By Jesca Knott, Paralegal, Family Law Team

Under normal circumstances, after your first few weeks in a new job you would probably expect to know most people’s names and how everybody in the team likes their cuppa! But under this new normal, things have definitely been a bit different.

Hi, I am Jesca Knott, I recently joined Cullimore Dutton as a Paralegal in the Family Law team and I’m sharing these brief insights into life as the new girl. Today, in part two of this series, I review my first few weeks in the job.

I feel much more accustomed to working from home than I thought I would and feel that I’ve developed a routine and structure to my days which has really helped. There are a number of plans which Cullimore Dutton had in place on my arrival which have made the first few weeks such a positive experience:

Induction Schedule
I’ve been really fortunate that a varied and interesting induction schedule was created for me, covering my first two weeks. This included introductions to the different departments and the all-important financial and compliance training. In ordinary times, I would of course have received all of this training in the office, ensuring that this schedule was in place, in spite of the lockdown, made things feel much easier and helped me to settle into my new role. It also gave me structure during my first few weeks and provided me with the opportunity to meet colleagues virtually all of whom made me feel very welcome. 

Video calls
Throughout the pandemic we have embraced video technology, not only for client contact but also for internal meetings and the daily team video call has helped enormously. These are built into everybody’s day and make the team feel much more accessible. They are also an opportunity to create a version of the office culture, which we all know and miss. 

One-to-ones with the Boss
I have daily one-to-one sessions with our Head of Family Law, Brenda Spain. She has been extremely supportive, and these sessions have enabled me to build on my knowledge of Family law and get to grips with the procedures and processes within our department. They have been incredibly useful not only in furthering my knowledge, but also maintaining that structure to my day and enabling a strong working relationship to develop between Brenda and me.  

From this point on, I am keeping a training diary which allows me to see exactly what I’ve covered so far. It also allows me and Brenda to discuss which areas of Family Law I would like to know more about and where my knowledge may still need some work. 

My first few weeks with CD seem to have whizzed by, but I have already learnt so much in such a short period and have felt really welcomed by everybody at the firm. 

The best part about working in this team is that no two days are ever the same!

Jesca

Get in touch with Cullimore Dutton Solicitors on 01244 356 789 or email info@cullimoredutton.co.uk

Please note: This is not legal advice; it is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues.