Burcu is a Trainee Solicitor within the Family Department at Rawlins Davy Reeves and qualifies this Summer. She sets out below what a typical day is like for her at RDR:
8:30am
I arrive in Poole and grab a Starbucks (of course), then log on to start the day. The first thing is always catching up on emails from the night before and reviewing the tasks for the day.
9am
I typically have a brief meeting with my supervisor to discuss my tasks for the day.
9:15am
I deal with the new client enquiries which involves arranging an initial free half hour consultation. If I am conducting the appointment myself, I will then draft a Letter of Advice to the potential new client, summarising what was discussed at the meeting.
9:45am
I have a Court hearing later on in the morning to represent a client in support of their application for a Non-Molestation Order following years of being a victim of domestic abuse by her partner. I always review the Court bundle before and ensure that I know the full facts of the case.
I typically telephone unrepresented Respondents to gain their views. During the phone call, they will let me know if they will be contesting the application. I will then telephone my client to explain the Respondent’s position. Luckily on this day, the Respondent confirmed they will not be contesting the application which simply means that the hearing is likely to be a final hearing.
10:30am
I will then leave Poole to drive to Bournemouth Court.
When attending the Court building, I always ensure that my client is waiting in a separate area away from the Respondent due to the sensitive nature of the matter. During this time, I answer any further questions the client may have.
11:30am
We finally get called to the Court room after there being a double listing. The hearing only lasts 15 minutes as the Judge concluded for the Non-Molestation Order to be put in place for a year. The client is inevitably very happy about this.
12pm
I then drive back to Poole to draft the final Order to send to the Judge for approval. During this time, I will do an attendance note and send a brief email to the client explaining the outcome.
1pm
Lunch time! On this occasion, I went for a pub lunch with my colleagues.
2pm
During my seat, I spend a lot of time attending Public Law Outline (PLO) meetings with the Local Authority. This is the process followed when the Local Authority are concerned about a child’s wellbeing and will issue care proceedings unless positive steps are taken to alleviate those concerns. These can be very difficult for the parents, and I will always have a meeting with them before the PLO to explain the steps.
The meeting typically lasts an hour. After the meeting, I will telephone the client to debrief. I will then do an attendance note setting out what happened and what the agreed next steps are.
3:30pm
I attended a remote meeting with another Client to do a position statement setting out her proposals for contact going forward in relation to her children.
4:45pm
On this day, I was unable to draft the statement on the day of the meeting and as a result, I made a detailed attendance note based on my notes to then draft the statement on the following day.
5pm
Home time!
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