That's the way the cookie crumbles!

I have recently begun my third seat in the Technology and Outsourcing group. I requested Eduardo Ustaran as my supervisor and was lucky enough to be placed with him. Eduardo is a partner in the Data Protection and Privacy team, a sub-group within the Technology and Outsourcing group. My previous seats in Dispute Resolution and Commercial IP were ones in which I worked for the entire team. I thought that, as a second year trainee, it would be interesting to become more deeply involved in one aspect of the group as opposed to broadly involved with all aspects. I feel that this has been a good decision for me as I have developed close relations with the Data Protection team and feel that I am learning a lot about data protection, freedom of information and privacy.

To date I have been involved with collecting local counsels' advise with relation to rolling out whistleblowing schemes globally, researching various countries' exemptions to their data protection regime and assisting in drafting privacy policies. I have also been involved in producing template notification forms to go to particular countries' data protection authorities where they require notification of data processing. Legal research has also featured highly in my tasks, for example, for one client I conducted research into the meaning of "consent" – asking such questions as is a "soft opt-in", that is an opt-out box which by default is checked, enough when it comes to third party advertising?

I have also been keenly following the approaches taken by Member States and by companies to deal with the recent EU Cookies Directive which states that consent must be gained from the user of a website before cookies can be used. Cookies are small text files that store basic information that a website can use to track online traffic flows, recognise repeat visits and record information about your online preferences. This data on your online preferences can be used to target advertising towards particular users. This might, if the Directive is interpreted strictly by Member States, have a huge impact on how we use the internet, especially free sites which rely on targeted advertising to provide their funding, for example Facebook and Wikipedia. The Directive has implications for a lot of our clients as it impacts how their websites must operate, what information must be given to the user and the method of provision of that information.

Alex (2nd Year Trainee)

From Brussels with chocolate and beer!

I applied to do my second seat in the firm's Brussels office and have recently joined the EU regulatory team, which advises on the EU regulation of chemicals. It was not until I arrived here that the European dimension of the firm sank in. Aside from exposure to EU institutions, the Brussels experience involves collaboration with colleagues from all over Europe, notably Germany, France, Italy, Romania... Working in Brussels is thus enriching in many ways. It has also made me more aware of the culture of the firm: everywhere I go, the people I meet seem diligent, but also approachable and fun!

More on the work undertaken by the EU regulatory team: EU regulation of chemicals involves environmental law, which is a fascinating area of the law because it is very much in the making. The bulk of my work consists in conducting research on various EU and Member State legislations and drafting a memorandum summarising the results. The challenge lies in adopting a macro analysis approach to understand the rationale behind each legislation and the different interests at stake, whilst also paying attention to the details to address clients' specific points of concern. I have also been involved in other types of work, including assisting with REACH consortia management and the preparation of litigation before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Last but not least, we all know the other benefits of a Brussels secondment: life in Brussels is sweet thanks to the endless supply of delicious chocolates and beers!

Mitsuko Akiyama
Trainee

Amelia Goodwin - Graduate Recruitment Manager

Our Graduate Recruitment Manager, Amelia Goodwin, was recently featured on the Law Careers website in their 'Meet the Recruiter' section. Below is a copy of the Q&A. You can view the original article at the Law Careers website.

What is your job title?
It's very recently become graduate recruitment manager. I was previously an HR officer - a role which had large elements of graduate recruitment within it.

Where do you work (geographically speaking)?
We're in London, very close to the Tower of London.

How did you end up in law?
I've always had an interest in law, but HR was where my heart lay. When I graduated I saw that there was an HR role in a law firm which kind of mixed the two interests and I've stuck with it ever since.

What are your main responsibilities?
This one could be quite long-winded as my role is threefold. First, I deal with graduate recruitment, which includes everything from marketing at universities and running assessment centres through to offering training contracts. The second element is trainee development. That involves arranging events for future trainees and ensuring their maintenance grants are paid, as well as dealing with the trainees when they're on board - seat rotations, secondments and the qualification process. The third part of my job is looking after the paralegal population.

How long have you been in the job?
I've been working in graduate recruitment for the last couple of years.

Who is in your team?
We are quite different here because we actually have a firm-wide graduate recruitment team. We have partners, associates and trainees in our university champions team and in our vacation schemes team. In our graduate assessment team, we have senior associates and partners involved in scoring application forms and marking at the assessment centres. I coordinate all of these activities by working closely with our training principal and other members of the HR team. In total we have around 35 partners and other fee earners involved - we had to book a large table at our graduate recruitment team Christmas lunch last year!

What are the most/least enjoyable aspects of recruiting?
Most enjoyable is seeing someone go from being a student and offering them a training contract, through to them qualifying as a solicitor. The least enjoyable is probably being bombarded with excuses - their internet connection failed or their dog chewed their USB stick, etc - the day after the application deadline and having to tell candidates that even though they may have put a lot of work into their application, we still can't consider it.

What is the biggest challenge of the job?
Again, probably around the application deadline date, dealing with the huge level of queries we get in the last few days. I’m really happy answering questions from people and helping them out, but leaving it to the last few days doesn’t give people the best chance of getting their query resolved.

Do you socialise with your trainees/vac scheme students?
Yes! Our trainees have a social budget and a social committee whose aim is to spend it wisely! Some of the events they arrange we go along to and others we leave them to it. It’s the same for the vacation schemes, but I accompany the training principal to the formal dinner at the end of the scheme as it’s always in a funky central London venue and everyone is in a good mood, relaxing at the end of the scheme!

Do you attend law fairs? Why is it important for students to attend?
The firm attends law fairs, but I don't personally. We rely on our university champions to do that - teams consisting of trainees, partners and associates. We are quite unique in this way, but we believe it’s important for students to find out what life is like as a lawyer at Field Fisher Waterhouse, straight from the horses’ mouths! We also try to arrange it so that at each law fair, we send a partner and a trainee who attended that university. We also do other things at universities such as presentations and skills sessions which I tend to get more involved with, depending on what the subject is. All the details of our university timetable are on our website and I also tweet about them, so please become a follower!

What's the most annoying question you're asked by students?
I’m really happy to answer questions if the answer isn't readily available, but we often get people phoning up to ask how to apply to our firm. How to apply is advertised really clearly on our website, so it makes me think that the person hasn't done much research!

What do you look for in a candidate?
We're looking for bright, well-rounded and authentic individuals. We're looking for somebody who has achieved academically but who has also lived a life outside academia which has helped them to develop life skills. Importantly, we don’t want actors - we want the real you. Our tag line is '100% lawyer, 100% you'!

What is the most common mistake you see candidates making?
Probably when applicants cut and paste their answers from application forms and leave the wrong firm name in - oops...

How should candidates approach you for feedback after an interview?
As soon as the assessment centres are over, those who have been successful are invited to final partner interviews and those who haven't are offered a feedback session; this is a half-hour telephone conversation. Again we are quite unique in the market for offering feedback to unsuccessful candidates from an assessment centre. We will go over every stage of the assessment and highlight areas where the candidate did well and those areas where there is room for improvement. Importantly we also ask for the candidate’s feedback on their experience so that we can improve. When we offer feedback, I would thoroughly recommend that everyone takes up the offer and books in a session - some people don’t, which is a shame.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of joining the legal profession?
Try to gain some legal experience early on to ensure that law is definitely what you want to do. Then, once you are set on the career, think about the skills that a lawyer would need and try to develop them while studying or working. Keep in mind that skills are transferable so demonstrate this on the application form.

What makes your firm stand out from the rest?
Our trainees have a lot of responsibility and client contact from day one; because we only have 15 trainees joining us each year, everyone enjoys a high level of support from their dedicated and well-trained supervisors and is always fully utilised on client matters. In some departments trainees even have responsibility for their own small files. In addition, we have a good work/life balance, which is something that's not necessarily found in every City law firm; for example, we are proud that we don't have sleeping pods!

If you could do something completely different, what would it be?
I have a wheat intolerance, so my dream is to own and run a wheat-free bakery with lovely cupcakes and bread, and maybe some pizza thrown in. I just need to think up a good name to call it!

What's your guilty pleasure?
Chocolate, and perhaps a bit of wine as well. In fact, better still, red wine and chocolate together!

What's your desert island disc?
I have this album called 101 Housework Songs which is 101 full-on cheesy songs. I think I'd take that with me to complement the beautiful scenery and stop me from getting bored.

HR Team, Field Fisher Waterhouse

Smiles all around...

We at Field Fisher Waterhouse are elated! In a glittering ceremony at Grosvenor House last night for the Lawyer HR Awards 2011, we won two awards among fierce competition. One was for the 'Best Graduate Trainee Recruitment Campaign' and the other for the 'Best HR Team'. Our Trainee Partner Matthew Lohn, who attended the awards is delighted and Charlie Keeling, our HR Director, is walking around with a big smile on his face (and so are the rest of us).

Competition was definitely intense but it's always nice to know that the industry thinks you're doing the job right. But we mostly hope that our Trainees feel they are getting what they would expect from us, after all, that's what motivated us to do a good job in the first place.

HR Team

Five months in...

My first seat has been spent in the firm's Technology and Outsourcing Group. Top rated in the legal directories, there is no better place than Field Fisher Waterhouse to learn about this area of law. The department is one of the largest in the firm, and the work undertaken ranges from digital media, telecoms, large scale government procurement to data protection and data security issues.

Personally speaking, five months in and coming towards the end of my first seat seems a good time to reflect on what I’ve learnt. The Group runs a weekly 'university' training session, which has been an excellent way to immerse myself in an area of law I knew little about before joining the firm. But more than anything I feel that I’ve learnt by doing. I have been fortunate enough to gain real experience of drafting, research and client meetings, and hope to keep improving and honing these skills.

During the last two weeks I’ve been in Liverpool on a competitive dialogue (less combative than it sounds!), sitting in on meetings between our client and bidders who have been negotiating terms of the contract. What I enjoyed the most was the exposure to clients; both during meetings and in the evening over drinks and dinner. There is no sense of being hidden away behind the scenes at the firm; you are definitely a valued part of the team, and given a real opportunity to contribute. Subsequently, I met with the client alone to obtain instructions, and then marked up three Schedules of the contract accordingly; scary, but proper legal work!

There have been plenty of opportunities to get involved in things outside of work. I’m on the Trainee Social Committee, and we have organised a cocktail making event, in addition to impromptu dinner and drinks with the Trainees. I’m learning to play squash in our basement courts, sang in the choir at Christmas and have enjoyed helping students hone their interview and letter writing techniques through the firm’s pro bono involvement with Queen Mary’s Legal Advice centre.

I’ve got high hopes for the future and my next seat – who knows what it has in store!


Angharad Schell, First Year Trainee

The Monday Morning Feeling

Five months have flown by in my first seat in the Employment and Pensions department. From day one I have felt part of this team and very much enjoyed working in it. On my first day, I remember being a little nervous about meeting everybody in the department but soon realised that there was nothing to worry about and everybody was more than happy to answer any questions I had...although I do have a one year qualified 'buddy' who sits just down the corridor from me who I save my less sophisticated questions for...

The work has also been interesting and diverse. A lot of the department's work involves preparing cases for Employment Tribunals on behalf of our biggest client, the Department of Work and Pensions. As a trainee you are involved in every stage of this process and some of the work I do on a daily basis includes drafting documents such as particulars of response, instructions to counsel, witness statements and letters of advice; interviewing witnesses; researching various points of law; and attending hearings. I have also done work for some of the department's private sector clients, one of which is Ipswich Town Football Club. Getting the chance to visit Ipswich, after conveniently arranging meetings so that they coincide with match day, is definitely a bonus. I must say I was surprised but excited by the level of responsibility that I was given and, having spoken to friends at other firms, this is not an experience which is shared by all trainees in the City.

The firm has a really good sports and social scene too. There are frequently ad hoc nights out and organised events (annual firm wide quiz last night) as well as various sports teams. I manage our football team with two other trainees, Nick and Phil. This is something we will do while we are trainees and upon qualification will pass it onto a new group of trainees. We play in the London Legal League which is made up of City law firms. It's 11 a-side and we play once a week. We've had a difficult season with a string of unlucky results leaving us with a bit of an uphill climb for the rest of the season...but we are having a great time anyway. The sports teams are a great way to meet people at every level of the firm and an ideal way to let off steam after work. We've arranged a sports team social with Jenny, the netball team captain, at the end of February although we are still debating whether we should get competitive with a girls v boys dodgeball match, or just merry with darts and drinks...

We also have a Trainee Social Committee made up of myself, Jenny, Aneesh and Angharad. We are given a generous budget by the firm to arrange various nights out - our first being the 'current and future trainee cocktail-making Christmas bash'...






There's a great work-life balance here and I am really enjoying working life. I think it's a pretty good sign when you don't mind getting out of bed at half six on a Monday morning.

Jamie Pullen, First Year Trainee

Work, cake, karaoke and curry!

Firstly, Happy New Year! The beginning of 2011 seems an appropriate time to write a blog about my first four months at the firm, not least because I will soon be assisting with a graduate recruitment presentation on “life as a trainee”.

I am two thirds of the way through my first seat in Commercial Intellectual Property, a highly regarded department which broadly focuses on franchising, licensing, advertising and film finance. I have been fortunate to experience all of these areas, often undertaking tasks which involve much responsibility such as drafting franchise agreements and reviewing sponsorship contracts. A definite advantage of working in film finance is getting the inside scoop on what the next blockbuster will be. It is also a novel experience to see adverts on station platforms for films Field Fisher Waterhouse has advised on.

I have been given the opportunity to attend quite a few meetings, including one on my third day with a partner, an associate and fifteen clients whose interests were aligned on one matter. As most of the clients are well-known, I rarely have to ask what they do before starting work on a new matter. Of course as a first seat trainee I have had many other questions, but everyone is approachable and happy to answer them.

Whilst most of the people in my department are listed in Chambers and Partners, they definitely deserve more recognition for their baking skills, a fact which has been proven by ‘Cake Club’ which happens on Thursday afternoons. Besides this, the Commercial IP social activities have extended to bowling, drinks, a trip to Devon and karaoke.

The trainees are equally gregarious. Alongside weekly drinks the social committee has organised a cocktail making class and more (clearly very popular) karaoke. The latest rumour is that a trainee curry night is imminent.

Over the past four months my weeknights have also been filled by playing football and hockey for the firm’s teams- I have enjoyed this despite my lack of fitness. The trainees also take it in turns to attend the Queen Mary’s Legal Advice Centre on Tuesday nights.

It has been a very busy four months! I look forward to the rest of my time in Commercial IP as well as starting my new seat in two months.

Stuart Neely, First Year Trainee