This article was written by Gabriel Foster who completed three days of work experience at Farleys in February 2024.
As a final-year law student at Liverpool John Moores University, navigating potential careers and exploring interests in the law is difficult when also pressed with daunting thoughts of final exams and lengthy training contract applications. Even more difficult to overcome is the reiterated truth that most firms do not look beyond an application that has limited or no work experience. Thankfully, for me, my work in the pro bono Legal Advice Centre (LAC) at LJMU has already given me a flavour of what live client work is like; granting me the opportunity to conduct live client interviews, utilise legal research tools to give answers to these complex issues, time record and draft letters of legal advice to clients. However, I still sought the opportunity to witness first-hand what life in the legal industry is really like; and when I was given the opportunity to spend 3 days in Farleys’ Winckley Square office by Mark Hague to come in and work in the insolvency department, I was eager to take the most of this opportunity.
Wednesday
Eager to begin my 3-day work experience with the Firm, I arrived at the picturesque Winckley Square office and was greeted by Mark Hague, who immediately broke the ice with me and made me feel welcome before introducing me to the rest of the insolvency team: Sarah, Armin, Ella and Olivia who were all jovial and helped me settle into my first day quickly. From the outset it was clear to me that Farleys feels a lot warmer than most corporate firms, the team were all joking with each other and myself which is something I have not witnessed at corporate firms, with all the team seeming to fit well together- everyone worked well, acted well with each other and genuinely enjoyed the company of their colleagues which showed how close the team is.
Mark then immediately gave me some context on a live-client call before allowing me to shadow it. I quickly understood what kind of clients the Firm deals with and the intense nature of insolvency law; seeing this in person is strikingly different to simply learning about the law in a textbook or in a lecture and really opened my eyes on what working at the Firm is really like.
As I have not yet studied insolvency at university, I was given an information sheet on moratoriums which aided me with a research task to create summaries of 11 recent important insolvency cases, which provided me with an insight into this area of the law. Despite being a simple task, this was a challenge for me as insolvency law was completely new to me and I approached this task by taking the time to read each case carefully in order to understand the legal issues at hand. Mark then tasked me with another research task on a client issue before I headed home after my first day at the Firm.
Thursday
Mark again gave me some context on a live-client call before letting me shadow it and answered any questions I had about the case. I was impressed by the way in which Mark is able to conduct himself with clients, especially when delivering information that the client may not particularly want to hear, and the way he was able to convey legal advice, while also being as jovial to me as he was to clients. From shadowing this call, and also hearing other members of the team on the phone to clients, this indicated to me that Mark and the team at Farleys are able to build strong, lasting relationships with clients that go beyond professionalism and encompass a personal relationship too.
I was then tasked with producing an article about the recent case of Wolverhampton City Council v London Gypsies and Travellers [2023], which particularly intrigued me as the issues regarding the case are something with which I am familiar with. Being from Liverpool, the surrounding countryside near to me has had issues with gyspy/traveller encampment, and reading about the court’s judgements on newcomer injunctions was certainly interesting. I approached this task by firstly reading the judgement in full, and then by exploring any legal issues raised that I was not certain on, with the team also helping me with any questions I had. As always, it can be challenging to navigate the complex legal jargon when reading court judgements, but being given such an interesting task with the opportunity to write an informative piece on this case felt rewarding.
Friday
My final day with the Firm culminates with me writing this piece. My 3-day work experience at Farleys has shown me a great insight into what the legal industry is really like by exposing me to the fast-paced nature of legal practise, this is something that particularly surprised me; as I was not prepared for how busy and demanding the office would be with client meetings and phones ringing all day. This demanding nature also highlighted how incredibly rewarding working at Farleys is and reaffirmed my ambition to become a solicitor.
I learnt a lot about insolvency practise overall throughout the last 3 days, such as moratoriums, the process of appointing administrators and liquidators, and the law regarding preferring companies. I also learnt about recent cases involving Russian-owned companies going into administration due to their assets being frozen as a result of sanctions which particularly interested me.
This invaluable experience has undoubtedly prepared me for my future legal career, and contributed to my professional development. I am extremely grateful to Farleys to giving me this opportunity to spend 3 days with the insolvency team, as I have met some great people and shall keep in touch with them. I would certainly recommend undertaking work experience at Farleys to anyone wishing to develop a legal career and build professionally.
If you’re interested in learning more about the options for work experience or careers at Farleys, please visit our dedicated page or email careers@farleys.com.
