Joseph Battle graduated from Bristol with a law degree and is now a first seat trainee in TLT’s London office.
We recently caught up with Joseph to hear about his journey so far at TLT and his advice for students considering a career in law.
Hi I’m Joseph,
While studying I tried to get as much exposure to the legal industry as possible to confirm that I wanted to start a career in law and to work out which area of law suited me best. This included work experience with a barristers’ chambers, a boutique private practice, larger full-service corporate firms and a firm operating in a different jurisdiction. These experiences were invaluable for me to gain an awareness of the different disciplines within the industry and to figure out what clicked for me.
I was appreciative of the opportunities to attend numerous networking evenings and law fairs whilst at Bristol. I found these to be a brilliant way to informally chat to representatives from a whole host of firms and to quickly get a feel for whether I would be a good fit for the firm and whether the firm would be a good fit for me.
Having frequently walked past TLT’s offices on the way down to Temple Meads Station, I wanted to find out more about the firm. After hearing the high praise from the trainees at the University of Bristol Law Fair, I started to delve further into what TLT had to offer. I was quickly impressed by the level of work, high profile clients, focus on sustainability and significant growth within recent years.
The TLT headquarters are situated in Bristol, but they also have a branch in London, which is where I am from. This is exciting as it means I can work in London, but also go back to Bristol during my training contract. Of the four months I have been at TLT, I have been able to return to Bristol a couple of times.
I am currently working in the Public Inquiries and Public Law team. The day-to-day job is fascinating; we read into the depths of events that are at the forefront of public discussion and debate. Some of the work I have been involved with as a trainee in the team has consisted of deciphering which documents are relevant to inquiries investigations. Furthermore, I have been making decisions as to whether information engages protected characteristics and privileges, assisting with the drafting of witness statements and the disclosure of documents to the inquiries.
Top tips
For a student/graduate interested in working in the legal industry, I would advise being open-minded to the different avenues within the industry and to educate yourself on what each career looks like within the profession. This will enable you to speak freely in applications and interviews to convey your genuine understanding and reason for applying.
To do this, make the most of the open evenings, networking dinners, Q&A sessions and numerous other opportunities Bristol University offer to chat to lawyers whilst the ability to do so is at your doorstep.
The Careers Service is here to help!
- Explore careers in law in our Sector Guides on mycareer.
- Keep up to date with employer-led events on mycareer.
- Discover advice now says to get work experience on the Internships, part-time work and work experience page of our website.