Hannah is a trainee solicitor at TLT LLP. She is currently undertaking a seat in the Housing and
Regeneration department. She studied law at the University of Bristol.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi! I’m Hannah, I’m a trainee solicitor at TLT in the London office and I’m currently in my second seat. Outside of work, I spend most of my time outdoors either walking, running, cycling and having picnics (weather depending!) with friends and family. Since lockdown began, I have started painting. I’ve never been artistically talented but Masterpiece By Numbers has allowed me to paint some true ‘masterpieces!’
2. Why did you choose to apply to TLT?
The impressive growth of the firm initially attracted me to TLT. I decided to speak to them at the
career events at University and I was then drawn in by how approachable everyone was. When I was speaking to the trainees at the time, they mentioned that they have real work and real responsibility, they are an integral part of the team and they genuinely seemed to love their job (this has all been proven true!). I then amended a number of events that TLT put on in Bristol and I was sold. I knew I would fit in and thrive in an environment like TLT.
3. What do you enjoy most about working for TLT?
I love the amount of responsibility, the work, the level of training and the fact that I am relied upon to run files. Everyone is so supporter, no question is too silly and everyone is willing to help. I never feel afraid to ask questions and I have confidence to make decisions, to send emails to clients and I know this is going to set me up for a successful career in law.
4. Briefly tell us about a recent legal issue that you find interesting
Commercial awareness is all the ‘buzz’ but it really plays a huge role in successful applications. A business story I have been following and finding interesting is Just Eat stating it wants to move away from the gig – economy to having employees who benefit from employment rights. This will
undoubtedly have legal implications for Just Eat as contracts will have to be formalised, and status will change from Worker to Employee, which holds a profound difference in law. The employer, Just Eat, will have to contribute to workplace pension schemes for all Employees and employees will benefit from having at least statutory holiday (as well as a wealth of other employee rights and benefits). Advocates of the gig economy argue that this move ‘formalises’ the role too much and takes away the element of ‘choice’ that the workers have over when they work. However, I believe this move is a step in the right direction. Workers seldom choose when they work and instead work full time on low pay and do not benefit from employees rights. This is a huge step for Just Eat to show how much it values and supports its workers. Although this is a business story it has huge implications in law, where the gig economy has been discussed at length in recent years.
5. How do you see the legal landscape changing post-Covid-19?
In a practical sense – the world and legal world will encourage more remote working practices. We have adapted to find new ways to do things, and these have sometimes proved more efficient and so will remain. The legal world has traditionally been seen as reactive rather than proactive, but this has given law firms a chance to show forward thinking and implement new ways of working.
From a legal perspective, certain departments had a huge downturn in work (as would be expected), but like anything there are always departments that will see an increase in workload and I would expect that we will be dealing with more cases and claims for breach of contract for non-performance, which will be met with arguments of force majeure or frustration (that the pandemic prevented or made impossible the performance of the contract). Potential fraud claims due to sudden move to remote working and a huge increase in phishing scams.
The legal market will always be there, but the work, in the short term, may change and be
dominated by issues that are prevalent in society now.
6. What’s your number one tip for prospective applicants?
Get involved with firm events – even in a virtual world there are numerous ways you can connect
with them. This will give you a clear idea of whether you are a good fit for them and whether they
are a good fit for what you want. This will strengthen your application as the company can see that you want to work for them specifically and you have shown this by getting involved. My biggest pearl of wisdom: proceed as if success is inevitable.
7. Wildcard: If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you and why?
Julia Roberts. Julia Roberts is a strong woman who goes after what she wants, has achieved great success but still remains very humble. Roberts has clearly continued learning, developing and listening to feedback, which has allowed her career to progress. Taking on criticism and learning from it is the single best way you develop and grow. This is how I approach my career and this is what Julia Roberts has done which has lead her to great success.
