As a trainee at Cobbetts, there are lots of business development and networking opportunities to get involved in.  Whilst trainees have lots of formal client contact through attending client meetings, there are also lots of informal networking events going on in Birmingham with clients, potential clients and other professionals. 

Cobbetts Young Professionals (CYP) is a networking group for young professionals that is organised and run by solicitors at Cobbetts.  CYP host regular networking events which are widely attended and renowned amongst young professionals inBirmingham.  The latest event was a Casino night which was a great opportunity to catch up with existing business contacts and meet new people over a game of poker and a few drinks. 

Cobbetts provide trainees with membership to the Birmingham Trainee Solicitor Society (BTSS).  The BTSS is a good way to network with other lawyers and keep up with friends from the LPC.  The BTSS also organise inter-firm sports leagues such as netball, football and tag-rugby which Cobbetts’ trainees are actively involved in.  The BTSS also organise two formal dinners each year; the most recent of which was a Fire and Ice theme at the ICC. 

Networking is a great opportunity to initiate relationships with other professionals who may become your client one day.  As a trainee group, we try to get involved in as much as possible and once we have got a contact, we often follow up with lunch or a coffee to try and maintain the relationship.   This is of huge value to the firm and we are actively encouraged to get involved in as much as possible with the hope of bringing in new clients and adding value to the firm.

As a trainee in the Employment team, I also play an active role in team business development.  For example, by attending events hosted by the Employment Lawyers Association such as seminars, talks by employment judges and various drinks events.  This is a fantastic opportunity to meet with other employment lawyers from around Birmingham and barristers and clerks from local chambers.  Further, the employment team has provided advice and support to start-up technology businesses launched in association with Birmingham Science Park which I have been able to get involved with.

Trainees also assist the Graduate Recruitment team by visiting law fairs around the country and I have given presentations to students at the University of Birmingham on life as a trainee at Cobbetts.  Taking part in business development really has helped me to gain confidence and further develop my people skills whilst also raising my own profile within the Birmingham business community.

Liz May, Second Year Trainee, Birmingham

The autumn ‘milkround’ has flown by and as we head for the Christmas break I have been able to stop and reflect on the careers events we have attended. We have been involved in more careers events than ever before, including law fairs, application skills sessions, trainee talks and commercial awareness skills sessions, culminating in our office open days which we held in each of our regional offices in November. All of these events have allowed us to meet a number of excellent candidates and in return give people a chance to meet us and ask questions about Cobbetts. So now it is over to all of you to submit your applications for vacation schemes and training contracts over the coming weeks. With that in mind, I wanted to provide some hints and tips on what we are looking for to help you with your application:

Understanding & interest in our firm – we want to see applications from people who are interested and committed to developing a career with us.

Knowledge of our business – an understanding of the work we do and our clients is crucial. It is equally important to show how you will you add value to our business.

Commerciality – we want you to show us that you are commercially aware- after all this is a vital skill for any firm.

Relevant skills – we detail all of the key skills we are looking for on our website. You need to demonstrate that you have developed these skills through all of your previous experiences.

Range of experiences – it doesn’t matter what experiences you have had, we want to hear about them. One of the biggest mistakes we see in applications is people not including details of all of their experiences because they think they are not relevant to us. It doesn’t matter what the experience is, make sure you include it in your application form and show us how it makes you suitable for a training contract.

The final thing for me to say is good luck and we look forward to receiving your application.

Paul Kendall, Graduate Recruitment Manager.

Effecting a career change in one’s mid-thirties can be a challenging undertaking, not least of all because of having to combine your current career with acquiring new knowledge and skills to make the intended career change possible.  And so, when I decided at thirty-two to make the transition from a career in the elite sporting sector to a career in law I was resolved to a great deal of hard work and study. My personal route into the legal profession included an Undergraduate Degree in Analytic Philosophy, studied as a mature student at the University of Manchester, in addition to the Graduate Diploma in Law studied part-time alongside working on the staff of the Great Britain Cycling Team.  I will complete the LPC+ at the College of Law from September 2012, before commencing my training contract in 2013 at Cobbetts’ Manchester office.

From my time spent working within elite sport it has become obvious to me that there exists at least one crucial element to success, be it individual or collective, specifically a strong and well thought-out support network.  With this in mind, and owing to their Buddy Scheme, Cobbetts immediately grabbed my interest when I began researching law firms.  The scheme itself seeks to introduce successful applicants to the firm and their future colleagues as early on as possible, via enjoyable and informal social events that are scheduled to take place throughout the year.

After allocating each soon-to-be trainee their own Buddy, a current Cobbetts trainee, Cobbetts extend the opportunity to attend Buddy Events from the initial offering of a training contract all the way up until the training contract actually commences.  The social events themselves are organised by current trainees who are also in attendance, alongside many other employees of the firm, at times all the way up to partner level.

Following my offer of a training contract on 1 September, I was contacted by my own Buddy, Nick (a Cobbetts first year trainee), via email. Nick invited me to my first Buddy Social, a relaxed and informal end of month gathering where I had the chance to meet many of the current first and second year trainees, in addition to some of the other successful applicants who also begin their LPC+ with Cobbetts in 2012.  On arrival Nick took the time to introduce me to many new faces and was also happy discussing all of my questions as well as providing me with valuable insights into his own experience.

Throughout the evening I found that Nick was not alone in his friendly approach, indeed I was struck by how welcoming and supportive everyone I met at Cobbetts was, and also how eager everyone seemed to welcome me to the firm, despite my training contract not beginning until 2013!  The second social event which I attended recently was the Buddy Christmas party, which comprised of Christmas dinner and drinks, followed by a quiz between all in attendance where plenty of good-natured competitiveness was evident.  Throughout both events what I have found most reassuring and constructive is the opportunity to really start to identify with the team, culture and values of Cobbetts, which translates into minimal time lost when I finally do begin my training contract in two years time.

Cobbetts genuinely seem to understand that the process of familiarising new trainees with the firm cannot begin too early, and in providing such excellent support to their future cohorts Cobbetts are undoubtedly sowing the seeds of individual and collective success throughout the firm.  As someone who has taken a less orthodox route into the profession I have been very impressed with Cobbetts’ approach to all their future trainees, and I can now see why Cobbetts are so highly regarded amongst their peers as a firm that offers a valuable, cohesive and thought-through package of support to all those who join them.

David Parsons, Future Trainee.

Cobbetts is one of the firms that immediately caught my attention when researching law firms. It provides the full package in terms of a fantastic reputation, varied client base and approachable attitude. From the very first interview it was clear that Cobbetts was keen to recruit high quality candidates who would champion the firm’s ethos and values. In addition, the training contract clearly emphasises the firm’s dedication to training quality lawyers, providing them with the support to develop their confidence and personal growth within the firm.

The structure of the vacation scheme provided an in-depth insight into the trainee experience at Cobbetts. The week was extremely well structured; it provided experience of two different practice areas, aCollegeofLaw interview and drafting skills workshop, and a visit to the Civil Justice Centre. Throughout the week, there were ample opportunities to meet trainees, associates and partners at a number of informal social events. A common theme was how friendly and supportive people were at all levels within the firm. This put me at ease and provided Cobbetts with an honest reflection of my personality.

My week at Cobbetts stood out from other vacation schemes because of the support and emphasis on learning through experience. At no point did I feel like I was being constantly assessed. On the first day we were assigned a mentor for the week who introduced us to other employees within the firm as well as set exercises and tasks. As a non-law student it was great to have a mentor who could answer any questions as well as give feedback on all of the tasks completed. Unlike other vacation schemes there seemed to be a big a focus on learning about the individual rather than people having to change their personalities to fit into the firm. 

I would highly recommend this vacation scheme as by the end of the week I gained an insight into Cobbetts and also gained a deeper understanding of commercial law. I believe that the effort spent making sure that the vacation scheme was beneficial is a good indicator of the time and effort that would be spent on producing high quality trainee solicitors. In many ways the mentor scheme mirrors the buddy scheme used to ease future trainees into the firm prior to commencing the training contract. Above all, the vacation scheme confirmed to me that Cobbetts deserves its reputation for being a friendly, innovative and ambitious law firm that prides itself on investing in both its people and its clients.

Francesca graduated from the University of Leeds in 2011 with a BA (Hons) in International History and Politics. She is currently studying the GDL and will commence a training contract with Cobbetts in 2013 in our Manchester office.

As one of 16 new trainees from across the country to sign in at Cobbetts in Manchester on our first day, I felt the eight day induction ahead of us seemed jam-packed full of information and a lot of alien concepts. What was to come, however, was a run of really informative, interactive and invaluable sessions that would give us all the tools we needed to hit the ground running and settle into our seats with ease at the end of the induction programme.

The induction began with icebreakers and a general introduction to Cobbetts. This enabled us to meet those trainees who we hadn’t already and build on our existing knowledge of the firm. Having been into the office a number of times for different events prior to beginning our training contracts, we were very aware of the firm’s vision and values but the interactive sessions helped us to understand how these values are applied in practice. It was extremely useful to discuss with the current trainees and the graduate recruitment team how best to approach different situations and get some ‘top tips’ from those already in the role.

We were given an introduction into the practical side of office operations, the support network and extensive resources available to us as trainees, something I will admit had not really been at the forefront of my mind in the run up to starting. I hadn’t really considered the daunting prospect of dictating, using case management systems or conducting research using the different facilities but the induction allowed us to conquer those fears with the safety net of being around people in the same boat and in the shelter of the training room. Whether it is your first time working in an office or not, there are lots of basic skills to get to grips with so it was great to have the essential foundations before starting in our seats.

After the intake of all of this information, the trainees were treated to an in-house ‘Fine Dining’ event. The Chefs and hospitality team put on a fantastic three-course meal with drinks for us all to enjoy, during which we all got to know each other better.

Part of this year’s induction contained the Financial and Business Skills element of the Professional Skills Course. As an SRA Requirement for the training contract, we completed the course with the second year trainees and so got to know everyone very well over the three days. It was a really interesting module and highlighted different aspects of practice to those studied on the LPC. It was also (hopefully) the last exam we will need to take and so there was cause for celebration in the form of after work cocktails!

Every year as part of the induction programme, all trainees partake in a ‘Community Day’, working together to complete a project in one of the communities served by the firm. This year we supported a local cause inBirmingham, helping to renovate both the inside and outside of a community centre, altogether giving over 228 hours of work to the community. The centre was in need of a helping hand so a group of 33 of us all got stuck in to paint inside the main hall, decorate and clean up the exterior and the more creative amongst us even painted a mural in the children’s room. It was good fun to be involved with and definitely helped a worthwhile cause. Once we had downed our brushes and worked up an appetite, we all headed for the Birmingham office to celebrate our LPC results with our new colleagues and friends, good food and some well-earned champagne.

As the end of the induction drew near, it was time to meet our teams. Although we were all raring to go and already felt at home in the office, it was still nerve-racking to think that after all of our hard work, it was time to enter the real working world! The current trainees, who had been in our departments previously, introduced us to everyone and familiarised us with the facilities  (the coffee machine being the most important) and handed over their files, which is enough to make any new-comer apprehensive. The nervousness was soon appeased when we all had informal drinks with our supervisors, allowing us to get to know each other away from our new desks. 

The induction really aided in a quick adjustment to life in our departments. Nothing can prepare you for the work you are about to undertake because it is not like anything you will have done before: the training contract is a big learning curve but having the induction has definitely made life easier. The induction meant we could all get stuck in and enjoy what we are doing, safe in the knowledge that we have the basics under our belts.

When we started at Cobbetts we already had the luxury of knowing most of the other trainees quite well, both from having studied on the LPC+ together and having been involved in office events since being offered the position. What the induction did, however, is strengthen that base so that we now have laid great foundations with those who we will be working with for years to come.

Rhian Hughes.

If you are interested in finding out more about Cobbetts, our summer vacation schemes and training contracts, why not sign up for one of our office open days this autumn?

We will be running open days in all of our regional offices and if you are thinking of applying to us, this is a great opportunity to visit our offices and meet some of our current trainees, solicitors and partners to find out more about us and life at Cobbetts. We will also be running an application skills session to give you some hints and tips on how to submit a successful online application form. 

With the application process and vacation scheme focusing on you demonstrating your potential, these open days are chance for you to get a feel for us and make sure we are the right firm for you. 

Details of the dates, times and how to register for a place are below, we hope to meet you at one of the days this November.

To register, email your CV to gr8training@cobbetts.com, confirming which of the dates below you would like to attend. Please also state which time you would like to attend.

Birmingham Office: 21 November 2011 – 12-3pm and 5-8pm

Leeds office: 28 November 2011 – 12-3pm and 5-8pm

Manchester office: 30 November 2011 – 12-3pm and 5-8pm