I have gained to the advantage of my new team which will evidently help in my progress throughout the training contract. I don't try to look too far ahead into the future but I genuinely am looking forward to where I end up once I qualify…

Application advice

How do I get a training contract?

The advice that I gave myself and the advice that I give others is to really look into the firms that you are applying to and consider whether you actually would like to work there. It might be easier for me to say this but for me working as a paralegal was my way in to see whether I would like to work for the firm in the long term.

Now, I'm not saying you need to do this but I would say that it's good to do your background research into the sectors that the firm works in, look into any recent deals that the firm has been part of, or generally check any new initiatives that people at the firm are working with.

There's nothing more obvious than a generic application that can be used for various firms and you really do want to stand out. The best way to do this is by showing that you are interested in the things that the firm is currently doing and expressing your own linked interests to it.

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