A day in the life of an Associate Solicitor

After my (very important) morning coffee I will catch up on emails from clients/the bank’s customers/tenants and various other parties on any given case. I will then review the cases that are calling in Court that day, and head to a meeting room to log into the video call. We appear in all Sheriff Courts across Scotland, as post-COVID these are now held over video which is very handy and means we don’t need to carry a whole tree worth of paper down to the Courts every day! After Court I will catch up with my supervisees, review any documents they give me and answer any queries they have that day. Afternoons can vary, I will usually work on my cases whether that be drafting court writs, reviewing new cases and providing advice to clients, contacting other solicitors for discussion of upcoming hearings, instructing Sheriff officers and so forth. Some days there will be team meetings, I will provide training to the team, or we may have conference calls with our clients or settlement discussions with defenders. There’s never a day the same in the world of contentious litigation!

When you hear the word ‘litigation’, the mind automatically goes straight to court. However we carry out a holistic review of all cases and provide comprehensive and pragmatic advice on all options available, many of which avoid the need for court action and settle well before any hearings are assigned. There are always many more options than you think, so ensure to approach us with any issues at the earliest opportunity.

Getting the best result and outcome for the client and their customers is always the best reward as a solicitor. However, the satisfaction of winning in the court room is a very close second!

What do you enjoy doing in your time out with work?