8.55am
Not being a morning person, I tend to wake up as late as I possibly can and make it to the office just before 9am. I am usually in a rush in the mornings, so I race to my desk and log into Proclaim to start my day.
9am
As a solicitor specializing in Japanese Knotweed, I prioritise the first hour of my day to sifting through new enquiries which have been submitted the night before by homeowners concerned that they have Japanese Knotweed or other invasive plants affecting their property.
I also check my emails for any matters which require my urgent attention and work through these to ensure everything is in hand before I turn my attention to my general task list for the day.
10.30am
As a company, we take the view that everyone should have at least a basic understanding of what every other department does as this allows everyone to share ideas and help solve problems at weekly meetings. Sometimes, when you are working on the same types of cases every day, it is easy to become too focused on certain things and it can be invaluable to obtain outside perspective on how to progress matters or overcome problems. As such, all new starters, whether they are starting in Japanese Knotweed, Data Breach, accounts, IT or First Response, all receive basic training on the work involved for every other department.
Today I provide training to 6 new starters and talk them through the issues posed by Japanese Knotweed and the reasons why people require assistance from us to make a claim.
11am
After training, it is time for one of the firm’s weekly meetings where all employees gather in the amphitheatre to share any updates and prepare for the week ahead. Today we were led by Director of the firm, Jessica Hampson in each saying something that we are proud of doing recently to reflect on our own achievements. I said that I was proud of our recent fundraising efforts for our nominated charity, Claire House as collectively as a company we have managed to raise almost £2,500.00 in the past 6 months, all of which is being donated to such an important cause.
11.30am
Once back at my desk and any urgent emails have been dealt with, I begin to work through my task list which can be incredibly varied depending on the day.
1pm
Lunch time and a chance to stock up the office tuck shops! As part of our fundraising for Claire House, our offices on both the 12th and 6th floor have been supplied with a tuck shop and all profits made are donated to the charity. I like to spend part of my lunch hour each day stocking up each tuck shop and collecting any donations from the day before.
2pm
After lunch I have no further meetings or training booked in for the day and so I take the opportunity to focus all my time working through my task list.
Most days are spent discussing claims with various experts, negotiating settlements, or contacting new clients to explain how we can best assist them. As Japanese Knotweed claims require an understanding of many different areas of law, it is necessary to take an individual approach with each file in order to obtain the best outcome for our clients. Unlike other departments, Japanese Knotweed allows us to represent both Claimants and Defendants and so each day is completely different from the next.
Today sees me drafting witness statements for a client we are defending before moving on to draft an application for Pre-Action disclosure on behalf of a Claimant we represent.
5pm
We are officially done, however today we are taking part in the Liverpool Legal Walk to raise money for local free legal advice centres for those that can’t afford legal advice but are struggling as a result of destitution, homelessness, or trafficking.
Myself and a group of colleagues all wear our matching CEL T-Shirts and head over to the starting point to begin our 5k walk through the city centre to raise awareness and money. The walk ends at a local pub with a complimentary drink so naturally we all make the most of this chance to unwind at the end of the day before we start all over again tomorrow.
