A reflection of my overall experience of the work placement

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Reflective Essay

A reflection of my overall experience of the work placement

        In this essay I will give an overview of my experience of the work placement mentioning how I managed to obtain the specific learning outcomes of the module.        For me, this placement was mainly about getting vital legal work experience, which I could list on my curriculum vitae (CV) and which would thus help me to gain access into the legal profession.  Having read several articles, I realised that recruiters at City firms have recently complained that the ‘quality of applicants has not been as good this year as previously…they had weak career motivation.’  Tromans also stated that because so many students had done extremely well in qualifications, firms are looking for new criteria to pick trainees.  I have learnt that along with an impressive academic record, firms are seeking students who can demonstrate that they have chosen this career path for a reason.  At this point I realised that legal work experience is a significant factor that is taken into account when deciding applicants and will prove the necessary determination and motivation required.  Therefore, this placement has boosted my CV in the form of adding to my list of various legal work experiences, which will boost my employability and hopefully enhance my chances of securing a training contract in the near future.

        In addition to boosting my CV, I also believe that this placement has helped me to decide whether I would be good enough and whether I would enjoy the role of a solicitor in that type of a legal environment.  During the placement I always took time out to observe fellow colleagues in their roles and gained a good idea of what their daily tasks consisted of.  I noticed that on many occasions they became stressed out with clients or with solicitors from other firms they had been dealing with.  They also had to work punishing and tiring hours often with little breaks.  This aspect of life as a solicitor is obviously a drawback but if I am to become a successful solicitor I will have to learn to cope with the pressure and stress as it will be an integral part of my work.

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        Recording my daily experiences in the form of a diary proved very useful to me.  A weakness of mine is that I have a bad long term memory so at the end of each working day, using my organisational skills, I wrote down my personal experience at work in order to combat this weakness, which also enabled me to write my portfolio fluently without the fear of forgetting to include important events whilst they were fresh in my mind.  I also learnt that effective diary keeping will help me manage my time as I will be ‘responsible for organising most ...

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