There is some interesting recruitment activity in Glasgow at the moment for newly qualified solicitors who enjoy contentious work but want a bit of breadth before disappearing down one particular rabbit hole.
Professional negligence.
Property damage.
Product liability.
Construction disputes.
Insurance coverage.
Quite a useful collection of things to be exposed to at the beginning of your career.
Because at NQ, I think the priority should be becoming a really good lawyer.
Learning how to analyse a difficult set of facts.
How to build an argument.
How to deal with experts.
How to manage clients when the answer is not particularly straightforward.
And how to develop the judgement that eventually matters considerably more than simply knowing which form needs lodged next.
This sort of role gives you the chance to do exactly that.
It would particularly suit somebody who enjoyed their litigation seats during traineeship but does not necessarily want to qualify into a completely general disputes practice.
You can start developing a specialism while still seeing enough variety to work out where your strengths really lie.
Perhaps professional negligence grabs you.
Perhaps construction disputes do.
Perhaps you discover an inexplicable enthusiasm for insurance coverage arguments that your friends will never fully understand.
All perfectly possible.
The important thing is getting the right exposure early.
I’m keen to speak with trainees approaching qualification and newly qualified solicitors in Glasgow who have strong contentious experience and want to develop within a specialist litigation environment.
You do not need to have done every element of the work already.
At this stage, good training, intellectual curiosity and the ability to get stuck into complicated problems matter an awful lot.
If you’re approaching qualification and would like a sensible conversation about the Glasgow litigation market, contact Neil Campbell at QED Legal.
I’ll talk you through the options I’m seeing, where your experience could fit and which routes might actually give you the best start to your career.
