The Four Seats
Our legal traineeship normally consists of a combination of 4 seats of 26 weeks in each of our key departments:
Property
The property department is Biggart Baillie's largest department and covers all aspects of commercial and residential property law. Every business uses property, whether for its own occupation or for investment, development or financing. This is a popular seat with trainees as there are numerous opportunities to get involved in the different areas of the legal property sector.
Corporate
The corporate department covers all areas from Energy, E-commerce and Corporate Finance to Intellectual Property, Information Technology and Pensions. Trainees tend to enjoy the variety within the corporate department and the possibilities for gaining real client experience.
Dispute Management
Everybody within the litigation department has their own niche area from Commercial Disputes to Mediation and Personal Injury. The two largest areas at present are the Insurance Unit and the Employment Unit, both of which are split between the Glasgow and Edinburgh Offices. Second year trainees who have a seat in dispute management are eligible for a restricted practising certificate which allows the opportunity to gain real experience of attending court on behalf of the firm. There are opportunities to become involved in both Sheriff Court and Court of Session actions. We assist Counsel (Advocates) with Proof preparation for interesting Court of Session actions. Trainees also get some experience of Employment Law with the chance to attend Employment Tribunals.
Private Client
The private client department provides practical advice to clients in relation to the management of their personal affairs. Areas included in the private client remit are wills, executries (including foreign aspects of estates), powers of attorney, guardianship/intervention orders, trusts and charities. This is a great opportunity for trainees to enjoy close contact with a wide variety of clients and the types of work that the department covers.
Infracstructure, Environment and Transport ("IET")
The IET department is a diverse department consisting of a variety of legal disciplines. The areas of work will include environmental, planning, transport and infrastructure, construction, procurement and property. This department offers a trainee the chance to get a varied experience in a number of specialist niche areas which also tie into other departments within the firm.
If you would like to find out more about our traineeships, please contact Susan Findlay, HR Manager by email recruitment@biggartbaillie.co.uk or 0141 228 8000.