8.00
Arrival and time for a cup of tea while the computer loads up. The double click on the "email" icon to see what your day will entail, and what emails came in over night from clients working late and those lawyers on the other side of the globe that are dealing with cross border issues with you.
8.30
Time to review the to-do list and see what needs doing as soon as possible – today, it's a research task.
9.30
Most clients have got to work by now and have started to email in their problems and queries. The first unexpected email of the day has arrived, and a long standing client has informed us of a new case of passing off and trade mark infringement which they want to pursue and want us to write a letter before action on their behalf. Time for a bit of digging on the potential infringer and getting the first draft of a letter before action prepared.
11.00
The post has arrived and although as a trainee, hardly anything is addressed to you, fee earners are always keen for trainees to have a go at doing a first draft of an email or letter in response on their behalf (you quickly learn to accept the red pen squiggles across your work!). Today we have a notification from the World Intellectual Property Office that one of our client's trade marks has been registered in one country, but refused in another. Time to email the client and find out what they want to do about the refusal.
11.45
Time to meet with one of the fee earners who has passed me some work to do this week. I report back on the research and ask a few questions about the letter before action that I started drafting this morning. Then it's back to the drawing board to finish my first draft and time to draft undertakings along with the letter.
"It should come as no surprise that no two days in the life of a trainee are the same!"
13.00
It's lunch time, and what is clear is that no-one frowns upon you taking your lunch break. That quick walk to the shop round the corner can make all the difference and no one expects you to sit at your desk without moving for the whole day. It's always useful to have a bit of fresh air, and the lunchtime check of BBC News for interesting IP news stories is also a good way to keep up to date with changes to the law.
14.00
Witness statements are due to be exchanged in the next week and so it's important to get all the exhibits ready. A copyright and design right infringement case at the moment means we have plenty of design documents, products and packaging to exhibit in some form or another. An afternoon's work communicating with the client, ensuring they are happy with the statement and getting them to sign it often involves constant to-ing and fro-ing, both on the phone and via email.
17.00
The work life balance is key. Hand on heart, I can count on one hand the amount of days I've left at 17.00 or 17.30. On the other hand, there have only been a few days when I've been here any later than 21.00. An average day for a trainee probably ends sometime between 18.00 and 19.30, dependant on the amount of work you have to do. Key to this is the realisation that tasks often take trainees a little longer to complete than the associate or partner in your department. Spending that little bit longer at work in the evening means you can comfortably tie up those loose ends that have bothered you throughout the day and means you can get the work up to the standard they expect of you. I can finish my draft letter and leave it on the fee earners desk for the morning, ready for it to be quickly returned to me tomorrow for my second attempt!
18.30
With my time recording up to date and a task list ready for the morning, it's time to head home.
22.30
Lying in bed thinking about what tomorrow will bring. Another busy day no doubt! In such a short period of time I've learnt so much and although I've been busy and sometimes had to put in a few extra hours, I've enjoyed every minute!
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