Rahil Haq

Rahil started as a trainee in 2016 after first joining us as a Paralegal. Rahil studied the LLB Solicitors Exempting Degree at the University of Westminster which combined the LPC and LLB over four years.   

The best thing about working at BDB Pitmans “The best thing has been that I have real responsibility and am trusted to do real work. People take time to explain things to me in detail and are willing to answer my questions.”

Rahil’s top trainee tip “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It sounds simple, and usually people are good at explaining everything at the start, but if you are unsure about something just ask. Sometimes just finding out some more context can help a lot when working out the answer. The most important thing is to have a good understanding of what you are being asked to do/produce.”

Read about Rahil’s experience so far…

I wanted to be a solicitor because I like being able to solve problems. Breaking down a problem and then working out the best way to approach it is something solicitors have to do all of the time. I also wanted a career where I can consider the bigger picture. A client’s options can be influenced by a range of factors, and advice is not just limited to legal considerations. I chose BDB Pitmans because of the good range of interesting departments which means that I can really explore what type of lawyer I want to be, and the good size trainee intake which means more responsibility. Working here as a paralegal also helped me get a feel for the firm’s culture.

The experience has been interesting so far. In my first seat I worked with the Commercial team (although I get a good share of corporate work also) and assisted on the acquisition of a restaurant, was involved with drafting an Apprenticeship Agreement (the rules relating to Apprentices had just changed). I sat in on a client meetings and was been given the responsibility of drafting various agreements. I drafted an anti-bribery policy and a service integration agreement, and have researched client queries.

There has been lots of useful IT training to ensure we know how to use the firm’s systems. I’m using the system every day, so in-depth knowledge is important. The firm have had people from various legal databases (e.g. Lexis, Westlaw, PLC, Lawtel and many more) come in and train us on their products. Even though I used some of these during university, it was good to have refresher sessions for when I’m asked to do research (which is often). In our first two weeks we took part in some PSC sessions. To qualify as a solicitor you need to have taken part in a certain number of PSC sessions and the firm arranged these from the start. The induction training in our first week focus on more than purely legal topics, we learned about networking skills as well as drafting. There are also internal training sessions within departments, during my first few months I had a training session at least every fortnight.

BDB Pitmans is a firm where you can feel valued and be yourself. There is a good amount of responsibility, and because there are only 5 trainees a year, you have a chance to really get to know the firm and people. It is a very open place to work, people are approachable, and I find that I can speak with anybody. This makes work a lot easier and more enjoyable.