The benefits of going on secondment whilst training

Just before COVID-19 hit daily life like a battering ram, I spent six months on secondment at a large national Regulator.

I had previously worked as a paralegal in Blake Morgan’s Professional Regulatory team, of which this particular Regulator is a client, and so I already had a good understanding of the type of work I would be doing while on secondment.

During my time in-house, I was working as an Investigations Lawyer where my role was not to conduct the investigations myself, but to provide legal advice to the case investigators who were conducting the investigations.

This involved reviewing case plans a case investigator produced right at the start of the investigation. I had to consider precisely which allegations we were investigating, what documentary evidence we needed to obtain, and which witnesses we needed to interview.

I would also then be required to review the case at the end, reviewing the report produced by the case investigator to determine whether we had collated sufficient evidence, and if so, whether the evidence we had collated supported the allegations and should be referred onwards to take the case to a hearing, where it would be determined whether the registrant should face any sanction. Towards the end of my seat, I started getting involved in other areas of the organisation as well. A particular highlight was honing my oral advocacy skills by presenting at some interim order hearings.

Starting the secondment did feel a bit daunting, especially as I was treated as if I were a fully trained lawyer rather than the bright-eyed first seat trainee that I was. However, I can honestly say that the support I was provided with was fantastic.

While many of the trainees who go on secondment may not go on to practise in that particular area of law, all of them would certainly benefit from the experience. From my perspective, the level of responsibility afforded to you is second to none. What this experience gave me was the confidence to trust my own judgment. I have had an insight into what clients might expect from their legal providers that will be invaluable to me as I progress through my PRT.