My academic background is in health sciences, and I first came across the firm while completing my masters, which centred on molecular biology and genetics. Bristows had conveniently written an article about a niche point tangentially related to research that I was involved in. After reading a few articles on the website, my curiosity was piqued and I began to look into the firm itself, its practice areas and clients. I hadn’t previously envisioned a career in law, and it was eye opening to see how a modern law firm could support innovative clients across the tech and life science industries. In this way, Bristows certainly helped to spark my initial interest in a legal career, and, years later, while I was in the midst of my LLB, I was very keen to send in my application for a TC with the firm.

Bristows has a rigorous multi-stage interview process. However, I found that the interviewing partners and associates were all very friendly – this helped to put me at ease and allowed me to focus on the questions without the usual nervousness that comes with interviewing. I particularly remember the written exercise, which, although challenging, gave me an early taste of what work at Bristows could entail. The subsequent discussions with the interviewing partners felt more like a collaborative exercise where I explained my thinking and we talked through other possible approaches.

Prior to joining Bristows most of the trainees completed an SQE preparation course together. It was nice having this opportunity to get to know one another and develop a sense of comradery. During a TC at Bristows you’re exposed to many new and difficult concepts – these could be nuanced legal points, or seemingly unanswerable procedural webs. Often your fellow trainees are the best starting place to seek guidance and support.

My first seat was with Commercial Disputes for 6 months. During my LLB, modules in contract law and dispute resolution were among my favourite, and so I was thrilled to have the chance to start in this seat. While in Commercial Disputes, I had the chance to work on ongoing matters which had already stretched over years, as well as to work on smaller scope disputes which lasted only weeks or months and which I was able to see through from start to finish. I was fortunate to get experience working in teams of varying sizes on these matters. For instance, in one case I was on a large team which stretched across to other departments, while on another matter the team was just myself and a partner.

I am currently sitting in Patent Litigation, which is a 6 month seat that all trainees at Bristows complete at some point during their TC. It has been fascinating to engage with technical scientific and engineering subject matter in the context of patents.

Regular tasks during my seats have included:

• Researching legal principles and procedure, and searching for guidance from caselaw
• Drafting legal documents
• Writing correspondence to the other side, and the court
• Preparing for, and attending court for applications and trials
• Attending calls/meetings with clients, counsel and experts
• Conducting searches for technical experts
• Various data analysis tasks to identify patterns and gather evidence

People working at Bristows seem to love what they do. At all levels, people here are passionate about the subject matter and take pride in their work. As a result, when you join the firm as a trainee, it is easy to get swept up in the excitement!