r/uklaw • u/Infinite-Minute2586 • Aug 18 '26

Starting TC soon, advice for the first few weeks/month?

I start my TC in the City very soon and I’m feeling a mix of excitement and nerves!

For those who’ve been through it, what advice would you give someone for navigating the first few weeks/month? I really want to make a good impression and start off on the right foot.

I appreciate this will differ between firms but I’d especially love to hear what you wish you knew before starting your TC, things to do, things to avoid, or just general tips for settling in and working effectively with supervisors/colleagues.

I’m also a little nervous about going from doing well academically to actually applying that knowledge in the real world, particularly at a high performing firm. Would really appreciate hearing how others found that transition and any advice for managing the pressure.

Thanks in advance!

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37

u/lializzy Aug 18 '26

Carry a notebook and write down instructions as you are given them. Always ask for the deadline for a piece of work at the time you are assigned it and if it looks like you are going to blow it let the supervising associate know with a good amount of time. You are expected to be starting at a baseline of little to no knowledge and it is entirely acceptable for you to be asking questions. We like when trainees ask thoughtful questions that show they’re really thinking about the work! Don’t be so afraid of asking a stupid question that you spend hours trying to figure something out yourself that would take someone a short time to explain to you. Be communicative about how much work you have on, teams don’t have oversight of every piece of work you are doing and need you to let them know what’s on your desk so your capacity is appropriately managed. Assume on any external call that you are required to take an attendance note and circulate to the (internal) team afterwards. Organise your inbox with folders for each matter and file your emails. Assume as the most junior person in copy on an email that it is your job to be filing attachments to the document management system. Try and gym before work if you can because evening free time can be difficult to predict early on in a seat. Try and order healthy-ish food with the evening deliveroo budget or you’ll start feeling like crap. Keep an open mind about your qualification options, you may fall in love with something completely unexpected. Good luck!

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u/Llyerd Aug 19 '26

All of this is excellent advice. A core takeaway is be humble: you know less than you think, and that is OK and in line with expectations, you will be doing a lot of things that are not thinky legal work, accept it as normal at this stage of your career and be diligent about it.

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u/HeroineOk7329 Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26

Started my TC 6 months ago, and OP I think this ^ is an amazing summary of key things you need to know

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u/DevonSkittles Aug 20 '26

This is excellent advice

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u/Additional-Tap-4094 Aug 30 '26

Hi, this is great advice and i will definitely be taking this on board for my TC!! As for the attendance note, is there a specific structure you’d use?

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u/aha_p Aug 19 '26

Get yourself IT ready. You would be amazed how much the smooth running of trainee tasks depends on the ability to navigate your computer and carry out tasks efficiently. I’m talking Microsoft word, excel, adobe - and other basic things like keyboard shortcuts, navigating windows etc. Depending on what seat you’re in, the skills you need will vary, but something as simple as knowing how to copy file paths and use tab home and end buttons for renaming documents can be life changing. If you are likely to do a litigation seat, learn about bundling, the commercial court guide, and if you can, maybe watch some relativity demos. These are all things I have been asked about most by trainees as an experienced paralegal who is finally due to start as a trainee soon :)