I’m sure some of you, particularly those of you who know that I’ve been trying to secure a training contract for four years, would like to know how my training is going.

It’s now been almost two months since I started my training with South West London Law Centres, and all is going swimmingly. Most of the past two months have been focused on clearing my RAD caseload, as well as focusing on my casework supervision duties for the Advice team, and I am now starting to accept Deaf clients referred to me by RAD for the law centre. My first case will be a former RAD client of mine, who is facing possession proceedings for eviction. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into that case.

I am still covering two advice surgeries for RAD, but with the handing over of Romford on Wednesdays to Laura, I now have up to four days a week at the law centre (three days when I go to Brixton on a Tuesday). It has been a massive improvement.

The Law Society requires that all trainees keep a training record of the work completed and the skills used during the casework, and I have been doing this, and also, I am currently sorting out funding for BSL/English Interpreters on my Professional Skills Course. At the moment, BPP Law School are insisting that *I* pay for the BSL/English Interpreters, and having thrown the DDA 1995 at them, I’m waiting for a response from the Course Director. Will let you know what happens.

All in all, I’m a happy bunny!

Most of you will know by now that I have now commenced my training to become a qualified solicitor. I thought you would appreciate it if I updated you on how it’s going.

As you know, I started my 18-month training contract on 28 November 2005 with South West London Law Centres, based at Croydon & Sutton Law Centre. I have to say that I’ve been really lucky. I’ve secured a training contract employed by RAD, which, despite its faults, is an organisation that I am proud to work for. I am on the same salary as I was as an advice worker, which is an added bonus, and Linda has agreed not to tie me to RAD after the completion of my training contract, knowing full well that once it’s done, I’ll want to move back to Wales to be with Rachel.

The staff I’m working with are all really nice. They have all comfortably adapted to life with a Deaf trainee and his BSL/English Interpreter. Nick, my supervisor, is great and knowledgeable, and I feel I can learn a lot from him, as well as Maria (immigration), Cherry (benefits) and Lisa (employment). I have my own desk with my own stationery, and an IT consultant was there to set up my laptop to access the LAN on my first day. They couldn’t have been more welcoming if they tried.

My main focus will be on RAD clients referred to me by the advice workers, but I will be working on some cases with the solicitors as and when required. So the next 18 months should prove to be an interesting experience. Things have been hampered a little because of the impending Christmas period and also because I’m still covering advice surgeries for RAD, but hopefully once a new advice worker is recruited, things should ease up a bit.

All in all, I’m one happy bunny.

You will remember a post made a while back where I basically said that my life was stuck in a limbo at the present time. Well, no longer.

What was that all about? Well, you all know that my training contract with SWLLC starts on 28 November 2005. I was offered an interview for a law firm in Cardiff, Thomas Graham, and I was one of four candidates they wished to interview. You can imagine my excitement, and all the attempts to keep my hopes and expectations down, in the event of bitter disappointment.

Over the past month or so, we have tried to arrange an interview date, but this has been beset by delays. This morning, however, I received an email to inform me that they are unable to offer me an interview and the position has been put on hold. So that’s that. My dream of securing a training contract in Wales dashed, an opportunity to move back to Wales permanently gone.

While this is a bitter pill to swallow, at least I do have a training contract. I am looking forward to it. I’m going to be working with a really good training provider, the law centre, and will be working with a bunch of good people. The best thing of all, however, is the fact that I will continue to be employed by RAD.

May 2007, here we come!

I have an exciting announcement to make:

My training contract with RAD/WMLC will commence on Monday 28 November 2005.

This means that I am now able to fulfil my dream of becoming a qualified solicitor; something I’ve wanted to do since I was 15 years old.

However, it’s a little bit funny. I’m so thrilled about it all, and yet, it’s such an anti-climax. I always thought that when I get a training contract, I would be bouncing up and down for days. However, instead of being happy, I just feel so angry. Angry at the fact that it’s taken four years to get a training contract.

I’ve been hearing about other people who want to be solicitors who have not even yet finished their LLBs walking into a training contract with a City law firm at a starting salary of £35,000pa, and getting their LPC paid for by the firm, plus maintenance grants. I’ve got friends who I did the LPC with already qualified solicitors, and others who are over halfway through their training contracts. And yet, I’m only just starting mine. I finished my LPC 2.5 years ago.

Why have all these people had all the luck? I do consider myself lucky; particularly as I was lucky to find myself working for RAD and having Linda Isaac as my line manager, as it paved the way for a secondment to a law centre. I do feel vindicated because I know I earned this training contract; I’ve worked bloody hard as an advice worker for the past 2.5 years, and now I’m getting a just reward. But there’s still something inside of me that feels wronged.

This anger is something I wasn’t expecting to feel, and I don’t really understand it.

The main thing is, however, I do have a training contract. Halleujah!