Natalie joined Watkins Solicitors in September 2014 whilst she was completing her final year of a law degree at UWE. She is the third student to undertake a work placement with the ‘Law in Action’ module. Here is what she had to say about her time at Watkins Solicitors.

Natalie De-Merist

“In September 2014 I undertook a work placement at Watkins Solicitors for a ‘Law in Action’ module at university. This was once a week for a total of 25 days. During this time I was expected to work rather than shadow, and completed tasks such as time recording, filing, creating court bundles, communicating with clients and corresponding with the Court. I also had the opportunity to go to court and shadow the solicitor in the advocates meeting and in the hearing. These experiences have certainly helped develop skills that I will use in my career, and in particular my confidence and letter drafting skills have increased a great deal.

“This opportunity provided a great insight into what a career as a solicitor would entail. I am particularly grateful for this as at the time I was uncertain whether this was the correct career path for me, and whether I should go on to study the LPC. However, having undertaken my placement I felt both reassured about my career choice as well as encouraged to achieve. The ‘hands on’ approach at Watkins meant that I got a great deal out of my placement, and much more so than if I were just required to shadow. I thoroughly enjoyed working at the firm and seeing the law being applied in action.”