Trainee Solicitor Ben Smith shares insights with UWE students

We caught-up with trainee at the firm, Ben Smith, as he goes back to the University of the West of England (UWE) to talk to students about his Law in Action module which enabled him to do a placement with Foot Anstey over his last year at University and how this helped him apply for his training contract with us.

How did you find your Law in Action experience with Foot Anstey?

"From my first day at the firm, I felt extremely welcomed by everyone's refreshingly human approach. I quickly felt integrated into the team and was proud to be involved in an important project that resulted in acquiring a big client for the firm. My experience demonstrated to me that Foot Anstey was an ambitious, fast-moving, business-focused firm that was on a journey I was eager to be a part of."

What was the best bit about this module and what was your biggest takeaway?

"The best bit of the placement was being able to identify a clear trend in the legal market and being given the freedom to investigate why and how the market was transforming. Such investigation taught the importance of being a pro-active, commercially savvy lawyer.

"My biggest takeaway of the module was learning how the firm was enhancing its services to offer value to clients and providing advisory solutions."

How did this experience help you tailor/complete your training contract application?

"The placement coupled with my on-going dissertation research gave me valuable insight and a deep understanding of the firms strategy and route to market. In addition, being aware of a client's business concerns and the sectors in which the firm operates in helped me tailor my application."

What project(s) did you work on while doing the module?

"Throughout my placement, I sat in the Commercial Property Team where I focused on identifying issues with title, reviewing telecommunication contracts and assisted drafting leases from heads of terms.

I also assisted with identifying both legal and strategical services the firm could provide across an array of service lines for a client seeking to implement a sustainable Electric Vehicle strategy."

How are you finding your training contract at Foot Anstey? Anything you particularly enjoying?

"I cannot recommend applying for a training contract at Foot Anstey enough. As a first seat trainee, I have regular client contact and a great balance of supervision, support and responsibility. I am fortunate enough to be working on some high-quality development projects for some of the largest residential developers in the country. I am enjoying working on site acquisition transactions, drafting sale and purchase documents and building relationships with repeat developer clients."

What was the best part of visiting UWE and talking to students about your experience? Will there be more sessions with UWE?

"The best part of speaking to the UWE students about my Law in Action module was being able to offer my own experience and advice to those pursuing a career in law. I will be attending future University talks at UWE and University events with Foot Anstey's Early Career Specialist, Debbie Moors."

To find out more about Foot Anstey and the roles on offer please visit https://www.footanstey.com/careers/search/ or find out more about our trainees here https://www.footanstey.com/in-focus/become-a-trainee/.