Taj Uddin, trainee, talks about his time in Edinburgh, first impressions and his thoughts on getting the best from the firm.
How are you finding Edinburgh?
Edinburgh is a great city to spend time in and a pleasant place to live – there can’t be many where you can walk from your flat to your office and really enjoy the journey as well. Of course, professionally this city and this office offers great opportunities too. Since being here I’ve found the chance to be involved in a broad mix of work – and there’s client contact across the board.
How does it differ from working in London?
The quality of clients are the same, but the types of industry you’re dealing with is slightly different. For instance, energy is a big deal here – we’re dealing with areas like offshore wind farms, and oil and gas. Also, because it’s a smaller office, you get to see how several departments work. We also provide a lot of support to London too – you definitely feel part of something bigger.
How did you come to train with CMS Cameron McKenna?
I was at Oxford University, studying Jurisprudence. I first heard about the firm at the university law fair. I felt that you weren’t going to be treated like a robot here. There wasn’t the impression that your primary function was to produce documents. There was more sensitivity to the work/life balance. It was a more human, but without losing the commercial focus.
How are you supported?
You’re given room to look after things yourself, but at the same time everything is supervised – from the relationships you build with clients down to the full stops and commas you’re writing. There’s no sense that you’re abandoned to just get on with things. There’s help if you need it, and people are easy to get on with.
What advice would you give to a future trainee?
More than anything I’d say if you’ve got any questions at all, just ask. You could sit tight and worry “am I doing something the right or wrong way?”. Or you can just ask the question and get it out of the way.