I studied English Language and Literature at King's College London and completed my degree in 2007. On graduating I hadn't much idea of what area I wanted to work in, so started working at a large recruitment firm in the City. I quickly decided recruitment was not for me, and started looking into what careers interested me more. Through my previous job I had heard about Edwards Wildman through one of our clients who operated as an associate office for the firm, and started to look more closely at the work the firm did. I was always interested in the small size of the firm as I wanted to work in an environment where I knew everyone, could work with and be valued as part of a close-knit team. I found the collegiate feel of the office really appealing.

I was also interested in the focus of the work the firm handled. I had always been more interested in the litigious side of law, and the majority of work at the firm was on the contentious side. Practice areas such as insurance & reinsurance, commercial litigation, IP, public international law and corporate/transactional, meant the scope of the work and variety available, even at training contract level, was exciting.

The assessment day itself also marked out the firm for me. Unlike previous interviews where I had been dryly interrogated, and occasionally shouted at (over my views on Shakespeare), my interview with the Firm was much more of a conversation. I was challenged but the feel of the interview was relaxed, even at the end of a long assessment day!

I completed the GDL and LPC at BPP Waterloo in 2008-10 and started my training contract in September 2010. My first seat was in Commercial Litigation. The experience exceeded my expectations, and I was involved in very interesting ongoing cases, including cross-border litigation and some very tight deadlines. I was told I'd be involved in international work but I'd not appreciated just how international all the firm's work really is. All the matters I worked on had an international element.

From the start I have also been involved in pro bono work for the firm, which has been really interesting and brought a more personal aspect into the work I'm doing. Involvement in pro bono work lets you manage a caseload and gain experience of an area of law that you might not be exposed to otherwise.

The support network of the firm has also been amazing, from the partner I sat with (who also trained at the firm) and who always made time to explain anything and everything, to the other trainees, HR team and other partners. From the beginning you are made to feel very welcome, which makes the idea of starting your career far less daunting! The social side of being a trainee is also important at the firm. As there are only 16 trainees in total everyone gets to know each other pretty quickly. The firm ensures everyone knows who you are, through events like the trainee winter party (which you're invited to after you first accept your training contract offer), the quiz night which the first year trainees organise in October and various other ad-hoc social events.

If you are looking for interesting and stimulating work; to be included as part of a close-knit team, to be given a high-degree of responsibility from your first day and to enjoy a positive firm culture then Edwards Wildman may just be the right firm for you.