The Thrings Academy is a forum that brings the junior employees from across the firm together to advance the professional and social skills they need to excel in the legal world.
Academy members range from LPC and CPQ trainees to paralegals and conveyancers, with everyone taking part in regular development days, activities and social events.
Here are some thoughts from two of our trainees on the latest Academy Day, what they have taken away from the experience and why they think the Academy is a great platform to learn.
What did today’s session look like?
Shana: A lot of what was on today’s agenda was working on communication skills. This included considering the types of questions we ask, whether open, closed, leading or multiple, and working out when they are best used and when they shouldn’t be used. We also learned about the different types of behaviours people adopt, learning about the ones we exhibit ourselves and how best to adapt how we interact with each other based on this information.
Rehan: We also spent a lot of time learning about financial hygiene, with refreshers on recording time, credit services and billing which was a helpful reminder about why it is important to be consistent in keeping track of these areas.
What was your main take away?
Rehan: I found it really helpful to have a better understanding how the tone in which people communicate can have such importance and what makes it most effective. It was great to have discussion around how face-to-face conversations can be markedly different to those over the phone and how reliant the latter is on the words and tone used when you don’t have body language and visible expression to support it.
Shana: For me, it was learning about the different behaviour types, understanding where I, my colleagues and clients fit onto the spectrum. It really helped me consider the way I should approach interacting with people and the way I should structure and ask questions to get the information I need.
Why do you think being a part of the Academy will be beneficial to your career development?
Shana: It is great to be a part of the Academy and get this additional support so soon after starting my training contract, setting me up for the rest of my current seat and those that will follow. With the Academy days happening frequently, I’m looking forward to acquiring and building a wide range of skills throughout my contract.
Rehan: It is never too late to improve your skills and even though I am approaching the end of my traineeship, I am continuing to learn and develop, building on the skills and education I have received during my time as a trainee.
What are you looking forward to in future Academy days?
Rehan: Taking part in more group exercises will be great, encouraging the more junior members of the firm to work as part of a team and not be discouraged in bringing their thoughts and their voice to the table, even when working with more senior colleagues.
You move around a lot of different teams and different people as a trainee and it is quite helpful to have that practice working in a group with different people. It is good to get that practice so when you are put into that situation in the real world, you can have a more meaningful impact.
Shana: Very much agree with what Rehan has said. I am also looking forward to developing my public speaking skills and putting them into practice. It was great to use the skills we discussed today in a range of activities and getting the chance to build my confidence in speaking to a larger audience would be very useful.
Thrings is an award-winning law firm dedicated to nurturing careers in the legal sector. We are always looking for talented and ambitious people to join us and help us change how people think about the law. Check out our vacancies or contact our HR team (hr@thrings.com) to find out more.
