Lawscot Foundation scholar’s work experience reflections
Tom Campbell reflects on his time with the firm
Tom Campbell
This summer we were delighted to be joined by Tom Campbell, a Lawscot Foundation scholar and University of Glasgow law student, for a work experience placement.
Reflecting on his time with the firm, Tom commented:
“My work placement with Allan McDougall Solicitors this summer was very enjoyable and informative, and an extremely valuable experience to have this early in my legal career. I am very grateful that being part of the Lawscot Foundation has helped me to access this placement, as I came into contact with the firm through two separate events they hosted for the Foundation – an introductory event occurring when my cohort started in 2022 and as part of the Lawscot Challenge event in November last year. I was interested to learn more about the firm and when an opportunity arose, I made sure to take it!
WhiIe apprehensive at first, as this was the first long-term legal placement I have undertaken, all the staff at their central Edinburgh office were welcoming and approachable, and were happy to help with the various questions I had throughout the month or to speak about their experiences with the firm. While I was primarily based in the firm’s personal injury team, I was able to speak with staff from throughout the firm, from the family and employment law teams to the firm’s cashroom, paralegal and other support staff, which helped me build up a complete picture of the pursuer-side work Allan McDougall Solicitors specialises in, and the different roles necessary to make sure a law firm runs smoothly. I spent most of the first week getting familiar with the damages and liability issues which form a large proportion of the work associated with personal injury claims, and after this I had the opportunity to work on active cases, which was extremely exciting, and I was glad to be helping out in whatever way I could.
The team at Allan McDougall Solicitors really went above and beyond to find different opportunities to take part in the day-to-day business of a law firm - a particular highlight was being able to sit in on a pre-trial meeting and expert witness consultation. These meetings were for high value cases where the firm had instructed senior counsel, and helped form a really valuable insight into the civil court process, allowing me to see in considerable detail the issues involved with a medical report and in settlement negotiations, something I otherwise would have been unlikely to experience. I think what stood out to me the most during my time at the firm was getting to see “behind the scenes” of legal work – the negotiation, evidence gathering, accounting and filing – that is central to the industry but not covered in any particular detail in law school. I think it gave me a much more accurate impression of what working as a lawyer would truly be like – and having experienced this for myself, I think I have made the right career choice.
Furthermore, I was able to assist in a broad variety of different legal tasks during my time at the firm, the most common being claim valuation in personal injury cases. This involved comparing clients’ injuries to the Judicial College Guidelines, an established rulebook of likely damages awards, as well as precedent, to establish what a judge might be likely to award. I was also involved with researching a complex company history, to determine if the defender identified in the writ was indeed the correct entity, or if additional companies needed to be brought into the case, and examining the strengths of both sides’ arguments in a case where liability had been denied. Finally, I helped prepare the digital and paper bundles for a case going to the Employment Appeal Tribunal, then delivered them to the Tribunal’s offices. I enjoyed getting to experience so many different aspects of legal work, and I feel that this served as an invaluable introduction to some of the tasks I might be expected to perform in future as a trainee solicitor.
I am certain that all the new knowledge and experience I have gained over the course of my placement will be extremely helpful in my future legal career, and I would like to extend a massive “thank you” to all the staff at Allan McDougall Solicitors for making my time with the firm such a memorable experience!”
Julie Harris, a partner with Allan McDougall Solicitors, added:
“It was a real pleasure to host Tom for some work experience this summer.
As a firm, we always enjoy providing experience to students and those interested in joining the legal profession. Across our three specialist teams – personal injury, employment and family Law – we act for individuals going through stressful and upsetting situations. It is a privilege to represent people and to achieve results and justice for them, and great to be able to share that experience with those new to the profession. There are not many work experience opportunities out there for students and those that do arise are usually with commercial law firms.
Tom was exceptional in his attitude to the work – grasping concepts quickly and with enthusiasm. He had great attention to detail and undertook some really valuable research in a number of our cases. I have no doubt he will prove to be a very able lawyer in the future.
The Lawscot Foundation plays such a pivotal role in providing opportunities to students such as Tom, and our experience as sponsors of the charity over the last few years has been overwhelmingly positive.”
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