Skip to content
logo

Each year, Lyons Davidson Bristol, in partnership with South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, take on a number of sixth formers to work during the summer holidays, as part of the Career Academies scheme.

We mentor 15 students at the college, who meet regularly to discuss jobs, university and working life. Following an interview process, we then select five of the 15 to work as paid interns for six weeks. Interns do three seats of two weeks each in different departments to gain as much exposure as possible to different parts of the business. This summer, sixth former Sophie Chamberlain took part in the scheme. Below, she gives an account of her experiences working in the company:

“In the first two weeks of my internship, I worked with the Advocacy team. I learnt about the day-to-day work of the advocates, the travelling which has to be done and the workload that has to be maintained. During this time I was able to go to different hearings, such as employment tribunals and hearings in courts in Bristol and Birmingham. Spending time with the advocates gave me the chance to see the law in action: something I had not thought about before, but which I am very interested in now as I look into my own career.

Travelling with the advocates also gave me the opportunity to meet clients, see the judges and witness hearing styles for different scenarios. On other days, I was able to spend time in the office: the advocacy clerks were very helpful and were able to teach me about the computer systems I had to get familiar with for the rest of my time at Lyons Davidson and also allowed me to send out hearings to other chambers, if needed.

During my third and fourth week, I spent time in the Recoveries department. In this time, I was able to see how different filing systems operate and compare how this department worked with my previous two weeks at Lyons Davidson. I became more familiar with Filestream (the in-house case management system) and talked to the members of the team about various scenarios they were facing, including client interaction on the phone and through email. Spending time in this team enabled me to see something new and get advice on how to communicate with different types of people.

In my final fortnight of internship, I spent two weeks in the Industrial Disease team. During my time there, I was able to see how the team dealt with these emotional and high-pressure cases, and see how they offer advice to clients going through very tough situations in their lives. I very much enjoyed being able to be part of the team in doing day-to-day tasks, such as helping with writing and sending letters, researching businesses for claims, and reading and filing case documents.

While spending time with the Industrial Disease team, I was introduced toBristoland Beyond Asbestos Family Support, a local group for people who have been affected by asbestos-related illnesses, which the team spend a lot time and hard work helping with events to help raise awareness for the support group. After helping with the website and writing letters for an event, I realised I would be very interested in taking part in any future fundraising or events that are taking place.

I very much enjoyed my internship and am thankful for the opportunity to see what daily life is like if you pursue a law career. I am grateful for all the help the members in the teams gave me for the six weeks I was with the company. I was also able to get some advice about a career in Clinical Negligence, which I am very interested in. From start to finish, Lyons Davidson staff were very welcoming and helpful.”

If you would like more information about the internship scheme or a career in the law, visit Lyons Davidson’s recruitment site or email [email protected]