Starting out in law: Lessons I’ve learned along the way

Written by: James Statham, Associate Solicitor at Weightmans 

I am an Associate in the Commercial Dispute Resolution team at Weightmans LLP. I started my training contract with the firm in 2021, qualified as a Solicitor in 2023 and have been promoted to Associate recently in 2026.  

Throughout my career so far, there are a number of lessons that have helped me build my confidence, develop my skillset, and make the most of the opportunities available to me, that I would share with any trainee or junior professional coming into a legal environment for the first time.

Here are some of the key pieces of advice I would give to anyone starting out in their legal career.

Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself

You will spend lots of time around experienced lawyers with decades of experience. Make the most of the opportunity to work with these talented people and soak up as much knowledge as you can. However, it is very much OK to not have the knowledge they do!

Over time, you will also realise that every day is a school day for all lawyers. The legal environment we operate in is ever-changing, and there are always new things to learn. You will always need to keep up to date with developments in your practice area, so this is a constant theme in practice.

The most important thing is to be willing to learn.

If you don’t know something, ask!

As one of my training supervisors said, “I don’t mind if you ask me what leasehold is now, but please don’t ask me when you’re qualified!”

Although that was just a light-hearted comment at the time, this is very true. You develop much quicker if you use the resources around you.

It is also not just supervisors. Those who are a training seat or two ahead, or other juniors and paralegals within the team, will have lots to share, so don’t be shy.

Offer to help those around you

Offer to help those around you, at all levels. We work in a fast-paced environment, and you may need to rely on the people around you at times, so you should be prepared to do the same for them.

Whether that is printing a letter for someone who can’t get into the office or covering a client meeting, people don’t forget these things. It helps build a strong team that clients can rely on.

Once those around you are confident you can ace the smaller tasks, you will soon be delegated and trusted with more interesting work!

Get involved in wider firm initiatives

Get involved in wider firm initiatives such as CSR, ESG or D&I. It is very rewarding to get involved in wider initiatives as part of your day-to-day job, but I’ve also found it’s a great way to make contacts with colleagues around the firm, across different offices, and build your own internal network.

You will also build visibility around the firm, which can be helpful for your own career.

In my time at Weightmans, some of my favourite moments were the volunteering and fundraising for our previous office charity, Acorns Children’s Hospice.

Get a mentor

Whether this is at your firm or through another organisation such as Future Faces or the Junior Lawyers Division, having a mentor can be invaluable.

Getting an outside perspective on your own development and having regular check-ins to make you accountable for your own actions is incredibly useful. It is also a great way of building your network really early on with more senior and experienced people within the profession.

Joining the Future Faces mentoring scheme is advisable for all trainees!